Dante Alighieri is one of the most important writers in the history of world literature. He is Italy's most celebrated poet, and his masterpiece The Divine Comedy is regarded the greatest Italian poem.
Early Life of Dante Alighieri
Dante Alighieri was born c. June 1265, in the Italian city of Florence. He was promised to his future wife at the age of 12, although he had already fallen in love with another girl whom he called Beatrice. He was never together with Beatrice but his love for her lingered on to inspire his greatest poetry, Divina Commedia (The Divine Comedy.)
As a young man, Dante Alighieri fought in the wars that were always going on between rival cities. In Florence, he became involved in the political power struggle. His lady love, Beatrice, married another man, and then, when she was just 24, she passed away. Dante was extremely heartbroken. He withdrew practically in isolation, and focused into intense study. He started composing poems dedicated to her memory. In 1295, Dante's political enemies won power in Florence. He had to leave the city never to return.
Dante's The Divine Comedy
Now a political exile Dante wandered from city to city. He began to write The Divine Comedy, a long story-poem that describes an imaginary journey made by him through the three worlds of the afterlife – Hell, Purgatory and Heaven. In it, he gives a complete view of the universe from his spiritual vision, based on cosmography and the philosophy of his day. Dante's guide is derived from Aristotle's Prime Mover or Prima Mobilé. However, his influence and continuing guide for most of the journey is the ancient Roman poet Virgil. In heaven he is reunited with his long-dead beloved, Beatrice.
Dante's Literary Contribution
Dante Alighieri was a poet, a statesman, and a language theorist. His brilliant and poignant poem The Divine Comedy has inspired generations of writers and other artists with its beautiful language and moving love story.
From his writings, he also provided a fascinating insight into the beliefs of people during the times of medieval Europe. He died around the age of 56, September 14, 1321.
A Quote from Dante's Inferno
In his piece, Inferno, Dante wrote, "How I became so frozen and so faint, reader, don't ask: I cannot write it down, because no utterance comes near to it. I didn't die, and I didn't stay alive."
Books by Dante
- The New Life, 1292-1294
- On Common Eloquence, 1304 and 1307
- The Divine Comedy, 1307-c. 1321
Sources:
- Goring, Rosemary, Ed. Larousse Dictionary of Writers. New York: Larousse, 1994.
- McGovern, Una, Ed. Chambers Biographical Dictionary. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers, 2002.
- Payne, Tom. The A-Z of Great Writers. London: Carlton, 1997.
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