Boccaccio: A Biography

By Marco Santagata

A comprehensive biography of the celebrated author of the Decameron, a medieval masterpiece written in early Italian.

Boccaccio (1313-75) stands with Dante and Petrarch as one of the "Three Crowns" of Italian letters, a trio of writers who shaped the history of humanism, literature, and poetry. In this book, Dante's award-winning biographer, Marco Santagata, takes up the moving life and legacy of Boccaccio--whose unflinching story of a pandemic-era community (the Decameron) created new possibilities for vernacular Italian prose.

This landmark biography sheds new light on Boccaccio's life--his family, friends, and foes, his aspirations, fears, and frustrations--and it shows how he was affected by transformations in Italian society. It also charts the influences that shaped Boccaccio's understanding of literature: what kinds of stories it could tell and what kinds of characters it could depict; and, perhaps most importantly, what role art could play in a changing world. An insightful portrait of one of literature's most important figures, this book promises to be the definitive biography of Boccaccio for many years to come.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226820947
• ISBN13: 9780226820941
• Release Date: May 2025
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 424 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.1" x 9.1"