Decameron translated by Lyubimov

«Decameron» — one of the most famous books of the early Italian Renaissance. Its author, the magnificently educated Giovanni Boccaccio, was a prolific writer. He composed long poems, playing with ancient mythological plots, wrote novels, stories, and sonnets. Boccaccio created a vast encyclopedic work titled «Genealogy of Pagan Gods», a biographical collection «On Famous Women», a treatise «On the Misfortunes of Famous People», as well as a treatise on mountains, forests, lakes, rivers, swamps, and seas. All this extensive literary heritage was eventually overshadowed by his «Decameron» (ten-day stories) — one hundred gathered together and framed by a unified «frame structure» of novellas. Boccaccio wrote them between 1352 and 1354, reworking Italian folklore, using mythological plots, Eastern and French fairy tales, and even moralistic stories told by church preachers to their congregations. Everything was fair game. Most of the novellas in the cycle are devoted to love in all its various aspects. Some novellas can be called openly bawdy, Rabelaisian, while others have a Shakespearean tragic intensity. At the end of his life, Boccaccio was almost ashamed of the «Decameron». It is said that he even wanted to burn his work. Fortunately, that did not happen. «Decameron» was published in 1470 and gradually secured its place in the history of world literature.

The edition is adorned with magnificent illustrations by the famous artist and theatrical designer Umberto Brunelleschi, whose exquisite drawings are characterized by refined technique, elegance, and a hint of eroticism. Umberto was born in Italy and studied painting at the Academy of Arts in Florence. However, the young artist was not too captivated by classical canons. Umberto wanted to paint in an avant-garde Art Deco manner. In 1900, he moved to Paris, and soon his idols in the world of painting became Léon Bakst and Erté (Roman Tyrtov). Brunelleschi settled in the Latin Quarter and quickly immersed himself in the artistic life of the Parisian bohemia. He began collaborating with a number of capital publications — drawing caricatures for them, devising illustrations for articles and artistic reviews, creating posters, and designing theatrical costumes. A particular and beloved theme for Brunelleschi was illustrations. In addition to the «Decameron» by Boccaccio, he illustrated wonderful French fairy tales of the 18th century, «Manon Lescaut» by Prévost, «Novels» by La Fontaine, «Candide» by Voltaire. In the last decade of his life, the master illustrated about thirty books, and now collectors hunt for his original drawings.