Dante Alighiens duly remembered as the author of the Dane Comody and as the father of the Italian language. On the Mch Anniversary of his death (around September 13-14th, 1321) we list five things you need to know about a titan of world literature.
Known as the Father of the Italian language“
Dante is credited with helping create the Italian language by using the Tuscan vernacular of his time-rather than Latin-to write his masterpiece. The Divine Comedy originally called simply Comedy is an imaginary journey through hell purgatory and heaven published in several stages in the early 14th century, its popularity led other medieval Italian authors, such as Petrarch and boccaccia to also write in the vermacular, laying the literary foundations of Italian.
On par with Shakespeare
The Diviine Comedy is a poem, a personal tale of redemption a treaty on human virtue, as well as one of the most influential pieces of science fiction British poet T.S. Eliot famously said: “Dante and Shakespeare divide the modem world between them there is no third.”
Dante in popular culture
Generations of writers painters sculptors musicians filmmakers and cartoonists have been inspired by the Divine Comedy, particularly the “inferno” portion. These include everyone from Sandro William Blake Botticelli Salvador Dali and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, to the creators of X-Men comic books and novelist Dan Brown.
Se7en and Dante
The “Divine Comedy” was also a key inspiration for Oscar-nominated thriller “Se7en”, for a popular video game (“Dante’s Infemo”), while Dante is quoted in popular TV series such as “Mad Men”.
Durante, but call me Dante
Dante is usually known only by his first name, which is a diminutive of “Durante”. He was born in Florence in 1265, exiled in 1302, and he died in Ravenna, on Italy’s eastern Adriatic coast, on September 13 or 14 1321.
Hailing from a wealthy family, Dante never worked for a living and dabbled in politics as well as literature, philosophy and cosmology. He had at least three children with his wife Gemma Donati.
Dante the politician
Dante was active in politics, serving as one of Florence’s nine elected rulers, or priors, for a regular two-month term in 1300. When he became increasingly critical of papal encroachment in political affairs, he was put on trial and banished from Florence AFP.
Picture Credit : Google