Admired for the poetical heights of his Canti, the gentle wit of his
prose dialogues and the soul-searching questionings of his Zibaldone
(Notebooks), Leopardi was also an acute social commentator and a sharp
dissector of the human mind.
Thoughts - a collection of philosophical and critical observations put
together for publication by Leopardi himself shortly before his death in
1837 - shows a more light-hearted side to Leopardi's personality, and
offers both those who are familiar with and those who are new to his
works a fresh insight into the thought processes and the worldview of
Italy's last great polymath.