A unique treatise by a poet, written for poets, about the art of poetry, LA VITA NUOVA is meticulously and symbolically structured, consisting of a selection of Dante's early poems interspersed with his own oral commentary. The poems tell the story of his love for Beatrice, from their meeting at a May Day party at her father's house, through his torments and his attempts to conceal the true object of his devotion through 'screen-loves', to his overwhelming grief after her death, culminating in her transformative vision in paradise. These are some of the richest love poems in literature, and the transition from self-pity to the praise of the beloved's beauty and virtue illustrates the uplifting power of love.