Basinio da Parma’s (1425-1457) Hesperis is the first historical epic in a Homeric-Virgilian vein completed since Antiquity. Its narrative moves from battle scenes to mythological digressions and provides a unique view into the cultural and political aspirations of an Italian warlord. The Latin poem is presented with notes to the text recording the many corrections Basinio made in his autograph manuscript. The facing translation is accompanied by notes explaining the historical context, identifying every figure named in the poem, and referring the reader to secondary literature on art historical, architectural and philological aspects of this Renaissance masterwork.
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