薄伽丘是意大利作家。他出生在巴黎，早年在那不勒斯经商，后半后大部分时间住在佛罗伦萨。在这一城邦的政治斗争中，他拥护共和政体。他是彼特拉克的好友，和彼特拉克一样酷爱研读古代文化典籍。薄伽丘是个多产作家，写过传奇、叙事诗、史诗、短篇故事集等。他的杰作是短篇小说《十日谈》。这部作品的开端叙述10个青年男女为躲避黑死病，在佛罗伦萨乡间一个别墅里住了10天，讲了100个故事，故名《十日谈》。通过这些故事，作者揭露教会的黑暗和腐败，讽刺教士的奸诈和伪善，赞赏手工业者、商人的智慧和才干，歌颂真挚的爱情和高尚的情操。但其中有些故事有放纵情欲的描写，有对个人主义行为的赞扬，表现了作者资产阶级人生观的局限。正如《神曲》为意大利诗歌奠定了基础一样，《十日谈》为欧洲近代短篇小说开了先河。本书是英文原版小说。

While the Black Death rages through 14th-century Florence, a group of young people retreat to the healthful air of the countryside and amuse themselves by telling tales of romance and adventure. This is the premise of Boccaccio"s Decameron, a landmark of early Renaissance literature and one of the world"s great story collections.

This careful selection of 25 tales from the original 100 presents the very best of The Decameron. Vast in scope, teeming with colorful characters, and rich in worldly wisdom, the stories encompass a tremendous variety of genres. Folk tales, ancient myths, fables, and anecdotes range from earthy and irreverent satires of hypocritical clergy, to gripping tales of murder and revenge, to stories of passion-ate love, both adulterous and faithful.

Just as Boccaccio drew upon the folklore of his time and place, so have other artists (Chaucer, Keats, and Shakespeare among them) found The Decameron a vibrant and fertile resource. Ideal for teachers and students, this carefully edited and inexpensive edition of Boccaccio"s masterpiece promises to captivate readers both in and out of the classroom.

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