Dante
Alighieri was a prolific writer
who enriched Italian literature and language, when the western world
was
struggling with the darkness of medieval belief and superstition. He
heralded
the dawn of the new learning. Dante shall always be remembered for his
immortal
work 'Divine Comedy', a long poem telling the story of an imaginary
journey
through Hell and Paradise.
Dante
Alighieri was born
in 1265 in
Florence, Italy. His father was a well-known lawyer. Dante studied
language,
science, music and philosophy industriously. At the tender age of nine,
he fell
in love with a beautiful girl, Beatrice. This blessed moment granted
Dante the
divine understanding of all mysteries of life. This moment of love was
inspiring event which inspired Dante to blossom his traits. Although
this
divine love could not continue, yet it was the basis of his theology.
Dante's
first experience of politics was on the battlefield. Dante joined his
country's
army. He fought in a war in the side of Florence. But, Florence lost
the war
and thus his opponent seized power and exiled him from his native
country. From
1302, he remained in exile for nineteen years until his death. Thus
Dante led a
wanderer's existence. In 1316, he was granted an amnesty under
humiliating
conditions, but Dante's pride forbade him to re-enter Florence. Dante
preserved
his honor at the cost of exile.