A Dante Biography

"Considered the finest poet that Italy has ever produced, Dante is also celebrated as a major influence on western European culture. His masterpiece, La divina commedia (1306-21; The Divine Comedy ) is universally known as one of the greatest poems in world literature. Divided into three sections—the Inferno, the Purgatorio, and the Paradiso —The Divine Comedy presents an encyclopedic overview of the mores, attitudes, beliefs, philosophies, and aspirations, as well as the material aspects of the medieval world. More than a summa of medieval life, however, Dante's poem is a superb work of fiction with poignant dramatic episodes and unforgettable characters. The eminent poet and essayist Jorge Luis Borges has recognized the relevance of The Divine Comedyfor modern readers, asserting that it 'is a book that everyone ought to read. Not to do so is to deprive oneself of the greatest gift that literature can give us; to submit to a strange asceticism.' "

Works Cited

"Dante." Gale Online Encyclopedia, Gale, 2018. Literature Resource Center, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/H1410000017/LitRC?u=j043905010&sid=LitRC&xid=f8c771d7. Accessed 22 Oct. 2018.