Biography

Dario Brancato received his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, and is currently an Associate Professor at Concordia University, Montreal. His research concerns the Renaissance reception of Boethius’s Consolation of Philosophy in Latin and the vernacular. He is currently focusing on 16th century Florentine historiography and political thought, including Benedetto Varchi (1503-1565) and his History of Florence. He has published two edited books on multilingualism in Italy, a critical edition of Varchi’s translation of Boethius’ Consolation, a chapter in the Companion to Boethius in the Middle Ages, and several articles on 16th century literature at the time of Cosimo I de’ Medici.

Project Summary

This project focuses on the ideological circumstances surrounding the production and reception of Benedetto Varchi’s Storia fiorentina, from the author’s death (1565) to the publication of the editio princeps (1721). Through a close examination of manuscripts and correspondence, it will explore how, and why, Renaissance scholars endorsed or rejected this text.