Essay
The Letters of Pietro Aretino
Lettere
Pietro Aretino · 1537
Synopsis
Six books of letters, addressed for the most part to the powerful men of the day, princes, sovereigns and great lords. The author seeks their favour and their gifts, flatters them or lets the threat of his attacks hang over them, and comments in his own way on the life of his time. The collections follow one another from book to book, and the whole shows the influence the author had managed to gain over the highest figures of his age.
Context
The first book appeared in Venice from the printer Francesco Marcolini: it was the first time an Italian man of letters had published his own letters in the vernacular, and the collection marked a turning point in the history of the genre. Five more books followed; the last appeared in 1557, after the author's death. In French, André Chastel published a selection at Scala in 1988; in English, Thomas Caldecot Chubb in 1967, then George Bull at Penguin in 1976.
Who it is for
A collection of letters to be read in pieces, for those curious about the Renaissance, Venice and its powerful men.
Prizes and reception
According to the Treccani, these letters are the author's most authentic find, his most complete discovery of style.
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