Dante Gabriel Rossetti – författare

A major poet, writer, and painter, Dante Gabriel Rossetti was seen as the dominating cultural presence in the second half of the nineteenth century. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite movement, revised and reimagined Blake’s project of marrying images and texts, and was a shaping influence on Modernist aesthetic ideas and practices. His translations are original poetical works in their own right. Jerome McGann, a leading figure in nineteenth- and twentieth-century scholarship, presents a generous selection of Rossetti’s poetry, prose, and original translations. The collection, which includes important writings unavailable in any edition of Rossetti ever printed, is accompanied by McGann’s learned and critically incisive commentaries and notes.

For critics like John Ruskin and Walter Pater, Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1892) was one of the great creative figures of the day, a painter and a poet of major stature. Yeats and the young Pound regarded him as an exemplary figure of solitary dedication to art and beauty. He called the sonnet 'a moment's monument', and his best short lyrics are instants of oppressed emotion cut free of time. In this, as in the suggestiveness of his imagery, he anticipates the French Symbolists. He can also be regarded as the founder of modern verse translation, not only for the freshness of his versions but also for his choice of poets---Villon, Cavalcanti and the young Dante. In this selection, Clive Wilmer has made a personal choice, emphasizing the 'pure poetry' of the lyrics at the expense of the more conventionally Victorian monologues and narratives. He has also included a generous selection from the translations, and provided a biographical and critical introduction.

The Early Italian Poets by Dante Gabriel Rossetti offers a comprehensive exploration of early Italian poetry, spanning from poets like Ciullo d'Alcamo to Dante Alighieri. Initially published in 1861, this collection features Rossetti's translations of seminal works from the Italian trecento, capturing the vibrancy and intricacies of early Italian verse in their original meters. By presenting these works to an English-speaking audience, Rossetti sought to broaden knowledge of Italy’s poetic heritage, providing insight into the stylistic and thematic developments that would later influence Dante. His translations not only serve as a valuable historical record but also reflect Rossetti's artistic sensitivity, blending scholarly rigor with poetic expression.Rossetti’s own poetic inclinations are evident in his approach to translation, which he saw as a means of honing his craft while offering a fresh perspective on Italian poetry. As a key member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Rossetti brought an artist’s eye to his translations, emphasizing the detail and vividness found in the original works. His translations stand apart from his contemporaries, evoking a unique lyricism that is rich in color, rhythm, and emotion. The 1874 revised edition reorganized the material and added new poems, making this work not just a translation but also a personal reflection on the relationship between translation and creation. Through his careful and reflective translations, Rossetti introduced a poetic vitality that would resonate through Victorian English poetry, influencing poets like Ezra Pound and others in their own exploration of Italian literary traditions.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1981.

The Early Italian Poets by Dante Gabriel Rossetti offers a comprehensive exploration of early Italian poetry, spanning from poets like Ciullo d'Alcamo to Dante Alighieri. Initially published in 1861, this collection features Rossetti's translations of seminal works from the Italian trecento, capturing the vibrancy and intricacies of early Italian verse in their original meters. By presenting these works to an English-speaking audience, Rossetti sought to broaden knowledge of Italy’s poetic heritage, providing insight into the stylistic and thematic developments that would later influence Dante. His translations not only serve as a valuable historical record but also reflect Rossetti's artistic sensitivity, blending scholarly rigor with poetic expression.Rossetti’s own poetic inclinations are evident in his approach to translation, which he saw as a means of honing his craft while offering a fresh perspective on Italian poetry. As a key member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Rossetti brought an artist’s eye to his translations, emphasizing the detail and vividness found in the original works. His translations stand apart from his contemporaries, evoking a unique lyricism that is rich in color, rhythm, and emotion. The 1874 revised edition reorganized the material and added new poems, making this work not just a translation but also a personal reflection on the relationship between translation and creation. Through his careful and reflective translations, Rossetti introduced a poetic vitality that would resonate through Victorian English poetry, influencing poets like Ezra Pound and others in their own exploration of Italian literary traditions.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1981.