Citings & Sightings of Dante's Works in Contemporary Culture
Pierre Vassura, a visual artist born in Romagna, Italy, and based in British Columbia, has created a series of paintings called “ANALOGIES OF DANTE ALIGHIERI’S DIVINE COMEDY, INFERNO – CANTOS 1 TO 10.” Vassura, who paints according to a style he calls “analogical formalism,” uses enamel paint on wood panels to create his abstract depictions of each canto of the first ten cantos of Dante’s poem. See more details at Vassura Analogy Art.
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“Why do we teach literature? What’s the point of studying history’s ‘stories’? Most English teachers would acknowledge the focus of self-discovery and character education in the novels we teach. In fact, the standard has long been to recognize literature as a ‘record of the human experience.’ We read to commiserate and learn and understand who we are on both an individual and global historical scale.
“That’s what makes Rod Dreher’s recent piece for the Wall Street Journal so cool. Dreher, who is a columnist also known for his unique take on conservatism, offers a unique and surprising explanation of Dante’s Divine Comedy as a classic of self help – ‘The Ultimate Self Help Book: Dante’s Divine Comedy. It’s not just a classic of world literature; it’s the most astonishing self help book of all time.’ Dreher explains his own personal struggles and the coping mechanisms he picked up from Dante after browsing the classic in a bookstore.”
–mmazenko, “Literature as Self Help: The Life Lessons of Dante’s <em>The Divine Comedy</em>,” Blogspot, March 20, 2015 (retrieved February 29, 2024)
See our previous posts on Rod Dreher’s approach to Dante’s works here and here.
(Image: ANSA)
“As a part of the celebrations commemorating the 700th anniversary of Dante Alighieri’s death, the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato is minting the second coin dedicated to the Supreme Poet and this literary work.
“Issued today by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the coin celebrates the Divine Comedy, and this year is dedicated to Purgatorio.
“The Brilliant Uncirculated coin is made of silver, with a face value of 5 euro and a circulation of 6000 pieces.
“The second ‘proof version’ is in gold, with a face value of 20 euro and a circulation of 1500 pieces.
“Designed by artist Claudia Momoni, on one side the coin depicts the profile of Dante Alighieri, inspired by a Sandro Botticelli work (private collection), with the inscription ‘REPUBBLICA ITALIANA’, closed by a star.
“On the reverse is a depiction of Purgatory surrounded by the sea, the sun and stars, on the top of which a wall of fire rises in the Divine Forest. The verse ‘PURO E DISPOSTO A SALIRE A LE STELLE’, a verse that closes the Purgatory canticle skirts its edge. On the right is the value ‘5 EURO’; on the left, ‘R,’ identifying the Rome Mint; at the bottom, the date ‘2022’, the year the coin was issued, and the artist’s signature ‘MOMONI.’ The presence of colour is unique to the silver version.” –“A commemorative coin has been dedicated to Dante’s Purgatorio on the 700th anniversary of his death”, Il Globo, September 14, 2022
All submissions will be considered for posting. Bibliographic references and scholarly essays are also welcome for consideration.
Coggeshall, Elizabeth, and Arielle Saiber, eds. Dante Today: Citings and Sightings of Dante’s Works in Contemporary Culture. Website. Access date.
