Resenha Dante: the story of his life

Abstract

Comprehending a work written seven centuries ago can be difficult for many reasons, even if we can read it through a good vernacular translation. One of the biggest difficulties, for example, is the cultural aspect that, beyond being from another country, belongs to another age. In case of Dante’s work, the comprehension is even more difficult because he wrote for and about the Florentine citizens, as a “municipal man” as Santagata refers to: “Each of his works, in the first instance, defines a particular environment: in the Vita Nova it is that of his contemporaries in Florence who shared his way of life and his idea about literature; in the Commedia it is the families of his patrons and the political parties […]” (p. 185). The book in question “Dante: The Story of His Life” by Marco Santagata can lead beginners in Italian literature through Dante’s life, as the title says, approaching cultural and pollical aspects of the medieval times, and moreover through his literary work. Also, for advanced researchers Santagata’s work is paramount for consultation or reference. The text is detailed, the analyses are based on documents, registers of the epoch and circumstantial reconstruction.[...]