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Dante 1265 - 1321 (56)

Beauty awakens the soul to act.


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The Divine Comedy



Dante Alighieri was one of the most important Italian poets. He was born in Florence, probably on May 22, 1265, into a noble family. His mother died when he was 5 years old. At the age of 9, he fell platonically in love with a young girl he once saw in the church, Beatrice. Beatrice died in 1290 but Dante never forgot her; she became his eternal muse. He first expressed his love with a series of poems entitled "New Life" and later Beatrice became the central figure in the work that is considered one of the most important in world literature, the Divine Comedy. With this work, Dante shaped the new Italian language, combining the Latin of the intellectuals with the Florentine dialect of the people. The theme of the Divine Comedy is the imaginary journey to the world of the dead, guided by the poet Virgil and Beatrice.

Dante grew up in Florence at a time when two of the city's strongest families were fighting for power. From 1289 he took part in the conflict supporting one family but the opponents won and he was sentenced to pay a fine and then exile. He did not have to pay the fine so he should be arrested and burned alive. He managed to escape and wandered in many cities of Italy, always having his manuscripts with him and writing poetry. In 1307 he started the divine comedy and in 1308 he reached Paris where he stayed for 2 years. Then he returned to Italy. In 1315 an amnesty was offered to the exiled Florentines on the condition to declare that they were wrong. Dante did not accept the offer, on the contrary he wrote: "This is not the way for me to return home; if you can find another way more in line with Dante's honor and glory, I will come quickly"

He spent the last years of his life in Ravenna, staying in the courtyard of the lord of the city. There he finished the Divine Comedy. In 1321 he visited Venice as a member of an official expedition from Ravenna, on his return he fell ill and finally died on September 14, 1321.