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The Life Of Solitude
English, Latin (translation)
316 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1985
5 people are currently reading
209 people want to read
About the author
Francesco Petrarca
1,153 books365 followersFamous Italian poet, scholar, and humanist Francesco Petrarca, known in English as Petrarch, collected love lyrics in
Canzoniere
.
People often call Petrarch the earliest Renaissance "father of humanism". Based on Petrarch's works, and to a lesser extent those of Dante Alighieri and Giovanni Boccaccio, Pietro Bembo in the 16th century created the model for the modern Italian language, which the Accademia della Crusca later endorsed. People credit Petrarch with developing the sonnet. They admired and imitated his sonnets, a model for lyrical poems throughout Europe during the Renaissance. Petrarch called the Middle Ages the Dark Ages.
People often call Petrarch the earliest Renaissance "father of humanism". Based on Petrarch's works, and to a lesser extent those of Dante Alighieri and Giovanni Boccaccio, Pietro Bembo in the 16th century created the model for the modern Italian language, which the Accademia della Crusca later endorsed. People credit Petrarch with developing the sonnet. They admired and imitated his sonnets, a model for lyrical poems throughout Europe during the Renaissance. Petrarch called the Middle Ages the Dark Ages.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 3, 2015
Je ne connaissait rien de cet auteur, j'ai adoré ce livre. Une excellente découverte!
July 28, 2012
I feel lucky that the LA library had this text, because my other choice was the used copy available from Amazon for $399, and well, that's a whit on the pricey side. Additionally, the only translation available seems to be this 1924 edition by Jacob Zeitlin - and I wonder what a more modern translation of the Latin might look like. Nevertheless, Zeitlin writes a fun and elucidating introduction to "De Vita Solitaria" that pretty much captures the spirit of the thing: it is an "elaborate and redundant book. Its argument winds and wanders and sometimes forgets itself altogether." It certainly does. But the primary argument is clear: the busy urbanite suffers a miserable life, generating nothing important, while the years of the solitary countryman are brimming with rich natural pleasures and meditations on philosophy and God. Within the city lies the impulses of the flesh, while seclusion in the mountains and valleys allows for freedom and purity of the mind.
Book One. Five Stars. I thought this section was funny (unintentionally I think), apt, wonderfully vivid, and still held (mostly) true to modern life. The extreme nature of Petrarch's views on city life are hyperbolic, but they're also exactly how I sometimes feel. For instance, the city dweller is "full of troubles, replete with dining and wining, gripped by fear and envy, dispirited by the checks he has encountered or vainly elated by his successes, afflicted with melancholy, bursting with wrath, at war with himself, not master of his own mind. He is besieged by parasites, spied upon by rivals, deafened with outcries, importuned by letters and besieged by messages, held in suspense by a report and terrified by a rumor, stunned by omens and deluded by falsehoods, wearied out with complaints and harassed by contentions even at night." Wow. It goes on, but does so, as Zeitlin notes, in redundant fashion. But still. It's good.
Book Two. Three Stars. This section is too Catholic for my brain. Petrarch describes the types of solitude of far too many saints and popes. The solitude of Saint Remigius, blessed Bernard, Francis, Florentius, Jesus (and many many more). A little dull. I like the castigating sections on various princes, and poor Ovid. I also found Petrarch's examination of "Hindoos" and Brahmins and those of the "Hyperborean race" interesting from an historical perspective. He writes: "these Hyperboreans are said to have almost the same habits as the men of India, except that on account of the more inclement sky I do not believe in their going naked. But they have the same obnoxious practice of voluntary death, though the manner of dying is different. For while the Hindoos enter the flames, these people, when they are invaded not by weariness but the satiety of life and the desire of death, adorn themselves with wreaths and go forth as to a joyful and festive ceremony and hurl themselves from a steep rock into the nearby waves of the ocean." Otherwise, they're a pure and perfect people. Nakedness and suicide aren't deal killers for Petrarch, because the Hyperboreans are lovers of solitude.
I enjoyed reading this, although the dusty pages made me feel asthmatic. It was different and anciently groovy.
Book One. Five Stars. I thought this section was funny (unintentionally I think), apt, wonderfully vivid, and still held (mostly) true to modern life. The extreme nature of Petrarch's views on city life are hyperbolic, but they're also exactly how I sometimes feel. For instance, the city dweller is "full of troubles, replete with dining and wining, gripped by fear and envy, dispirited by the checks he has encountered or vainly elated by his successes, afflicted with melancholy, bursting with wrath, at war with himself, not master of his own mind. He is besieged by parasites, spied upon by rivals, deafened with outcries, importuned by letters and besieged by messages, held in suspense by a report and terrified by a rumor, stunned by omens and deluded by falsehoods, wearied out with complaints and harassed by contentions even at night." Wow. It goes on, but does so, as Zeitlin notes, in redundant fashion. But still. It's good.
Book Two. Three Stars. This section is too Catholic for my brain. Petrarch describes the types of solitude of far too many saints and popes. The solitude of Saint Remigius, blessed Bernard, Francis, Florentius, Jesus (and many many more). A little dull. I like the castigating sections on various princes, and poor Ovid. I also found Petrarch's examination of "Hindoos" and Brahmins and those of the "Hyperborean race" interesting from an historical perspective. He writes: "these Hyperboreans are said to have almost the same habits as the men of India, except that on account of the more inclement sky I do not believe in their going naked. But they have the same obnoxious practice of voluntary death, though the manner of dying is different. For while the Hindoos enter the flames, these people, when they are invaded not by weariness but the satiety of life and the desire of death, adorn themselves with wreaths and go forth as to a joyful and festive ceremony and hurl themselves from a steep rock into the nearby waves of the ocean." Otherwise, they're a pure and perfect people. Nakedness and suicide aren't deal killers for Petrarch, because the Hyperboreans are lovers of solitude.
I enjoyed reading this, although the dusty pages made me feel asthmatic. It was different and anciently groovy.
August 4, 2024
Petrarch’s key claims seem as pertinent as ever.
January 30, 2024
Fewer books could extol the beauty, spiritual depth, and perfection of the solitary life better than one written by Italy’s greatest humanist. Any man who seeks after intellectual ascent must learn how to abscond his duties, and the commands of society at large, in order to muster up what budding fruits lie within his mind. Petrarch lays out what profound unity the solitary prince will find with His God in the silence of Philosophy’s breast, and I for one seek after every blessed good he puts forth here. Every individual case he proffers convinces the mind of the need to leave behind his desires, and every page replete with the hidden beauty lost upon us pleasure-seekers. Read this work, pray, and study: there blossoms the hallowed ascents spoken of by Plotinus, Iamblichus, and the Christian mystics.
September 20, 2024
great book. lot of memorable passages, content wise. im sure if the translation is this pleasant, the original text in latin would be even more enchanting to read. wouldve liked it more if half of the book wasnt constant christ cock-sucking but then again, cant fault a medival author for it.
April 24, 2023
This is an honest, personal, and pretty essay in praise of solitude. If you have ever felt like going off to live in a cabin in the woods, it's nice to hear Petrarch relate. There are a bunch of good bits that are beautiful to read and others that serve as jumping-off points for further reflection.
P's method is ahead of its time. Instead of arguing for an absolute position, he merely "exposes the principles of his own mind". He accepts that everyone is different, and simply asks the reader to think about what he's saying and decide if they feel the same.
What solitude buys P is free time, freedom from distraction, and freedom from temptation. He can do what he feels is worthwhile (reading, writing, praying) and he can (allegedly) make progress becoming a more virtuous person. It's under these conditions he finds repose.
P does consider the obvious objection- to oppose solitude to a life of service. Here P gives a disorganized but appropriate response. Sometimes he shrugs and admits to being inferior to those who can apply themselves to a life of service. Other times, he pleads that you need to help yourself in order to be in a condition to help others. Critically, though, he lays the groundwork for "the establishment of self-cultivation as an adequate guiding motive in life":
P would say, if you think about it, and you need some solitude to achieve your potential as a human, then you should go for it. Has self-help literature improved on this in 700 years?
P also considers the objection of close friendship. With some sleight of hand, he essentially defines a close friend as someone whose mind is so amenable to yours that their presence does not break the spell of solitude. There's also the response of Jerome:
This reminds me of Thoreau:
But both quotes kind of work against the idea of complete solitude. Would P's particularly literary joy be possible without other people?
One should skip the fourth tractate of book 2 entirely- it's unrelated and "hasn't aged well".
P's method is ahead of its time. Instead of arguing for an absolute position, he merely "exposes the principles of his own mind". He accepts that everyone is different, and simply asks the reader to think about what he's saying and decide if they feel the same.
What trouble is there for an argument when it enter the ears of a person whose own thought chimes with what he hears and who, having the evidence of his own experience, in order to yield his assent requires neither concrete examples, nor weighty authority, nor pointed reasoning, but in silence says to himself, 'It is true?'
What solitude buys P is free time, freedom from distraction, and freedom from temptation. He can do what he feels is worthwhile (reading, writing, praying) and he can (allegedly) make progress becoming a more virtuous person. It's under these conditions he finds repose.
P does consider the obvious objection- to oppose solitude to a life of service. Here P gives a disorganized but appropriate response. Sometimes he shrugs and admits to being inferior to those who can apply themselves to a life of service. Other times, he pleads that you need to help yourself in order to be in a condition to help others. Critically, though, he lays the groundwork for "the establishment of self-cultivation as an adequate guiding motive in life":
Every man's purpose is honorable and sacred.
P would say, if you think about it, and you need some solitude to achieve your potential as a human, then you should go for it. Has self-help literature improved on this in 700 years?
P also considers the objection of close friendship. With some sleight of hand, he essentially defines a close friend as someone whose mind is so amenable to yours that their presence does not break the spell of solitude. There's also the response of Jerome:
A wise man can never die alone, for he has with him all the good men who are or have been, and he projects and transports his free mind according to his pleasure, and what he cannot compass with his body he compasses with his thought
This reminds me of Thoreau:
Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other's eyes for an instant? We should live in all the ages of the world in an hour
But both quotes kind of work against the idea of complete solitude. Would P's particularly literary joy be possible without other people?
One should skip the fourth tractate of book 2 entirely- it's unrelated and "hasn't aged well".
May 5, 2025
42 anys tenia Petrarca quan va escriure ara fa 659 anys, el 1346, aquest llibret sobre la solitud, que era primer de tot una carta a Philippe de Cabassoles, bisbe de Cavaillon. Parla Petrarca de la benedicció que suposa l'espai de solitud, sobretot per a aquells que volen dedicar-se a l'estudi i a les lletres. Diu coses ben interessants, que semblen estar escrites ahir mateix, i amb les que estic totalment d'acord. Llàstima que és un home del seu temps, d'aquells que necessitaven reforçar els seus arguments amb passatges bíblics, i que tenien fòbia i menyspreu per les dones. Amb tot, el llibre, per a aquells a qui ens agrada la solitud, és un balsam i un espai de confort i serenor.
"de la solitud, no n’elogio únicament el nom, sinó totes les coses que té de bo; el retir desocupat i el silenci no em plauen tant com la llibertat i el lleure que hom hi troba. I no sóc tan inhumà per odiar els homes, els quals el manament celestial m’ordena d’estimar com a mi mateix, sinó que odio, més aviat, els pecats dels homes —en primer lloc els meus—, com també les preocupacions i els neguits amargs que habiten entre la gent."
"la riquesa més elevada i més autèntica és no cobejar res, i el poder suprem no tenir cap por."
"Quant a mi, m’inclino per la vida solitària, jo que no tinc res en comú amb el poble, que jo sàpiga, i que em trobo ben bé a les beceroles del coneixement de les lletres, de manera que el meu esperit no s’envaneixi sinó que es complagui i es faci amic de la solitud —car és allí on jo les he apreses, sense cap professor loquaç, però sense ni gota d’aquesta torpor persistent i, gràcies a Déu, sense la lividesa que aquella comporta—; jo que no tinc ni amant, ni muller, ni cap citació judicial, ni cap préstec a interès, ni cap dipòsit, ni cap petit lucre, ni discursos al fòrum, ni cap bany públic, ni cap botiga, ni cap teatre, ni cap pòrtic que em lligui a la ciutat; jo que, sincerament, dec prou menys al meu propi interès o al consell dels altres per sentir-me així, que no pas al poder de persuasió de la mateixa natura, m’inclino sense cap mena de dubte per la vida solitària, que no sols és més tranquil·la sinó també més elevada i molt més segura."
"de la solitud, no n’elogio únicament el nom, sinó totes les coses que té de bo; el retir desocupat i el silenci no em plauen tant com la llibertat i el lleure que hom hi troba. I no sóc tan inhumà per odiar els homes, els quals el manament celestial m’ordena d’estimar com a mi mateix, sinó que odio, més aviat, els pecats dels homes —en primer lloc els meus—, com també les preocupacions i els neguits amargs que habiten entre la gent."
"la riquesa més elevada i més autèntica és no cobejar res, i el poder suprem no tenir cap por."
"Quant a mi, m’inclino per la vida solitària, jo que no tinc res en comú amb el poble, que jo sàpiga, i que em trobo ben bé a les beceroles del coneixement de les lletres, de manera que el meu esperit no s’envaneixi sinó que es complagui i es faci amic de la solitud —car és allí on jo les he apreses, sense cap professor loquaç, però sense ni gota d’aquesta torpor persistent i, gràcies a Déu, sense la lividesa que aquella comporta—; jo que no tinc ni amant, ni muller, ni cap citació judicial, ni cap préstec a interès, ni cap dipòsit, ni cap petit lucre, ni discursos al fòrum, ni cap bany públic, ni cap botiga, ni cap teatre, ni cap pòrtic que em lligui a la ciutat; jo que, sincerament, dec prou menys al meu propi interès o al consell dels altres per sentir-me així, que no pas al poder de persuasió de la mateixa natura, m’inclino sense cap mena de dubte per la vida solitària, que no sols és més tranquil·la sinó també més elevada i molt més segura."
March 28, 2025
A wonderful treatment of the subject from Petrarch’s personal experience and learning. I read Jacob Zeitlin’s translation and notes published in 1924 by the University of Illinois, which is highly readable. The title is a direct translation, but the content if written today might equally have been entitled ‘The Consolations of Solitude’ or ‘Seeking Solitude’. Petrarch’s words seem to indicate, if one can surmise about the thoughts of a learned person of the year 1346, that he was seeking confirmation from Biblical and similar historical figures for his own solitude. Some parts of his text seem a little laboured and repetitive, especially when listing very selected aspects of various figures’ lives, but the intent is clear. The busy life demanded by civilization – residing in cities – is not conducive to calmness and insight. Petrarch’s objective, expressed in Christian terms of the 14th century, seems to be his own spiritual development; as such the text is as instructive for modern persons as it has been in across eight centuries. Personally, I found more appeal in Augustine’s ‘City of God’. Nevertheless, a good read. Professor Emeritus Lindsay Falvey
July 29, 2020
Una oda a la soledad y sus beneficios para Solitarius quien busca la plenitud moral e intelectual.
el estudio y la meditación se hacen en la soledad.
Paradójicamente, la soledad hace más grata con la presencia de un amigo. Y en ella, hombres insignes manifestaron sus virtudies.
Ah pero, sin las letras y la relación con la naturaleza, se sufrirá de aburrimiento, es tormento, cárcel y destierro.
DVS es un precioso testimonio del espíritu petrarquiano: y se admiran en ella el ansia de Petrarca de revelar su ánimo en una afectuosa confesión y el conocimiento seguro de los íntimos contrastes que padecen los hombres. Del aprecio a la poesía.
En su Cancionero (v.), Petrarca diserta sobre la soledad
https://www.criticadelibros.com/metal...
el estudio y la meditación se hacen en la soledad.
Paradójicamente, la soledad hace más grata con la presencia de un amigo. Y en ella, hombres insignes manifestaron sus virtudies.
Ah pero, sin las letras y la relación con la naturaleza, se sufrirá de aburrimiento, es tormento, cárcel y destierro.
DVS es un precioso testimonio del espíritu petrarquiano: y se admiran en ella el ansia de Petrarca de revelar su ánimo en una afectuosa confesión y el conocimiento seguro de los íntimos contrastes que padecen los hombres. Del aprecio a la poesía.
En su Cancionero (v.), Petrarca diserta sobre la soledad
https://www.criticadelibros.com/metal...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2025
Petrarch’s outlook on solitude reminds me rather of that by Zena Hitz in “Lost In Thought” - perched atop the ivory tower of a Renaissance scholar, inaccessible to the masses.
The introduction by Scott H. Moore addresses various criticisms of De Vita Solitaria, including the problematic views on women and other religions, and especially the elitist approach to finding solitude. Yet, the editorial still chalks the former two up to Petrarch being a product of his age, and makes a case for the latter having an allowance for the everyday man as Petrarch is “not prescribing the solitary life for all”.
Contemporary readers who cannot afford to leave the livelihoods afforded by “the hustle and bustle of technocratic urban life”, as per the editor, will simply need to excuse themselves.
The introduction by Scott H. Moore addresses various criticisms of De Vita Solitaria, including the problematic views on women and other religions, and especially the elitist approach to finding solitude. Yet, the editorial still chalks the former two up to Petrarch being a product of his age, and makes a case for the latter having an allowance for the everyday man as Petrarch is “not prescribing the solitary life for all”.
Contemporary readers who cannot afford to leave the livelihoods afforded by “the hustle and bustle of technocratic urban life”, as per the editor, will simply need to excuse themselves.
August 22, 2022
interessant, pel bany cultural que representa, ja que les referències a literatura clàssica son contínues. Val la pena llegir-lo, i hi ha idees interessants
March 22, 2024
Fingeremo che il secondo Libro non sia mai stato scritto.
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