![]() In a new biography timed (in its original Italian publication) to the 700th anniversary of the poet’s death in 1321 and translated fluidly by Allan Cameron, the Italian historian and novelist Alessandro Barbero chooses the first option. So the biographer must ultimately choose: Either hew to the evidence and ferret out whatever rare nugget about Dante’s life remains uncovered, or surrender to the genius of the work he called his “Comedìa” and try to broker a fragile peace between literary interpretation and life writing. ![]() On the other hand, the autobiographical details and dramas offered by Dante himself in numerous works, especially his epic “The Divine Comedy,” have mesmerized biographers beginning with Boccaccio for centuries, leading them down literary rabbit holes devoid of real-world certainty and inviting endless speculation that tends to burnish the legend of this ever-elusive subject. On the one hand, they face an archival abyss when it comes to the poet’s actual life, as even basic facts like the day he was born or the number of his children - let alone the chaotic itinerary of his two decades of exile - remain shrouded in mystery. DANTE A Life By Alessandro Barbero Translated by Allan Cameron
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