Who was dantes?

Answer 1

Dante Alighieri (c1265-1321) was an Florentine poet and philosopher. He was born in Florence. He supported the White Guelf faction in Florentine politics and was sentenced to perpetual exile following the Black Guelf victory of 1301.

His most famous work is the Comedia (more commonly known in English as the Divine Comedy) written in the vulgartongue (ie Florentine "Italian") telling of a journey through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise by the poet accompanied first by the spirit of the poet Virgil and then by the soul of his beloved Beatrice.

The poem is written with multiple levels of allegory.

He also wrote La Vita Nuova and De Vulgari Elloquentia as well as philosophical works such as De Monarchia.

He died on his way back to Ravenna from Venice in 1321 and is buried in the Church of San Pier Maggiore in Ravenna.

He is considered by some to be the greatest Italian poet.

Answer 2

Dante is now considered Italy's greatest poet -- so much a literary giant that he is generally known by his first name alone.