The Italian Renaissance marks the beginning of the modern era in Western Europe. New energies are liberated, transforming the fabric of society, intellectual life, and indeed the whole vision of the world. Artists and writers bear witness to and actively participate in the unfolding dynamics and thereby play an important role in shaping the present.

Through its exceptional collection of books of Renai ssance Italian poetry, the Barbier-Mueller Foundation plays a dynamic role in awakening and remoulding our con scious ness of what is unquestionably a key moment in European culture. The Foundation has invited a fascinating array of major writers and scholars to explore this inheritance by writing freely and creatively on the subject, whether in the form of fiction, historical reverie or personal meditation.

The contributors are Etienne Barilier, Lina Bolzoni, Yves Bonnefoy, Michel Butor, Dominique Fernandez, Adrien Goetz, Michel Jeanneret, Nadeije Laneyrie-Dagen, Carlo Ossola, Pascal Quignard, Francisco Rico, Cesare Segre, Lionello Sozzi, Edna Stern, Carlo Vecce, and Marina Warner.