# Dante's Divine Comedy: A Biography - Hardcover

by **Joseph Luzzi** (Author)

**The life and times of Dante's soaring poetic allegory of the soul's redemptive journey toward God**

Written during his exile from Florence in the early 1300s, Dante Alighieri's _Divine Comedy_ describes the poet's travels through hell, purgatory, and paradise, exploring the state of the human soul after death. His _poema sacro_, sacred poem, profoundly influenced Renaissance writers and artists such as Giovanni Boccaccio and Sandro Botticelli and was venerated by modern critics including Erich Auerbach and Harold Bloom. _Dante's "Divine Comedy"_ narrates the remarkable reception of Dante's masterpiece, one of the most consequential religious books ever written.

Tracing the many afterlives of Dante's epic poem, Joseph Luzzi shows how it left its mark on the work of such legendary authors as John Milton, Mary Shelley, and James Joyce while serving as a source of inspiration for writers like Primo Levi and Antonio Gramsci as they faced the most extreme forms of political oppression. He charts how the dialogue between religious and secular ideas in _The Divine Comedy_ has shaped issues ranging from changing conceptions of women's identity and debates about censorship to the role of canonical literature in popular culture.

An intimate portrait of a work that has challenged and inspired generations of readers, _Dante's "Divine Comedy"_ reveals how Dante's strikingly original and controversial vision of the afterlife can help us define our spiritual beliefs, better understand ourselves, and navigate the complexities of modern life.

### Author Biography

**Joseph Luzzi** is the Asher B. Edelman Professor of Literature at Bard College. His books include _Botticelli's Secret: The Lost Drawings and the Rediscovery of the Renaissance_; _In a Dark Wood: What Dante Taught Me About Grief, Healing, and the Mysteries of Love_; and _My Two Italies_.

**Number of Pages:** 232

**Dimensions:** 1.18 x 8.58 x 5.67 IN

**Publication Date:** November 05, 2024

## Details

- **Price:** 24.95 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 24.95 USD | In stock |

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- Dante's Divine Comedy: A Biography - Hardcover

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