/lit/ - Literature

>>21865038
La Vita Nuova
The Divine Comedy

>>21865038
Bumping with related shit since I am also interested in something like you describe, but it's non-fiction so do know this isn't what you asked for.

Romola

>>21865047
these are good, but I was thinking of more modern novels, modern historical fiction. I might have made a confusion with my OP. I meant novels set in renaissance Florence, but not necessarily written in renaissance Florence.

>>21865053
this looks like a very interesting book
thanks for the rec!

>>21865038
why is his penis black if he's white

>>21865350
It’s as white as the rest of the marble

>>21865038
Never realized his hands were so big before. Or maybe technically, if David is a manlet, it's everything else that's small.

>>21865038
Don Tarquinio

I don't remember if it takes place in Florence or some other italian city but The Dwarf is really good.

oh man when it's colorized it really becomes hard to ignore the hands being too big

>>21865542
It's probably a perspective effect because it was designed to be seen from below. That would also explain why his legs are short and his head is slightly too big.

I Promessi Sposi is set in Milan but it gives an authentic feel for Renaissance city life. Incidentally the best Italian novel ever written, which is why it's worth mentioning in spite of your criteria.

>>21865914
wait, but the "it was meant to be seen from below" cope is also used for those stretched out gothic statues? so which is it? does "seeing from below" mean it should be stretched or compressed? can't have it both ways.

There’s a few things about the Borgias. I know Mario Puzo had one that was pretty hacky
There’s also Prince of Foxes. I never read that one but they made an Orson Welles movie out of it. He played Cesare Borgia and rather infamously complained to the director that the extras weren’t bowing to him properly.

this is free on audible plus rn. very comfy; very interesting.

Cellini’s autobiography.

>>21865038
>Check out Cellini's autobiography. It's one of the earliest examples of a "modern" autobiography. Cellini was an Italian goldsmith/sculptor who was highly respected for his craft, but he was also a bastard. He was a liar, a cheat, and a thief, as well as a murderer. His autobiography, which depending on who you ask, may be more fictional than factual, reads more like a picaresque novel. It was influential to Celine's writing style.

>>21865038
this was a roller coaster through a carnival sword fight

I don't have much fiction.

Then and Now, William Somerset Maugham - though i dont remember it being all that good. In fact it was the novel that made me give up on Maugham as a writer.
The Decameron - Lots of fun and has plenty of documentary detail for the city
Italian Journey, Goethe - The Florence bits are quite good.
Italian Hours, Henry James - the book that made visit the city originally. Lots of later period detail
John Ruskin had produced quite a few guidebooks for the city, though being later in his career he was already extremely bitter about most of it.
The Merchant of Prato - Only partly in Florence but it may as well be.
The House of Medici - again, a big one for most people.
Reading any Dante along side any suplimentray books ( i recommend Reading Dante: From Here to Eternity ) will also give you a solid grounding in the pre renaissance city.


>>21866805
The writing is a bit simple in structure but AGD is above the average cut for popular art critic. The fact that he is now a full time TV presenter is a little sad but Italy Unpacked is kinda fun.
i even took one of his online courses a while back, as i was one free from my uni.

>>21866867
>In fact it was the novel that made me give up on Maugham as a writer.
That's a shame. What else have you read of his? Thus far, everything I've experienced has been great.

>>21866876

Bondage, Sixpence, Cakes and Ale ,
Then and Now, some assorted travel writing and short stories. Enough to know he is extremely limited in terms of range.

I started off admiring him for his lack of sentimentality and for his clear vision, and then realized his still extremely syrupy and overcooked.

Also 2 novels in you realize everyone sounds the same. Machiavelli in Then and Now, talks in the same slipshod expressions as characters in Sixpence and C&A.

>>21865038
Are their colored versions of nude female sculptures? Asking for myself.

>>21866867
this is good
thanks!

>>21865914
The Hebrew name David was also translated as "strong of hand", apart from the more common "beloved" ("desiderabilis, aut fortis manu" according to Liber De Nominibus Hebraicis).

>>21865038
What are a good series of books that cover post rome italy and its various communes all the way to the rennaisance

>>21867223
>>21867223
yea this

>>21867223
Bump
I would also like to know this
I know there is a Great Courses course called Italians Before Italy: Conflict and Competition in the Mediterranean that covers this, but don't know any book. Still, it might be a good place to start.

>>21867514
>but don't know any book
I'm asking for a series of books because a book trying to cover it all would be very brief and worthless. Other than popular stuff like Venice, Medici, etc there are very few english history books about medieval italy. I know they exist in Italian