By Juan de Mena
Edited and Translated Frank A. Domínguez and Ryan D. Giles
Harvard University Press
ISBN: 9780674290914
This fifteenth-century epic, presented with both its text and translation, offers a journey akin to Dante’s Divine Comedy—yet beneath its allegory lies a pointed commentary on the turmoil gripping Castile during this period.
Excerpt:
The most translated Castilian compositions of the fifteenth century into English deal with love, death, or consolation, themes that are easily understood because we have all experienced them. These poems also tend to be shorter and written in simple lines of eight syllables or less. This is not the case with Juan de Mena’s The Labyrinth of Fortune (El Laberinto de Fortuna, 1444). Its length, complexity, and form are the probable reasons it has not been translated until now, even though it is undeniably the most important work of the fifteenth century and has long been considered a classic.
Who is this book for?
This work, which enjoyed considerable popularity in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, will be of particular interest to those studying late medieval literature. For anyone researching fifteenth-century Spain, especially the reign of Juan II of Castile (1406–1454), this book is an essential resource.
The Editors
Frank A. Domínguez is Professor Emeritus of Spanish at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Ryan D. Giles is Professor of Spanish at Indiana University, Bloomington.
The Labyrinth of Fortune
By Juan de Mena
Edited and Translated Frank A. Domínguez and Ryan D. Giles
Harvard University Press
ISBN: 9780674290914
This fifteenth-century epic, presented with both its text and translation, offers a journey akin to Dante’s Divine Comedy—yet beneath its allegory lies a pointed commentary on the turmoil gripping Castile during this period.
Excerpt:
The most translated Castilian compositions of the fifteenth century into English deal with love, death, or consolation, themes that are easily understood because we have all experienced them. These poems also tend to be shorter and written in simple lines of eight syllables or less. This is not the case with Juan de Mena’s The Labyrinth of Fortune (El Laberinto de Fortuna, 1444). Its length, complexity, and form are the probable reasons it has not been translated until now, even though it is undeniably the most important work of the fifteenth century and has long been considered a classic.
Who is this book for?
This work, which enjoyed considerable popularity in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, will be of particular interest to those studying late medieval literature. For anyone researching fifteenth-century Spain, especially the reign of Juan II of Castile (1406–1454), this book is an essential resource.
The Editors
Frank A. Domínguez is Professor Emeritus of Spanish at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Ryan D. Giles is Professor of Spanish at Indiana University, Bloomington.
You can learn more about this book from the publisher’s website.
You can buy this book on Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
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