The Liberated Jerusalem

The pinnacle of creativity of Torquato Tasso (1544–1595), one of the greatest Italian poets, is considered to be «The Liberated Jerusalem», a poetic epic about the First Crusade, the culmination of which was the capture of Jerusalem (in 1099) and the liberation of the Holy Sepulchre. «The Liberated Jerusalem» is a battle fresco, a captivating narrative of the bloody and heroic events of Christian history with mystical, supernatural, and miraculous motifs. The poem has been translated into Russian more than ten times since the late 18th century, however, only in the modern translation by Roman Dubrovkin, presented in our book, did it come alive with all the colors of its unique poetics, characterized by a developed lyrical beginning, complex psychological characteristics of the characters, and vivid depiction of dramatic love collisions. In this edition, for the first time in Russia, the text of the poem is accompanied by a series of engravings by the Italian artist Antonio Tempesta (1555–1630), as well as color illustrations by the Flemish artist David Teniers the Younger (1610–1690).