Citings & Sightings of Dante's Works in Contemporary Culture
Arcade Fire’s 2022 release WE includes a track entitled “End of the Empire IV—Sagittarius A,” which features the following lyrics:
Midway through life (unsubscribe)
Virgil said, “Let’s take a ride” (unsubscribe)
You’ll need a divine guide (ain’t no way of life)
‘Cause this inferno’s hyperdrive (don’t believe the hype)
And the dreams in your head
The algorithm prescribed
Do you feel alright?
View the video on Vevo (last accessed August 9, 2023).
Contributed by Leigh Howell
Netflix’s teen comedy-drama Metal Lords (a collaboration between D. B. Weiss and Tom Morello) features an epic discussion of Ulysses and the 8th circle. “What’s more metal than that?”
Netflix subscribers can view the movie here. The Ulysses scene runs from 48:09 to 51:24.
Contributed by Sara Diaz (Fairfield University)
Read an interview with writer-producer D. B. Weiss (Game of Thrones showrunner) and executive producer Tom Morello (guitarist from Rage Against the Machine) on their collaboration here.
“La soirée inaugurale des Journées Dante Alighieri a rassemblé le monde de la culture, les élus et de nombreux italophones au théâtre Olympe-de-Gouges. Un vrai succès pour cette institution culturelle italienne, la plus ancienne et la plus prestigieuse dans le monde, implantée à Montauban depuis plus de cinquante ans. Pour son président Alain Crivella : ‘J’ai le grand honneur d’ouvrir ces journées avec vous, le rôle de Dante dans la création de l’Italie est prépondérant, son message 700 ans après sa mort incroyablement actuel et universel. Écrivain hors pair et théoricien politique, linguiste, il a fait face à la crise idéologique du Moyen Âge en défendant la spiritualité face aux valeurs marchandes.’
“Aujourd’hui à 18 h 30 au Théâtre Olympe de Gouges, deux artistes, Odile Cariteau et Cathy Teil, exposent entre peintures figuratives et abstraites, enluminures, écritures, collages, elles retranscrivent l’univers dantesque.” [. . .] —Ladepeche.fr, February 2, 2021 (retrieved March 27, 2022)
On October 9, 2019, American band Whirlybird released their EP Hot Flashes which included a song called “Dante’s Inferno”. The lyrics make reference to Dante’s journey through Hell, stating: “Dante’s coming through the inferno”.
Listen to the song here.
View the full lyrics of “Dante’s Inferno” here.
On November 13, 2021, the collaborative effort behind Dante in Oxford hosted the “Serata Dantesca” event. The performance was described as:
“A programme of music, poetry, and dance presented in the Holywell Music Room, featuring performers who are almost all Oxford-based teachers, researchers, and students. In addition to Italian and English readings and some older choral and solo musical compositions, new translations and settings have been specially commissioned for this commemorative occasion marking the 700th anniversary of the death of the great Italian poet.” —TORCH (retrieved February 7, 2022)
More information about the “Serata Dantesca” and its programming can be found here.
Other Dante in Oxford posts can be found here.
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.
