To become a great poet

If you ever stopped to listen, her fiancé had said, then you would understand.

She stood on a chair and pulled out some small paperbacks from the top shelf. Dante, “The Divine Comedy,” in a new translation. Boccaccio, “The Decameron,” Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales,” complete and unabridged. Dante again, “La Vita Nuova.”

“La Vita Nuova” explained how to become a great poet. The secret was to fall in love with a perfect girl but never speak to her. You should weep instead. You should pretend that you love someone else. You should write sonnets in three parts. Your perfect girl should die.

- La Vita Nuova - Allegra Goodman


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