Overview

This series is the first English translation of the letters of the philosopher priest who helped to shape the Renaissance worldview. This volume spans the seventeen months from April 1491 to September 1492. This is a crucial period for Marsilio Ficino and Florence itself, for it witnessed the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent. In one of the letters Ficino calls him 'the great and god-like Lorenzo'. In a letter to Lorenzo in Volume 1, he had written: 'Almost all other rich men support servants of pleasure, but you support priests of the Muses'.Of the 34 letters in this volume, five are addressed to Martin Prenninger, Professor of Ecclesiastical Law at Tubingen University and counsellor to Count Eberhard. One, the longest in this volume, consists mainly of extracts selected by Ficino from his translation of Proclus' commentaries on Plato's Republic.Another letter to Prenninger gives an insight into Ficino's activities in this period: his work with the Divine Names of Dionysius, the preparation of a copy of his Philebus commentary being made for Prenninger, and the reprinting, in Venice, of his translations of Plato's dialogues and the Platonic Theology.Most interesting and intriguing is Ficino's response to Prenninger's frequent request to receive a list of his friends, with which he complies, requesting him not to infer any ranking from the order in which they are listed.

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'Such giants as Ficino deserve a wider audience' Umberto Eco; 'Marsilio Ficino (1433-1499) was at the very fountainhead of some of the most characteristic and influential aspects of the Italian Renaissance.' C B Schmitt, Times Literary Supplement; 'All that we regard as the norm of Western European art - Botticelli's paintings, Monteverdi's music, Shakespeare's philosophical lovers, Berowne and Lorenzo, Jacques and Portia - has flowered from Ficino's Florence. Kathleen Raine, The Times; 'Undoubtedly these letters comprise one of the spiritual classics of the past thousand years.' - Christopher Booker, The Spectator

'Such giants as Ficino deserve a wider audience' Umberto Eco; In the last two decades or so it has become very difficult to keep high scholarly standards in the humanities ... In such circumstances it is almost a miracle to find the recent tenth volume in this ambitious and important project of providing English translations to Marsilio Ficino's letters, containing book 11 of Ficino's letters ... All in all this volume is an example of the high scholarly standards essential to the humanities. Amos Edelheit, Renaissance Quarterly; These letters are not only a joy to read, they are deeply nourishing. Like Plato's Dialogues, they make me stand up straight and listen. Ficino's letters are witty, subtle, full of intelligence and wisdom. His words are joyful and have a poetry and intimacy that I cannot resist. If you try reading them out loud, as I did, you discover that they have a rhythm and a haunting melody all of their own. Very soon, you will find yourself admiring the rich beauty of this man. Elizabeth Medler, Editor of New Vision (www.thehamblintrust.org.uk); 'Marsilio Ficino (1433-1499) was at the very fountainhead of some of the most characteristic and influential aspects of the Italian Renaissance.' C B Schmitt, Times Literary Supplement; 'All that we regard as the norm of Western European art - Botticelli's paintings, Monteverdi's music, Shakespeare's philosophical lovers, Berowne and Lorenzo, Jacques and Portia - has flowered from Ficino's Florence. Kathleen Raine, The Times; 'Undoubtedly these letters comprise one of the spiritual classics of the past thousand years.' - Christopher Booker, The Spectator

Author Information

Arthur Farndell has been a member of the team of scholars at the School of Economic Science in London for more than 35 years. He is also the translator of many of Marsilio Ficino s commentaries on Plato s Dialogues, which have been published in four volumes as All Things Natural, Evermore Shall Be So, Gardens of Philosophy, and When Philosophers Rule.

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