Inspirations from Dante's Florence (original) (raw)

A talk presented on 27 February 2021 via Zoom and Facebook Live on the occasion of the 214th anniversary of Longfellow’s birth, co-sponsored by the Friends of Mt. Auburn Cemetery and Longfellow House–Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, with programming support provided in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. "As we celebrate the birth of America’s most famous poet, we also remember the legacy of Italy’s for the 700th anniversary of Dante Alighieri’s death. Christian Dupont, Secretary-Librarian of the Dante Society of America, will discuss Longfellow’s travels in Florence. Although disillusioned by his first visit to Florence in his early twenties, the city of Dante’s birth nevertheless held a lifelong fascination for Longfellow, who became the first American to translate the entire Divine Comedy. Florentine scenes, such as the Ponte Vecchio, inspired some of his own poetry and his identification with Michelangelo, Florence’s famous sculptor."