Garin and Paul Oskar Kristeller: Existentialism, Neo-Kantianism and the Post-War Interpretation of Renaissance Humanism

Abstract

Eugenio Garin and Paul Oskar Kristeller were the most important interpreters of Renaissance humanism in the half century following the Second World War. This article explores the differences between their two interpretations from a biographical perspective, making use of their unpublished correspondence. Key passages from their correspondence are published in an appendix.