First published inRome in 1535,Leone Ebreo's Dialogues of Love isone of the most important texts of the European Renaissance. Well known in theItalian academies of the sixteenth century, its popularity quickly spreadthroughout Europe, with numerous reprintingsand translations into French, Latin Spanish, and Hebrew. It attracted a diverseaudience that included noblemen, courtesans, artists, poets, intellectuals, andphilosophers. More than just a bestseller, the work exerted a deep influenceover the centuries on figures as diverse as Giordano Bruno, John Donne, Miguelde Cervantes, and Baruch Spinoza.
Leone's Dialogues consists of threeconversations - 'On Love and Desire,' 'On the Universality of Love,' and 'Onthe Origin of Love' - that take place over a period of three subsequent days.They are organized in a dialogic format, much like a theatrical representation,of a conversation between a man, Philo, who plays the role of the lover andteacher, and a woman, Sophia, the beloved and pupil. The discussion covers awide range of topics that have as their common denominator the idea of Love.Through the dialogue, the author explores many different points of view andcomplex philosophical ideas. Grounded in a distinctly Jewish tradition, anddrawing on Neoplatonic philosophical structures and Arabic sources, the workoffers a useful compendium of classical and contemporary thought, yet was notincompatible with Christian doctrine.
Despitethe unfinished state and somewhat controversial, enigmatic nature of Ebreo'sfamous text, it remains one of the most significant and influential works inthe history of Western thought. This new, expertly translated and annotatedEnglish edition takes into account the latest scholarship and provides aninvaluable resource for today's readers.
