Vida (Occitan Literary Form)

Vida (Occitan Literary Form)

Vida (, ) is the usual term for a brief prose biography, written in Old Occitan, of a troubadour or trobairitz.

The word vida means "life" in Occitan languages. In the chansonniers, the manuscript collections of medieval troubadour poetry, the works of a particular author are often accompanied by a short prose biography. It is sometimes a matter of controversy to what extent these are based on independent sources; there is no doubt that certain assertions are deduced from literal readings of details in the poems. Most of the vidas were composed in Italy, many by Uc de Saint Circ.

Additionally, some individual poems are accompanied by razos, explanations of the circumstances in which the poem was composed.