"Marco Santagata illuminates one of the world's supreme poets from many angles--philosopher, father, courtier, political partisan. He brings together a vast body of Italian scholarship on Dante's medieval world, untangles a complex web of family relationships for English readers, and shows the influence of local and regional politics on his writing."--Provided by publisher.

In the Divine Comedy Dante describes his imaginary journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. No other poem in any language has had such a wide appeal.