Piacevoli Notti, Libro 1

Long before the Brothers Grimm, before Charles Perrault, there was Straparola. Published in 1550 Venice, this is the first collection of fairy tales in European literature, a revolutionary act that invented an entire genre. Seventy-four stories unfold over thirteen nights of Carnival in Murano, told by a lively company of ten maidens, three ladies, and their learned companions gathered in the palace of the Bishop of Lodi. The tales pulse with magic: enchanted rings, talking animals, transformations, clever servants outwitting masters, and heroines who dare to want more than the world offers them. Yet this isn't a nursery book. Straparola writes with the knowing wit of the Renaissance, layering his fairy tales with satire, erotica, and social critique. The tales are framed by riddles in ottava rima, binding the stories together in a tradition that stretches back to Boccaccio but boldly ventures into the fantastic. These are the originals, the seeds from which Cinderella, Puss in Boots, and countless beloved tales would eventually grow. For readers who want to understand where fairy tales truly come from, this is the source.