Francesco Petrarca

Francesco Petrarca, commonly anglicized as Petrarch, was an Italian scholar, poet, and one of the earliest humanists. Born on July 20, 1304, in Arezzo, Tuscany, he is often credited with initiating the 14th-century Renaissance and the founding of Humanism. Petrarch's rediscovery of Cicero's letters is often credited with initiating the 14th-century Renaissance. His sonnets were admired and imitated throughout Europe during the Renaissance and became a model for lyrical poetry. He is also known for his love poems to Laura, a figure whose true identity remains a mystery, and for his role in the development of the Italian language. Petrarch died on July 19, 1374, in Arquà, near Padua in the Venetian Republic.

Books

This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.

  1. 1. Petrarch's Songbook

    "Petrarch's Songbook" is a collection of 366 poems by the Italian scholar, poet, and humanist. The book is divided into two parts, the first part comprising of love sonnets dedicated to his muse Laura, whom he met in Avignon in 1327, and the second part contains poems written after Laura's death. The poems are notable for their personal and emotional intensity, reflecting the poet's innermost thoughts and feelings. They also represent a significant contribution to the development of the Italian sonnet form and have had a profound influence on European poetry.