Courting Celebrity: The Autobiographies of Angela Veronese and Teresa Bandettini

Angela Veronese's autobiography, published in 1826, is the first modern autobiography by an Italian woman. Courting Celebrity is a bilingual annotated edition that includes Veroneses autobiographical writing and poems, translated and in the original, offering a view of high society and popular culture at the time.

Format: Hardback
Length: 312 pages
Publication date: 27 March 2023
Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Angela Veronese, a gardener's daughter, made history in 1826 by becoming the first Italian woman to write and publish a modern autobiography. Her captivating account delves into her extraordinary journey from a peasant girl to a celebrated figure in Venice and beyond. Through her talent for improvisation, writing, and publishing her own lyrics, Veronese gained recognition and fame. Courting Celebrity, a bilingual annotated edition of Veronese's autobiography, provides valuable insights into her thought process. It includes the autobiographical writings of another contemporary Italian poet, Teresa Bandettini, a renowned Tuscan poet-improviser. The book showcases a substantial selection of Veronese's poems, both translated and in their original language, along with comprehensive bibliographical documentation. These compositions, along with the detailed annotations, underscore the success of Veronese's autobiographical endeavor and offer a unique perspective on both high society and popular culture during that time. Courting Celebrity highlights the literary prowess of women in two significant genres: poetry and autobiography. It sheds light on the strategies employed by women to shape their identities and pursue fame.

Weight: 540g
Dimension: 235 x 155 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781487546397