Poems and Selected Letters

Veronica Franco is a woman whose thoughts and deeds have escaped the destruction of vicious men and time. Circumstances led her to lead the life of a courtesan, and her great brain and great body allowed her to see clearly and live well in an era when almost all women, rich and poor, were the chattel of men. Franco's poetry and her letters survive to shed light on a society was leading the Renaissance although it still had many characteristics in common with today's Taliban. Franco is a quiet heroine who was not afraid of her ideas and not ashamed of her sex or of sex. A great lady!

I had wanted to get my hands on a book of Veronica Franco's poetry ever since I read THE HONEST COURTESAN. When I discovered that this was available, I snapped it up in a heartbeat. The poetry itself is a decadent pleasure, much like eating cheesecake in a bubble bath, but what makes it even better is the layout. One page has the poem in the original Italian, with the translation on the page opposite. This makes it very easy to compare and study them. The writings provide an interesting look into the mind and personality of the woman who inspired DANGEROUS BEAUTY. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in poetry, 16th century Venice, or just wants a fun book to pass back and forth with friends while waiting for the feast to be served.

Though some of the letters included in this book are quite hard to get through without having a coffee break, the poems are absolutely fascinating. They are filled with passion and mystery. The majority of poems to or from lovers of Veronica Franco in this book are unknown, which leaves the beauty of being able to make up your own mind. This title doesn't focus so much on her life so if your after history of Veronica then another title might be more suitable. Otherwise this is well worth the buy.

Veronica's work is much too hard to find, but this book made the search worth while. As with well reproduced Italian poetry, being able to read it both as it was written and in English is pleasure. We can all relate to some of the things she writes regarding missing home and affairs of the heart, especially the pain we suffer when we are parted from these two things. The translation was superb to the point of finding it hard to believe the words were penned four centuries ago.

Veronica Franco was one of the foremost poets of her time--her time being the 1600s--and her place being Venice. It is amazing that it has taken this long for a volume of her poetry and prose to make it into English. Witty, erotic, playful, sophisticated: such is her poetry, by and large. The woman had a wicked tongue and a busy pen. This volume is a must for anyone interested in the history of literary women.