[Curiosities] Learn five curiosities about the Italian Dante Alighieri

[Noticias ALEJANDRO]

It is estimated that on May 29, 1265, the famous poet Dante Alighieri, author of the Divine Comedy, was born in Florence, Italy, one of the fundamental works of the transition from medieval to Renaissance thought and universal literature.

Dante came from a noble family, which did not prevent him from actively participating in the political struggles of his time; him while he put his pen at the service of art, politics and philosophy, bequeathing posterity a fascinating life

A fascinating life
1) Being a 12-year-old teenager, he was forced to get engaged and get married, since it was customary in his time to arrange marriages at an early age. His wife's name was Gemma and with her he had four children. However, the great love of his life was Beatriz Portinari, whom he met when he was 9 years old, and with whom he could have fallen in love at first sight. The latter was his great inspiration for great works.

 

 

2) He had notable admiration for the Roman poet Virgil, author of the Aeneid, the Bucolics and the Georgics. For this reason he made him an essential figure in his crowning work, the Divine Comedy, becoming the protagonist's guide as he travels through the passages of Hell and Purgatory.

3) He was an active thinker of advanced political ideas for his time. For these, he was even banished from his hometown, Florence. Specifically, he defended the separation of Church and State, as well as the need for a Holy Roman Empire to exist.

4) Very few know that for some time, the famous writer dedicated himself to selling his own books, in establishments known as pharmacies. His first known work was Vita nuova (New Life), which was written shortly after his wife died, between 1292 and 1293.

 

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