In the summer of 1348, with the plague ravaging Florence, ten young
men and women take refuge in the countryside, where they entertain
themselves with tales of love, death, and corruption, featuring a host
of characters, from lascivious clergymen and mad kings to devious lovers
and false miracle-makers.
J. G. Nichols's new translation, faithful to the original but rendered
in eminently readable modern English, captures the timeless humor of one
of the great classics of European literature.
Named after the Greek for "ten days," Boccaccio's book of stories draws
on ancient mythology, contemporary history, and everyday life, and has
influenced the work of myriad writers who came after him.
A brilliant new translation of the work that Herman Hesse called "the
first great masterpiece of European storytelling."