A sparkling new translation that gives new life in English to Dante’s Vita nuova, his transcendent love poems and influential statement on the art and power of poetry, and the most widely read of his works after the Inferno.

A Penguin Classic

The Vita nuova is elaborately and symbolically patterned, consisting of a selection of Dante's early poems interspersed with his own prose commentary. The poems themselves tell the story of his love for Beatrice, from their first meeting at a May Day party in her father's house, through Dante's sufferings and his attempts to conceal the true object of his devotion by the use of "screen-loves", to his overwhelming grief at her death, ending with the transformative vision of her in heaven. These are some of the richest love poems in literature, and the movement from self-pitying lament to praise for the beloved's beauty and virtue illustrate the elevating power of love.

For more than 70 years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Audiences trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Please note: This audiobook is in Italian and English.