"In Selected Poetry and Prose, Antonello Borra has provided an intelligent overview of the life, works, and importance of Guittone d'Arezzo. This is a commendable work and one that should increase the appreciation of Guittone as a poet among the many students and scholars of early Italian literature." -- Christopher Kleinhenz, Carol Mason Kirk Professor Emeritus of Italian, University of Wisconsin-Madison "The translations in this volume will be of great interest and constitute a fundamental reference resource for literature students in modern and Romance languages, and English and Italian studies seeking first-hand acquaintance with the most important poetic precursor of Dante Alighieri." -- Anthony Oldcorn, Professor Emeritus of Italian Studies, Brown University

Guittone d’Arezzo (ca. 1230-1294) was the most important, prolific, and influential poet and prose writer of the thirteenth century. Unfortunately, his work has been overshadowed by his successor; the more learned and gifted Dante Alighieri.

The poems and prose included in this volume are emblematic of the two phases of Guittone’s career: he first achieved fame as a secular love poet but following his conversion in the 1260s he became a renowned religious poet. Guittone’s artistic reputation commanded the highest respect. Even Dante’s beloved Guinizzelli and Cavalcanti never enjoyed any such fame in their lifetime. Antonello Borra presents a critical introduction to Guittone’s works with a selection of his poems and letters in facing-page Italian and English translation. While Dante repeatedly condemned Guittone, recent scholarship has re-evaluated his importance and placed his work in the context of his predecessors, the Provençal troubadours and the poets of the Sicilian school. This latest volume in the Lorenzo Da Ponte Italian Library contains the first significant edition of Guittone’s works available in English translation.

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"Dealing with Guittone’s refined and very elaborate metrics (and language), Borra chooses translations that are "as faithful as possible to the letter of the originals", which is probably the most functional solution for the sake of clarity and the success of the educational aim of this book. "

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"…this volume makes an extremely valuable contribution to the study of the Origini for English speakers."