'The courtier has to imbue with grace his movements, his gestures, his
way of doing things and in short, his every action'
In The Book of the Courtier (1528), Baldesar Castiglione, a diplomat
and Papal Nuncio to Rome, sets out to define the essential virtues for
those at Court. In a lively series of imaginary conversations between
the real-life courtiers to the Duke of Urbino, his speakers discuss
qualities of noble behaviour - chiefly discretion, decorum, nonchalance
and gracefulness - as well as wider questions such as the duties of a
good government and the true nature of love. Castiglione's narrative
power and psychological perception make this guide both an entertaining
comedy of manners and a revealing window onto the ideals and
preoccupations of the Italian Renaissance at the moment of its greatest
splendour.
George Bull's elegant translation captures the variety of tone in
Castiglione's speakers, from comic interjections to elevated rhetoric.
This edition includes an introduction examining Castiglione's career in
the courts of Urbino and Mantua, a list of the historical characters he
portrays and further reading.
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up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
