"La Vita Nuova (La Vie Nouvelle)" by Dante Alighieri is a prosimetrum published in 1294. Combining prose and verse, this "little book" chronicles Dante's love for Beatrice from their first meeting at age nine through her death. Through commentaries on sonnets and canzoni, Dante transforms courtly love into sacred poetry, seeking to elevate romantic devotion into spiritual longing. Written in Italian rather than Latin, this emotional autobiography marked a turning point in European poetry and helped establish the foundation for modern Italian language. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
These books are free to read. Each is in the public domain in the United States; check your own country's rules before you copy or share one.
