Life of Dante

by Benedict Flynn, John Shrapnel (Read by)

Dante's vision, The Divine Comedy, has profoundly affected every generation since it first appeared in the early 14th century. This brief account sets the known facts of Dante's life against the turmoil of the times, and puts the very personal nature of his poetry into perspective.

Genres: Biography, Audiobook

Audio Cassette

First published August 1, 2001

Reviews

[Michael P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This tiny book is a missed opportunity. It sticks to the LIFE of Dante and tells that story fairly well, but, of course, few would care about Dante today had he not been a writer and beyond some rudimentary comments about La Vita Nuova and Inferno, the works are barely mentioned.

[James Biser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reviews and shares the details of the life of Dante Alighieri. Although the world is familiar with his literary works, his biography is not well known.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting.

[Winston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short summation mostly about Dante in exile and the politics of Florence at the time, but good for what it was. Good to listen to before reading the Commedia to get a better idea of why he gave particular characters their tortures in Hell.

[John Paterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio book of Dante: The Divine Comedy. Translated by Benedict Flynn and including The Life of Dante.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Audiobook; John Shrapnel, narrator) Brief summary of the political factions in Florence during Dante's life, why he had to go into exile, and why some of his enemies ended up in Hell.

[sch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jun 2016. Good and brief, several factual errors.

Aug 2017. Again, prior to teaching.