Dante in Love - by Harriet Rubin (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In the vein of Brunelleschi's Dome, Galileo's Daughter, and Wittgenstein's Poker, Dante in Love is a geographic and spiritual re-creation of the poet's travels and the burst of creativity that produced the greatest poem ever written.
Dante in Love is the story of the most famous journey in literature. Rubin follows Dante's path as the poet, exiled from Florence, walked the old Jubilee routes that linked monasteries and all roads to Rome and Tuscany -- a path followed by generations of seekers from T. S. Eliot, Sigmund Freud, and Primo Levi to Bruce Springsteen. Following Dante's route, we, too, are inspired to undertake the journey of discovering ourselves.

Review Quotes

"A thoughtful and enlightening analysis of the writing of The Divine Comedy that centers on the physical and spiritual journey of its author, Dante Alighieri."
-- Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"Almost a primer on how to find inspiration and motivation from Dante...It is sprinkled with compelling 'Dantean journeys, ' anecdotes of poets and other figures from history who have turned to Dante in times of crisis and inspiration...an excellent meditation on Dante."
-- Matthew Pearl, author of The Dante Club

"An infectious blend of accessibility, erudition, and practical wisdom."
-- Publishers Weekly

"Rubin's ardor for her subject can be contagious....Her book will certainly inspire countless readers to embark on the revelatory, life-changing journey of reading The Divine Comedy."
-- Los Angeles Times

"Rubin's enthusiasm for her subject is contagious...a drier intellect might not have written about what, in fact, is the world's greatest poem with a pleasure so infectious that readers will want immediately to read it."
-- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

About the Author

Harriet Rubin was the founder of Doubleday Currency and has published dozens of bestsellers. She is the author of The Princessa: Machiavelli for Women, which has been translated into twenty-three languages. She is on USA TODAY's editorial board and is a consultant to media companies. She currently lives in Manhattan and Portland, Oregon