One of the most celebrated poets of all time, Dante Alighieri, was born in Florence, Italy. An exact date of birth is unknown but glimpses into his poetic works suggest he is a Gemini, born at some point between mid-May and mid-June, in the year 1265. This is based on evidence he wrote one major section of his most famous work, the epic poem, La Divina Commedia (The Divine Comedy), in 1300 when he was 35 years old. The age 35 marked the halfway point of the 70-year average lifespan enjoyed by Tuscans at that time. A reference to this may be found in a line from “The Inferno” in which Dante writes “Halfway through the journey we are living...”.

Comedy in Dante’s time did not imply the humor associated with the word today. In 14th century Europe, Latin was the formal language used by all serious scholars, statesmen, and clergy. Anything not written in Latin was considered inferior, especially when a happy ending was present. This inferior genre, appealing to a broader audience than the strictly liturgical, was known as comedy.

Dante chose to write in a completely new language which he based on the local dialect of his Tuscan homeland. He called the language Italian and the official language of today’s Italy is attributed to him. His Divine Comedy recounts a fictional journey from Hell (Inferno), through Purgatory (Purgatorio), and finally arriving, happily, in Paradise (Paradiso). Along the way, he’s guided by Virgil, the revered classical Roman poet who described the founding of Rome in his epic poem, Aeneid, written in the last century before Christ, and the lovely Beatrice, a girl Dante first encountered as a child.

Dante’s chance meeting with Beatrice Portinari, when both were just nine years old, left him in love before the two ever spoke to each other. His love went unrequited however since marriages were arranged, and historic evidence suggests the two never spoke to each other. He was officially betrothed to another when he was just 12. His marriage produced three children but his wife, Gemma di Manetto Donati, was never mentioned in his work. Instead, Beatrice was the subject of several sonnets and she guided his way into Paradise in his most famous work. These tributes to romantic love were noteworthy of the time, too, since marriage was expected but love was not.

Dante’s death in 1321, attributed to malaria, led to centuries-long controversy as he’d been exiled from his beloved Florence and died in Ravenna after traveling throughout Europe during exile. He’s buried in Ravenna but, as his significance to Italian history became evident over time, Florentine officials came to regret exiling such an important citizen. Ravenna custodians refused repeated requests to return Dante’s remains to Florence and, in 1829, Florence finally erected an empty tomb in his honor.

To this day, Italy honors Dante as il Sommo Poeta (the Supreme Poet) and the Father of the Italian language. Enjoy these links and learn more about the life and loves of this fascinating Italian poet.

1. A Biography of Dante Alighieri: From the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

2. Digital Dante: This Columbia University website is devoted to all things Dante.

3. The World of Dante: Learn more about Dante using the multi-media features on this website dedicated to the study of Dante and The Divine Comedy.

4. Danteworlds: Take this step-by-step multi-media journey from Dante’s Inferno all the way through to Paradiso.

5. A Dictionary of Proper Names and Notable Matters in the Works of Dante: This 1898 book, available in its entirety online, traces genealogical names, establishes time-lines, and identifies the places mentioned in all Dante’s works.

6. Dartmouth Dante Project: See what people have been saying about Dante’s work from 1822 through 2006 in this searchable database of commentary.

7. Dante Manuscripts: Dante’s original manuscripts are lost to time but, shortly after his death, hundreds of copies were made of his Divine Comedy. View many of these venerated texts online from libraries around the world.

8. Longfellow Translation of Dante’s Divine Comedy, Complete: Read online or download this free translation, done by American poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, at Project Gutenberg.

9. The Dante Society of America: With Longfellow as a co-founder in 1881, this organization, still active today, is dedicated to furthering the study of Dante Alighieri and his works.

10. The Earth is Round! The Image of the Earth in the Middle Ages: This animated short film offers an outstanding visual depiction of the scientific and religious beliefs of Dante’s time as well as a highly informative synopsis of The Divine Comedy.

11. Significance of Title, The Divine Comedy: Dante himself called the work simply Commedia; the divine description came much later.

12. Dante’s Infernal Crimes Forgiven: In 1302, Dante was sentenced to execution should he ever step foot in the city of Florence again; 700 years later, in 2008, that death sentence was revoked and Dante is welcome once again.

13. Dante Gets Posthumous Nose Job - 700 Years On: Dante’s recent high-tech scientific makeover reveals a face more like the guy next door than was expected.

14. Catholic Encyclopedia’s Dante Biography: This biography describes Dante’s life as son, husband, poet, apothecary, statesman, and exile.

15. Dante Alighieri at Poets.org: This website featuring all things poetry quotes T. S. Eliot’s words: “Dante and Shakespeare divide the world between them, there is no third.”

16. Quiz -The Divine Comedy: Test your knowledge of Dante’s Divine Comedy by taking this fun online quiz.

17. A Study of Dante: This lesson plan delves into Dante’s political and love lives and explores the structure of his Divine Comedy.

18. Beata Beatrix (Blessed Beatrix): This oil on canvas painting of Dante’s beloved Beatrice, by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, depicts her at the moment of her death at age 24. Rossetti’s painting, completed in 1872, was inspired by Dante’s La Vita Nuova (The New Life), written in 1295.

19. Dante Today: This website provides a list of Dante “sightings” in contemporary culture.

20. Dante as Vernacular Poet: This study guide for medieval literature provides serious readers with insights and resources for better understanding of Dante’s work.

21. The Divine Comedy Research Edition: This website contains 27 complete editions of The Divine Comedy, including the original Italian text plus translations in English, Finnish, and German.

22. Salvador Dali’s Depiction of The Divine Comedy: To celebrate Dante’s 700th birthday, the artist was commissioned in 1951 to create a series of watercolors and woodcuts that depict scenes from this monumental poem.

23. A Discussion of Dali’s Illustrations of Dante’s Divine Comedy: This discussion responds to the question of whether or not Dali’s illustrations are truly reflective of the context of the poem.

24. Dante’s Tomb, Ravenna: Dante’s tomb in Ravenna is open to the public free of charge every day.

25. Basilica di Santo Croce , Florence: The Basilica of the Holy Cross is where a monument (cenotaph) to Dante was erected when his remains could not be gotten from Ravenna; famous Italians entombed here include Galileo, Machiavelli, and Michelangelo.