The Decameron

"CelebratedintheRenaissanceastheforemoststylistofItalianprose,BoccacciohasseldommethismatchinEnglishtranslation...WayneRebhorn’sfluidanddynamicrenditionhitsthemarkoneverypage."—WilliamJ.Kennedy,CornellUniversityTheyearis1348.TheBlackDeathhasbeguntoravageEurope.TenyoungFlorentines—sevenwomenandthreemen—escapetheplague-infestedcityandretreattothecountrysidearoundFiesole.Attheirleisureinthisisolatedandbucolicsetting,theyspendtendaystellingeachotherstories—talesofromance,tragedy,comedy,andfarce—onehundredinall.Theresult,calledbyonecritic"thegreatestshortstorycollectionofalltime"(LeonardBarkan,PrincetonUniversity)isarichandentertainingcelebrationofthemedleyofmedievallife.Witty,earthy,andfilledwithbawdyirreverence,theonehundredstoriesofTheDecameronoffermorethansimpleescapism;theyarealsoalife-affirmingbalmfortryingtimes.TheDecameronisajoyouslycomicbookthathasearneditsplaceinworldliteraturenotjustbecauseitmakesuslaugh,butmoreimportantlybecauseitshowsushowessentiallaughteristothehumancondition.Publishedonthe700thanniversaryofBoccaccio’sbirth,WayneA.Rebhorn'snewtranslationofTheDecameronintroducesagenerationofreaderstothis"richlate-medievalfeast"ina"lively,contemporary,American-inflectedEnglish"(StephenGreenblatt,HarvardUniversity)evenasitretainsthedistinctlymedievalflavorofBoccaccio'srhetoricallyexpressiveprose.AnextensiveintroductionprovidesusefuldetailsaboutBoccaccio'shistoricalandculturalmilieu,thethemesandparticularitiesofthetext,andthelinesofinfluenceflowingintoandoutofthistoweringmonumentofworldliterature.Anentertainingseriesof100storiestoldinacountryvillaoutsidethecityofFlorencebytenyoungnoblemenandwomenseekingtoescapetheplague.Vividportraitsofpeoplefromallstationsinlife.