Petrarch’s Confessional Poetry: A Conversation with A. M. Juster

Today, we welcome A.M. Juster, whose new book is Canzoniere: A New Translation, with an introduction by Andrew Frisardi (Liveright).In this episode:(1:00) Where does Petrarch fit in literary history? From the medieval to the Renaissance(4:50) Petrarch vs. Shakespeare(8:59) Confessional poetry from Petrarch to Plath and Lowell(12:56) What is love? This is not really love poetry.(17:45) Is Petrarch accessible to the modern reader?(19:28) Is Petrarch difficult to translate?(23:00) Readings from Juster's new translation of the Canzionere:1. ‘To you who hear within these bits of rhyme’18. ‘When I return to focus on the part’118. ‘I leave my sixteenth year of sighs’(26:21) How is time represented in Petrarch’s work? The influence of Augustine.(30:00) The origins of this translation. The inspiration of Richard Wilbur(39:42) Forthcoming works from A. M. Juster