Admired for the poetical heights of hisCanti, the gentle wit of his prose dialogues and the soul-searching questionings of hisZibaldone (Notebooks), Leopardi was also an acute social commentator and a sharp dissector of the human mind.

Thoughts - a collection of philosophical and critical observations put together for publication by Leopardi himself shortly before his death in 1837 - shows a more light-hearted side to Leopardi's personality, and offers both those who are familiar with and those who are new to his works a fresh insight into the thought processes and the worldview of Italy's last great polymath.