Dante's poetry influenced not only literature, but the entire European culture and philosophy of many subsequent centuries. His Divine Comedy became a classic of the late Middle Ages and an example of the literary Italian language.
Biography
Durante degli Alighieri, or, as he is known throughout the world, Dante, was born in Italy in 1265. The exact day of his birth remains a mystery, but Dante himself said that he was born under the zodiac sign "Gemini". Consequently, this day is included in the interval May 21 - June 20, 1265.
It is not known for certain where and from whom the Italian poet received such an extensive literacy in the field of literature and philosophy of antiquity and the Middle Ages. Most likely, the source of his encyclopedic education was the poet and thinker from Florence Brunetto Latini. It is also known that Dante spent several months in the town of Bologna, where one of the best universities in medieval Europe was located - the University of Bologna, which still exists today. Perhaps it was for the purpose of enlightenment that he lived in this city.
Love played an important role in the philosopher's career. At the age of nine, he first meets Beatrice Portinari, whose image, ten years later, became his muse and ideal. But she was already married, and in 1290 she died. The image of a beautiful young girl can be traced in the autobiographical work "New Life". Perhaps it was the death of his beloved that made him study theology and philosophy so deeply.
Dante was active in politics, for political reasons he became engaged to Gemma Donati (with whom he had three children), and at the age of 35 he already took a high position in the government of Florence. It was social activity that made the great theologian an exile of his hometown.
Exile and wanderings
The political party that Dante Alighieri was a member of was repressed and expelled from Florence in 1302. The Italian poet was forced to leave his wife and children and flee his hometown forever. In 1326, they made him an offer: if he admits the wrongness of his political views and guilt in bribery, he can return to his homeland, to his family. But Dante refused the offer, because he did not consider himself guilty.
From the moment of his exile, he wandered in different cities and countries, lived for some time in France, Paris, then in 1316 he settled in the Italian city of Ravenna. It is in this town that he spends the rest of his life and writes "Comedy". It is noteworthy that the "Divine" poem was called not by the philosopher himself, but by the editors who published it in 1555. Among other, less known works of the author, the treatise "Feast" and the treatise "On folk eloquence" should be noted.
The great philosopher and thinker Dante Alighieri dreamed that for his literary successes and the creation of a masterpiece of poetry, he would be invited back to his homeland. But the dreams did not come true, as in 1321 the poet fell ill with malaria and died suddenly. Dante was buried in the city in which he lived his last years - Ravenna. The mausoleum to his grave was erected only in 1780.
