Dante in Love: A Biography

With a biographer's eye for detail and a novelist's comprehension of the creative process, A. N. Wilson paints a masterful portrait of Dante Alighieri and unlocks one of the seminal works of literature for a new generation of readers. In Dante in Love, A. N. Wilson presents a glittering study of an artist and his world, arguing that without an understanding of medieval Florence, it is impossible to comprehend the meaning of Dante's great poem. He explains how the Italian States were at that time locked into violent feuds, mirrored in the ferocious competition between the Holy Roman Empire and the papacy. He explores Dante's preoccupations with classical mythology, numerology and the great Christian philosophers which inform every line of the Comedy. Dante in Love also lays bare the enigma of the man who never wrote about the mother of his children, yet immortalized the mysterious Beatrice, whom he barely knew. The Divine Comedy Resonates Across Five Hundred Years Of Our Literary Canon. In Dante In Love, A N Wilson Presents A Glittering Study Of An Artist And His World, Arguing That Without An Understanding Of Medieval Florence, It Is Impossible To Comprehend The Meaning Of Dante's Great Poem. Why This Book Has Been Written -- Rome -- Dante's Florence 1260 -- Gemma Donati And Beatrice Portinari -- Dante's Education -- A New Constitution For Florence And The Sicilian Vespers -- Late Teens, The Dream -- A Poet's Apprenticeship -- The Warrior Who Fought At Campaldino -- Death Of Beatrice -- The Consolation Of Philosophy -- The Dark Wood -- Dante And The Painted Word. Giotto At Padua -- The Common Tongue -- Medieval Autobiography -- Dante In Love With A Woman In Casentino. The Origins Of The Comedy -- Crown Imperial -- Dante In Love Again With Beatrice -- Ravenna And Venice -- In Paradisum -- Dante's Afterlife. A.n. Wilson. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 358-374) And Index. In Dante In Love, A. N. Wilson Presents A Glittering Study Of An Artist And His World, Arguing That Without An Understanding Of Medieval Florence, It Is Impossible To Comprehend The Meaning Of Dante's Great Poem. He Explains How The Italian States Were At That Time Locked Into Violent Feuds, Mirrored In The Ferocious Competition Between The Holy Roman Empire And The Papacy. He Explores Dante's Preoccupations With Classical Mythology, Numerology And The Great Christian Philosophers Which Inform Every Line Of The Comedy. Dante In Love Also Lays Bare The Enigma Of The Man Who Never Wrote About The Mother Of His Children, Yet Immortalized The Mysterious Beatrice, Whom He Barely Knew. With A Biographer's Eye For Detail And A Novelist's Comprehension Of The Creative Process, A N Wilson Paints A Masterful Portrait Of Dante Alighieri And Unlocks One Of The Seminal Works Of Literature For A New Generation Of Readers. For over half a millennium, The Comedy has inspired writers from Shakespeare to Beckett. Dante's epic journey - out of the raging inferno to the gates of paradise - continues to dazzle readers today. In Dante In Love, A N Wilson brings to life one of the western canon's most enigmatic figures. Presents a passionate account of the influential European poet that sets his life against a background of the political turbulence of the 13th century, placing his work in a context of such contemporaries as Giotto, Aquinas, and Pope Boniface VIII A. N. Wilson is one of the most popular and bestselling historians and biographers writing in Britain today and in Dante In Love he brings to life one of the western canon's most enigmatic figures.