Celebrating 700 years of Dante’s Divine comedy

This year marks the 700th anniversary of the death of Italian poet Dante Alighieri, best known for his great work Commedia or, in its English version, The divine comedy.

With its vivid scenes of hell, purgatory and paradise, Dante’s poem has long been a magnet for artists, drawn to fashioning their own illustrative interpretation of the text, a tradition stretching from the 14th century through to the present day.

In the video above, join Des Cowley (Principal Librarian of History of the Book and Arts) and Anna Welch (Senior Librarian of History of the Book and Arts) as they give a special preview look at a feature in the Library's upcoming World of the Book 2021-22 exhibition which highlights the work of artists who have pictorially brought Dante's Divine Comedy to life.

More to explore

• Read Des Cowley's blog exploring the illustrative interpretations of Dante's text by Australian artists.
• Learn more about the Library's Rare Books Collection.