A hugely important literary work both in terms of the insights it provides into the lives and minds of two great men and as an early example of the biographer’s art. Boccaccio was a fervent admirer of Dante, and as such, he embarked upon writing this short piece as a vindication of the merits of his illustrious fellow citizen. Yet far from being simply an account of the misfortunes that befell the great Florentine exile, the resulting Life of Dante also offers precious insight into Boccaccio’s own ideas on a variety of topics, including poetry, literature, women, and society. Giovanni Boccaccio is universally considered to be the father of Italian prose, with his Decameron regarded as a landmark in the history of Western literature. Foreword by A.N. Wilson.