Penned by the greatest Italian poet and thinker of the nineteenth century, Thoughts is a truly remarkable collection representing a lifetime’s observations on mankind, life and the world. Rich with philosophical and psychological insight, and ranging in theme from mankind to nature, and from social order to the individual soul, these precious musings reveal a mind of brilliance, and a man struggling to reconcile all that he sees around him. Sharply observed and expertly constructed, Leopardi’s Thoughts has lost none of its pertinence, and is strangely haunting in its timeless appeal.

Penned by the greatest Italian poet and thinker of the nineteenth century, Thoughts is a truly remarkable collection representing a lifetime’s observations on mankind, life and the world. Rich with philosophical and psychological insight, and ranging in theme from mankind to nature, and from social order to the individual soul, these precious musings reveal a mind of brilliance, and a man struggling to reconcile all that he sees around him. Sharply observed and expertly constructed, Leopardi’s Thoughts has lost none of its pertinence, and is strangely haunting in its timeless appeal.

Although widely read throughout Italy and Europe, Thoughts is the first ever translation into English of Leopardi’s final work. It is presented here with his profoundly moving poem, ’The Broom’.

Foreword by Edoardo Albinati

Introduction

Acknowledgements

Thoughts

 Notes

The Broom

Biographical note