Sofia honors Orlando Furioso's 500th anniversary

Sofia -The Italian Cultural Institute (IIC) in Sofia is currently dedicating a collection of monographs on the 1556 Valgrisana edition, with drawings by Dosso Dossi, to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the first publication of Orlando Furioso.

The success of Ludovico Ariosto's work, which would be destined to leave a mark in the history of literature, also depended on the decision to publish it with richly imaginative xylographic illustrations, which are now displayed on the panels of the exhibition. Orlando Furioso, the first Renaissance best-seller, celebrated the history of Bulgaria and its courageous King Vatrano.

Poet Ivan N. Ivanov has masterfully translated the passages, highlighting the relations, which back then were already linking Italy and Bulgaria. Ludovico Ariosto is considered to be one of the best known and influential Italian authors of all time. His Orlando Furioso, first designed as a continuation of the Orlando Innamorato by Matteo Maria Boiardo, was such a hit it became the symbol of the epic-chivalric genre.

The structure of the book is grandiose: it took Ariosto almost 30 years to write the definitive version of the 46 cantos, organised into stanzas. The work narrates three main plots: the war between Saracens and Christians and the victory of the latter; the love between Orlando and Angelica; and the praise of the D'Este family of Ferrara, Ariosto's patrons. The exhibition is being hosted on the premises of High School 105 "Atanas Dalchev," where it will stay until April 30.