Written in alternating prose and poetry, La Vita Nuova (The New Life) is a profound reflection on the nature of love, devoted to Dante’s muse Beatrice. Following Beatrice’s death in 1290, Dante became obsessed with the young Florentine woman, whom he only ever knew from a distance. He believed his love for her was a form of divine love, and saw her as an image of salvation itself – a theme that is later explored in his masterpiece The Divine Comedy, where she guides him through heaven. La Vita Nuova gives a fascinating glimpse into the poet’s innermost feelings – his joy, his guilt and his grief – and remains one of the greatest works of Christian autobiography.
