-
 Florentine
poet
- The greatest Italian poet, Dante Alighieri
is considered one of the masters of Western literature. His epic allegorical
poem "La Divina Commedia" (The Divine Comedy), written in
the lay language of Italian, not in the scholarly Latin, changed the
course of literature throughout Europe.
Born in Florence at a time when the whole region was embroiled in
territorial conflicts, Dante's life was ruled by the many political
changes. However, at age nine he met and fell in love with Beatrice
- the woman who would dominate his literary output.
However, his was an unrequited love that he cherished for the rest
of his life.
Amid Florence's political conflicts Dante rose to high public office
until he was exiled in 1302 by the main opposition group.
This exile became Dante's most fruitful period. He traveled Italy
visiting many Italian courts where he came into contact with the influential
people and ideas of the day. At the same time, he wrote on the development
of the Italian language, philosophy, and politics, and of his passion
for the elusive Beatrice.
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