##‘LUCRECIA BORGIA (1480-1549)… Under a new light’, is a new and informative biography that pays attention to the significant aspects of the life of the protagonist and the society in which she lived.

Writer Isabel Barceló Chico deals with the life of Lucrecia Borgia, daughter of the Valencian pope Alexander VI, through a very interesting book that offers a new, honest and truthful perspective of her life and brings us closer to Renaissance society and its culture, customs, way of thinking and social relations.

“She lived in Renaissance Italy, a time of extraordinary brilliance and violence, and was inevitably involved in many important events, some of them heartbreaking, which marked her life and also affected her good name. Married three times, she was involved in an exaggerated and unjust black legend forged around her family by the enemies of the Borgias. For centuries, this black legend has hidden the personality, deeds and virtues of this great princess, one of the most outstanding of her time”, explains Isabel Barceló.

One of the key aspects of this work is that it is a biography that pays attention to the significant aspects of the protagonist’s life and the society in which she lived. “The great news is that I have had access to documents hitherto little investigated, such as the 727 letters written by her that we have had access to. These and other documents shed a new light on Lucrecia, allowing us to listen to her voice, to know through her own words and many features of her personality, to glimpse aspects of her life that have always been left out of her life, and to discover her personality through her own words.”

A book that undoubtedly offers a new, honest and truthful perspective on the life of Lucrecia Borgia that belies the arguments of the black press. In this respect, the author stresses that “it is time for us to feel proud of a woman of Spanish origin, and specifically Valencian, admired and known throughout Europe; her life is as exciting as a novel and is told with the resources of literature to bring us closer to her own feelings, thoughts and motivations. It brings us closer to Renaissance society (very different from the one we imagine) and its culture, customs, way of thinking and social relations. The book is also illustrated with some 50 images from the period”.

Finally, Isabel Barceló offers some aspects that readers may also find interesting, such as the fact that the Borgias, and also Lucrecia, were closely linked to the kingdom of Valencia, to the house of Aragon in Naples and to Spain in general; in their daily life they spoke Valencian, Spanish and Italian. “Many of the great lords who lived in these kingdoms were related to Lucrecia. Her Valencian origin impregnated her daily life: the clothes she wore, the books she read, the food she ate and many customs. Although she was born in Italy, she was the most universal, well-known and admired Valencian of her time”, she concludes.

The writer holds a degree in Philosophy and Arts from the Universitat de València. For many years she has been committed to rectifying the reputation of women in history and myth. She has also published award-winning mythological & historical novels about Medusa, Dido, Orpheus and Eros. Her latest published work, ‘Women of Rome. Heroism, intrigues and passions’ (Editorial Sargantana, 2018), was awarded the Premio de la Crítica de la Comunidad Valenciana 2019 in the Essay category and has reached its 6th edition. Author of numerous short stories and articles in different media, she is also an outstanding lecturer.

Her literary blog ‘Mujeres de Roma’ has over 1,800,000 page views.

More info: http://mujeresderoma.blogspot.com

Report by 24/7 Valencia team
Article copyright 24/7 Valencia

To buy the book: http://editorialsargantana.com/?product=lucrecia-borgia-1480-1519-bajo-una-nueva-luz