This critical study of the biographical writings of the Italian poet Francesco Petrarca is a landmark work of literary scholarship. Re's careful and nuanced analysis explores the complex relationship between Petrarca's life and his art, shedding new light on the nature of poetic inspiration. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of Italian literature, poetry, and intellectual history. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.