Boccaccio

by Hermann Hesse

"Boccaccio" by Hermann Hesse is a biographical essay published in 1904. The work traces the life of Giovanni Boccaccio, the medieval Italian storyteller, from his illegitimate birth in Paris to his death in Florence. Hesse follows Boccaccio's rebellious youth, his passionate affairs with noblewomen, his reluctant transformation from merchant's son to writer, and his creation of the immortal Decameron. The essay also explores two beloved tales from Boccaccio's masterwork, celebrating the beauty and craft of Renaissance storytelling.