Michelangelo Gedichte und Briefe In Auswahl herausgegeben von R. A. Guardini

The verses gathered here reveal a side of the great artist that most people never hear. His poems are intimate sketches of a soul forever wrestling with desire and duty, where every image of marble or sunrise becomes a mirror of his own yearning for perfection. The language is spare yet resonant, letting listeners feel the quiet tension between his lofty ideals and the solitary doubts that haunted his studio.

Arranged in thematic clusters, the selections trace a progression from outward observations to the innermost convictions that guided his work. Interspersed are carefully chosen letters, presented in chronological order, that show his practical concerns—family obligations, friendships, patronage—and his tender exchanges with the woman he loved, Vittoria. The translations blend classic renderings with fresh, thoughtful renditions, offering a cohesive glimpse into the mind of a man who sculpted both stone and verse with equal devotion.