Alfonso de Palencia y la traducción de las Vidas de Plutarco (nuevos datos en torno al texto de partida)

Abstract

This paper is about the Castilian version of Plutarch’s Lives (Sevilla; Cuatro compañeros alemanes, 1491), by Alfonso de Palencia (1423-1492), based on the Latin translation done by Bruni, Guarino, Tudertino, Barbaro, Filelfo, Giustinian, Acciaiuoli and other Italian humanists from the beginning of the fifteenth century. All these versions were put together and printed in 1470 (Rome) and reissued, with some varations, in 1478 (Venice). It aims to shed light on the reasons that induced Fernández de Palencia to translate this work and to provide a thorough analysis of his relationship to Italian humanism and its representatives, such as Vespasiano da Bisticci or Donato Acciaiuoli. It examines the differences between the indexes of both Italian editions in order to establish which one was used by Palencia as his main working text, also considering evidence from other sources.