{"title":"Joseph Luzzi","description":"\u003cp\u003eJoseph Luzzi's works offer a captivating exploration of \u003cem\u003earts and culture\u003c\/em\u003e, blending deep literary insight with historical context. His writing illuminates enduring masterpieces and the stories behind them, inviting readers to see familiar subjects through a fresh and thoughtful lens.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the secrets of Renaissance art to profound literary classics, Luzzi engages with history and creativity in a way that enriches understanding and appreciation. His books provide a compelling journey through cultural heritage and literary tradition.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"botticellis-secret-by-joseph-luzzi-9781324066019","title":"Botticelli's Secret","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome five hundred years ago, Sandro Botticelli, a painter of humble origin, created works of unearthly beauty. A star of Florence's art world, he was commissioned by a member of the city's powerful Medici family to execute a near-impossible project: to illustrate all one hundred cantos of \u003cem\u003eThe Divine Comedy\u003c\/em\u003e by Dante Alighieri, the ultimate visual homage to that \"divine\" poet. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis sparked a gripping encounter between poet and artist, between the religious and the secular, between the earthly and the evanescent, recorded in exquisite drawings by Botticelli that now enchant audiences worldwide. Yet after a lifetime of creating masterpieces including \u003cem\u003ePrimavera\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Birth of Venus\u003c\/em\u003e, Botticelli declined into poverty and obscurity. His Dante project remained unfinished. Then the drawings vanished for over four hundred years. The once famous Botticelli himself was forgotten. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe nineteenth-century rediscovery of Botticelli's Dante drawings brought scholars and art lovers to their knees: this work embodied everything the Renaissance had come to mean. From Botticelli's metaphorical rise from the dead in Victorian England to the emergence of eagle-eyed connoisseurs like Bernard Berenson and Herbert Horne in the early twentieth century, and even the rescue of precious art during World War II and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the posthumous story of Botticelli's Dante drawings is, if anything, even more dramatic than their creation. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA combination of artistic detective story and rich intellectual history, \u003cem\u003eBotticelli's Secret\u003c\/em\u003e shows not only how the Renaissance came to life, but also how Botticelli's art helped bring it about—and, most important, why we need the Renaissance and all that it stands for today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46832534978796,"sku":"9781324066019","price":37.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/11344583482659.jpg?v=1758391087"},{"product_id":"botticellis-secret-by-joseph-luzzi-9781324004011","title":"Botticelli's Secret","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome five hundred years ago, Sandro Botticelli, a painter of humble origin, created works of unearthly beauty. A star of Florence's art world, he was commissioned by a member of the city's powerful Medici family to execute a near-impossible project: to illustrate all one hundred cantos of \u003ci\u003eThe Divine Comedy\u003c\/i\u003e by Dante Alighieri, the ultimate visual homage to that \"divine\" poet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis sparked a gripping encounter between poet and artist, between the religious and the secular, between the earthly and the evanescent, recorded in exquisite drawings by Botticelli that now enchant audiences worldwide. Yet after a lifetime of creating masterpieces including \u003ci\u003ePrimavera\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Birth of Venus\u003c\/i\u003e, Botticelli declined into poverty and obscurity. His Dante project remained unfinished. Then the drawings vanished for over four hundred years. The once famous Botticelli himself was forgotten.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe nineteenth-century rediscovery of Botticelli's Dante drawings brought scholars and art lovers to their knees: this work embodied everything the Renaissance had come to mean. From Botticelli’s metaphorical rise from the dead in Victorian England to the emergence of eagle-eyed connoisseurs like Bernard Berenson and Herbert Horne in the early twentieth century, and even the rescue of precious art during World War II and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the posthumous story of Botticelli's Dante drawings is, if anything, even more dramatic than their creation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA combination of artistic detective story and rich intellectual history, \u003ci\u003eBotticelli's Secret\u003c\/i\u003e shows not only how the Renaissance came to life, but also how Botticelli's art helped bring it about—and, most important, why we need the Renaissance and all that it stands for today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47000559354092,"sku":"9781324004011","price":54.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/10724503482659.jpg?v=1763284693"},{"product_id":"the-innocents-of-florence-by-joseph-luzzi-9781324065784","title":"The Innocents of Florence","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe story begins with the abandonment of the newborn Agata Smeralda on February 5, 1445, in Florence's Hospital of the Innocents, the first—but certainly not the last—child to be left at its doors. In an era when children were frequently abandoned, often trafficked or left to die on the streets, an orphanage devoted to their care and protection was a striking innovation. The Innocenti, as it has come to be called—the first orphanage in Europe devoted exclusively to unwanted children—would go on to care for nearly 400,000 young lives over the next five centuries.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBuilt by the Silk Weavers Guild at a time when the wealthy were expected to contribute to civic life, the Innocenti featured glorious arches designed by Filippo Brunelleschi and housed works by some of the greatest artists of the Renaissance, from the painter Domenico Ghirlandaio to the sculptor Luca della Robbia. Meanwhile, the new orphanage also redefined the idea of \"childhood\" itself, particularly in education, as boys were often taught not just Latin and basic numeracy, but also a well-rounded curriculum that included art, literature, and music. Girls learned viable trades such as weaving and silk manufacturing, and the Innocenti assisted them in securing suitable marriages to protect them from poverty or a life of prostitution.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOver the centuries, the orphanage oversaw groundbreaking scientific discoveries—it was a birthplace of modern pediatrics—while struggling against rampant disease, constant financial crises, and the dramatic ups and downs of Florentine politics in the Medici era.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReflecting in a touching preface on the major caregivers in his own life, Joseph Luzzi narrates the fascinating history of this revolutionary orphanage in \u003cem\u003eThe Innocents of Florence\u003c\/em\u003e, offering readers the first comprehensive \"biography\" of a groundbreaking humanitarian institution that recognized poor and abandoned children as worthy of nurture—and thereby shaped education and childcare for generations to come.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47031860003052,"sku":"9781324065784","price":56.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/11342233482659.jpg?v=1764150682"},{"product_id":"dantes-divine-comedy-by-joseph-luzzi-9780691156774","title":"Dante's Divine Comedy","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWritten during his exile from Florence in the early 1300s, Dante Alighieri's \u003ci\u003eDivine Comedy\u003c\/i\u003e describes the poet's travels through hell, purgatory, and paradise, exploring the state of the human soul after death. His \u003ci\u003epoema sacro\u003c\/i\u003e, or sacred poem, profoundly influenced Renaissance writers and artists such as Giovanni Boccaccio and Sandro Botticelli, and was venerated by modern critics including Erich Auerbach and Harold Bloom. \u003ci\u003eDante's Divine Comedy\u003c\/i\u003e narrates the remarkable reception of Dante's masterpiece, one of the most consequential religious books ever written.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTracing the many afterlives of Dante's epic poem, Joseph Luzzi shows how it left its mark on the work of legendary authors such as John Milton, Mary Shelley, and James Joyce, while serving as a source of inspiration for writers like Primo Levi and Antonio Gramsci as they faced the most extreme forms of political oppression. He charts how the dialogue between religious and secular ideas in \u003ci\u003eThe Divine Comedy\u003c\/i\u003e has shaped issues ranging from changing conceptions of women's identity and debates about censorship, to the role of canonical literature in popular culture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAn intimate portrait of a work that has challenged and inspired generations of readers, \u003ci\u003eDante's Divine Comedy\u003c\/i\u003e reveals how Dante's strikingly original and controversial vision of the afterlife can help us define our spiritual beliefs, better understand ourselves, and navigate the complexities of modern life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Erudite... Luzzi covers the seven centuries since the Divine Comedy's publication with concision and verve. It's a fleet-footed overview of the influential poem's eventful afterlife.'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A learned but accessibly written essay on a centrepiece of the European literary tradition and its continuing influence.'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47424000557292,"sku":"9780691156774","price":44.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780691156774.jpg?v=1774769445"},{"product_id":"dantes-divine-comedy-by-joseph-luzzi-9780691284347","title":"Dante's Divine Comedy","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe life and times of Dante’s soaring poetic allegory of the soul’s redemptive journey toward God.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWritten during his exile from Florence in the early 1300s, Dante Alighieri’s \u003ci\u003eDivine Comedy\u003c\/i\u003e describes the poet’s travels through hell, purgatory, and paradise, exploring the state of the human soul after death. His \u003ci\u003epoema sacro\u003c\/i\u003e, or sacred poem, profoundly influenced Renaissance writers and artists such as Giovanni Boccaccio and Sandro Botticelli and was venerated by modern critics including Erich Auerbach and Harold Bloom. \u003ci\u003eDante’s Divine Comedy\u003c\/i\u003e narrates the remarkable reception of Dante’s masterpiece, one of the most consequential religious books ever written.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTracing the many afterlives of Dante’s epic poem, Joseph Luzzi shows how it left its mark on the work of legendary authors like John Milton, Mary Shelley, and James Joyce while serving as a source of inspiration for writers such as Primo Levi and Antonio Gramsci, who faced the most extreme forms of political oppression. He charts how the dialogue between religious and secular ideas in \u003ci\u003eThe Divine Comedy\u003c\/i\u003e has shaped issues ranging from changing conceptions of women’s identity and debates about censorship to the role of canonical literature in popular culture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAn intimate portrait of a work that has challenged and inspired generations of readers, \u003ci\u003eDante’s Divine Comedy\u003c\/i\u003e reveals how Dante’s strikingly original and controversial vision of the afterlife can help us define our spiritual beliefs, better understand ourselves, and navigate the complexities of modern life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“By recounting the history of the poem’s reception by readers over the centuries...Luzzi shows what a many-headed and irreducible beast it has always been and continues to be.” – Andrew Frisardi, \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“An informative and engaging tour de force that shows how the \u003ci\u003eDivine Comedy\u003c\/i\u003e has been able to survive the test of time and speak to different ages and authors...Joseph Luzzi’s book is a precious contribution that reminds us that the \u003ci\u003eDivine Comedy\u003c\/i\u003e has attracted different ages and diverse poetical and religious sensibilities throughout the centuries. This living, breathing masterpiece is the reason why ‘we still study a poet who died one thousand years ago’.” – Barbara Pezzoti, \u003ci\u003eAustralian Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“Erudite...Luzzi covers the seven centuries since the \u003ci\u003eDivine Comedy’s\u003c\/i\u003e publication with concision and verve. It’s a fleet-footed overview of the influential poem’s eventful afterlife.” – \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“A learned but accessibly written essay on a centerpiece of the European literary tradition and its continuing influence.” – \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“An unexpected delight. For someone ill-versed in \u003ci\u003eThe Divine Comedy\u003c\/i\u003e and its history, this is the perfect introduction – academically sound but eminently readable.” – Terry Potter, \u003ci\u003eThe Letterpress Project\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“Very readable and concise...Excellent...Beautifully produced [and] recommended.” – Alan Price, \u003ci\u003eLondon Grip\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“Sometimes, it is of devout necessity to have a well-written book which presents a qualified overview of an artist’s colossus of magnified, influential work – or in this instance, writing. And \u003ci\u003eDante’s Divine Comedy – A Biography\u003c\/i\u003e, is the perfect example... [An] excellent book.” – David Marx, \u003ci\u003eDavid Marx Book Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“Both scholarly and accessible, this book impressively distills its author’s lifetime of study and teaching, making it a rich source book for professors and students alike...Highly recommended.” – \u003ci\u003eChoice Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“In the same way that Virgil and Beatrice guided Dante Alighieri through the spheres of the Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso, Luzzi now takes readers through the \u003ci\u003eDivine Comedy\u003c\/i\u003e in the form of a biography of the epic poem, shedding light on the theological depth and ongoing resonance in shaping spiritual beliefs and cultural discourse.” – The Florentine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“Joseph Luzzi’s \u003ci\u003eDante’s Divine Comedy: A Biography\u003c\/i\u003e gives a succinct sketch of Dante’s own afterlife...His later chapters especially give a rich sense of Dante’s presence in different forms, genres and media.” – Harry Cochrane, \u003ci\u003eTimes Literary Supplement\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“Dante, a complicated man in his own right, has left us a complicated work with a complicated legacy, all of which Luzzi explores in this compelling history of the epic’s creation and reception through the centuries.” – Todd Edmondson, \u003ci\u003eEnglewood Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“This pleasurable, erudite book explores just how variously and often Dante’s great poem has been remade by its changing cultural context in the 700 years since its completion. So elegantly written and thoughtfully informative is it that I read it almost in one sitting.” – Fiona Sampson, \u003ci\u003eThe Tablet\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“Joseph Luzzi makes a compelling case that a great work of art can lead a life every bit as dramatic, chequered and instructive as the artist who made it...His book is no hagiography but a kind of love letter, a reminder that great works are not merely studied or analysed, but encountered.” – Lola Salem, \u003ci\u003eThe Critic\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“This is a really good book, informative, interesting, sound, with excellent notes for further investigation.” – Corinna Lonergan, \u003ci\u003eIrish Catholic\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67708845949164,"sku":"9780691284347","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780691284347-dante-s-divine-comedy-1.jpg?v=1791838528"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/joseph-luzzi.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}