Dante Alighieri’s Followers (6,301)

Dante Alighieri

Born

in Florence, Italy

March 19, 1265

Died

July 03, 1321

Genre

Poetry, Religion, Philosophy

Influences

Plato, Virgil, Ovid, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Boethius, Marcus Tulli ...more

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Dante Alighieri, or simply Dante (May 14/June 13 1265 – September 13/14, 1321), is one of the greatest poets in the Italian language; with the story-teller, Boccaccio, and the poet, Petrarch, he forms the classic trio of Italian authors. Dante Alighieri was born in the city-state Florence in 1265. He first saw the woman, or rather the child, who was to become the poetic love of his life when he was almost nine years old and she was some months younger. In fact, Beatrice married another man, Simone di' Bardi, and died when Dante was 25, so their relationship existed almost entirely in Dante's imagination, but she nonetheless plays an extremely important role in his poetry. Dante attributed all the heavenly virtues to her soul and imagined, i Dante Alighieri, or simply Dante (May 14/June 13 1265 – September 13/14, 1321), is one of the greatest poets in the Italian language; with the story-teller, Boccaccio, and the poet, Petrarch, he forms the classic trio of Italian authors. Dante Alighieri was born in the city-state Florence in 1265. He first saw the woman, or rather the child, who was to become the poetic love of his life when he was almost nine years old and she was some months younger. In fact, Beatrice married another man, Simone di' Bardi, and died when Dante was 25, so their relationship existed almost entirely in Dante's imagination, but she nonetheless plays an extremely important role in his poetry. Dante attributed all the heavenly virtues to her soul and imagined, in his masterpiece The Divine Comedy, that she was his guardian angel who alternately berated and encouraged him on his search for salvation.

Politics as well as love deeply influenced Dante's literary and emotional life. Renaissance Florence was a thriving, but not a peaceful city: different opposing factions continually struggled for dominance there. The Guelfs and the Ghibellines were the two major factions, and in fact that division was important in all of Italy and other countries as well. The Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor were political rivals for much of this time period, and in general the Guelfs were in favor of the Pope, while the Ghibellines supported Imperial power. By 1289 in the battle of Campaldino the Ghibellines largely disappeared from Florence. Peace, however, did not insue. Instead, the Guelf party divided between the Whites and the Blacks (Dante was a White Guelf). The Whites were more opposed to Papal power than the Blacks, and tended to favor the emperor, so in fact the preoccupations of the White Guelfs were much like those of the defeated Ghibellines. In this divisive atmosphere Dante rose to a position of leadership. in 1302, while he was in Rome on a diplomatic mission to the Pope, the Blacks in Florence seized power with the help of the French (and pro-Pope) Charles of Valois. The Blacks exiled Dante, confiscating his goods and condemning him to be burned if he should return to Florence.

Dante never returned to Florence. He wandered from city to city, depending on noble patrons there. Between 1302 and 1304 some attempts were made by the exiled Whites to retrieve their position in Florence, but none of these succeeded and Dante contented himself with hoping for the appearance of a new powerful Holy Roman Emperor who would unite the country and banish strife. Henry VII was elected Emperor in 1308, and indeed laid seige to Florence in 1312, but was defeated, and he died a year later, destroying Dante's hopes. Dante passed from court to court, writing passionate political and moral epistles and finishing his Divine Comedy, which contains the Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. He finally died in Ravenna in 1321. ...more

Combine Editions
Dante Alighieri’s books

Average rating: 4.04 · 460,815 ratings · 23,784 reviews · 4,541 distinct works • Similar authors

	Inferno 4.03 avg rating — 208,402 ratings — published 1321 — 2919 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Divine Comedy: Inferno - Purgatorio - Paradiso 4.09 avg rating — 174,607 ratings — published 1320 — 6510 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri, Volume 2: Purgatorio 4.05 avg rating — 30,445 ratings — published 1321 — 1186 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Paradise (The Divine Comedy, #3) 3.96 avg rating — 22,049 ratings — published 1321 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Vita Nuova 3.88 avg rating — 8,903 ratings — published 1294 — 29 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Circles of Hell by Dante Alighieri, Robin Kirkpatrick (Translator) 3.36 avg rating — 2,303 ratings — published 1320 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	La divina comedia I 4.08 avg rating — 1,595 ratings — published 1472 — 357 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	La Divina Comedia / La Vida Nueva 4.13 avg rating — 1,330 ratings — published 1320 — 18 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Portable Dante by Dante Alighieri, Mark Musa (Translator) 4.25 avg rating — 1,252 ratings — published 1947 — 20 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Love that Moves the Sun and Other Stars by Dante Alighieri, Robin Kirkpatrick (Translator) 3.32 avg rating — 1,124 ratings — published 1321 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Dante Alighieri…

Series by Dante Alighieri

La Divina Commedia (3 books)
by

Dante Alighieri,

Dorothy L. Sayers (Translator),

Barbara Reynolds (Translator),

Gustave Doré (Translator),

朱维 (Translator)

4.05 avg rating — 435,522 ratings

NECOD - Nuova Edizione Commentata delle Opere di Dante (11 books)
by

Dante Alighieri,

Simone Albonico (Editor),

Giacomo Stanga (Editor),

Enrico Malato (Director)

4.01 avg rating — 219 ratings

Here’s a tip for reading Katabasis, author R.F. Kuang’s dark and playful update to the ancient tale of the underworld journey: Keep your phone...

Polls

First Quarter Long Read Poll of 2020

The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri 789 pages - 1320

128 votes, 43.0%

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving 637 pages - 1989

58 votes, 19.5%

The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer 1056 pages - 1979

32 votes, 10.7%

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth 1474 pages - 1993

29 votes, 9.7%

Space by James A. Michener 808 pages - 1982

26 votes, 8.7%

The Winds of War by Herman Wouk 896 pages - 1971

25 votes, 8.4%

298 total votes

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