DANTE IN LOVE Also by A. N. Wilson FICTION The Sweets of Pimlico Unguarded Hours Kindly Light The Healing Art Who Was Oswald Fish? Wise Virgin Scandal: Or, Priscilla’s Kindness Gentlemen in England Love Unknown Stray The Vicar of Sorrows Dream Children My Name Is Legion A Jealous Ghost Winnie and Wolf LAMPITT CHRONICLES Incline Our Hearts A Bottle in the Smoke Daughters of Albion Hearing Voices A Watch in the Night NON-FICTION The Laird of Abbotsford: A View of Sir Walter Scott A Life of John Milton Hilaire Belloc: A Biography How Can We Know? Landscape in France Tolstoy Penfriends from Porlock: Essays And Reviews, 1977–1986 Eminent Victorians C.S. Lewis: A Biography Paul: The Mind of the Apostle God’s Funeral: A Biography of Faith And Doubt in Western Civilization The Victorians Iris Murdoch as I Knew Her London: A Short History After the Victorians: The Decline of Britain in the World Betjeman: A Life Our Times DANTE IN LOVE A. N. WILSON First published in Great Britain in 2011 by Atlantic Books, and in export edition by Callisto, imprints of Atlantic Books Ltd. Copyright © A. N. Wilson, 2011 The moral right of A. N. Wilson to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988. The permissions to quote from material in copyright contained on p. 373 form part of this copyright page. Every effort has been made to trace or contact all copyright-holders. The Publishers will be pleased to make good any omissions or rectify any mistakes brought to their attention at the earliest opportunity. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ATLANTIC ISBN: 978 1 84887 948 5 CALLISO ISBN: 978 0 85740 027 7 eBook ISBN: 978 0 85789 581 3 Printed in Great Britain Atlantic Books An imprint of Atlantic Books Ltd Ormond House 26–27 Boswell Street London WC1N 3JZ www.atlantic-books.co.uk CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I WHY THIS BOOK HAS BEEN WRITTEN II ROME III DANTE’S FLORENCE 1260–74 IV GEMMA DONATI AND BEATRICE PORTINARI V DANTE’S EDUCATION VI A NEW CONSTITUTION FOR FLORENCE AND THE SICILIAN VESPERS VII LATE TEENS – THE DREAM VIII A POET’S APPRENTICESHIP IX THE WARRIOR WHO FOUGHT AT CAMPALDINO X DEATH OF BEATRICE XI THE CONSOLATION OF PHILOSOPHY XII THE DARK WOOD XIII DANTE AND THE PAINTED WORD. GIOTTO AT PADUA XIV THE COMMON TONGUE XV MEDIEVAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY XVI DANTE IN LOVE WITH A WOMAN IN CASENTINO. THE ORIGINS OF THE COMEDY XVII CROWN IMPERIAL 1310–13 XVIII DANTE IN LOVE AGAIN WITH BEATRICE XIX RAVENNA AND VENICE XX IN PARADISUM XXI DANTE’S AFTERLIFE NOTES BIBLIOGRAPHY PERMISSIONS INDEX For Rowan and Jane Williams ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Jeremy Catto, Katherine Duncan-Jones, Barbara Reynolds, Aidan Nichols OP, Gerald Peacocke, Alessandro Gallenzi and Matthew Sturgis all read the book at various stages of composition and helped enormously with their expertise. J. C. Smith gave helpful advice about the origins of the Romance tongues. Grateful thanks too to Matthew Sturgis and Rebecca Hossack for conversations about Dante in Italy and in London. Thanks too to Jinny and Robin White who, together with Iona, Honor and Romilly, entertained us so royally in Tuscany. Like the peasants observed by Dante, we sat and watched the fireflies in the hill- country he knew so well. At a late stage, I was lucky enough to acquire Georgina Capel as my agent, and a Vita Nuova began. She it was who introduced me to Atlantic Books: and the enthusiasm of Anthony Cheetham, Toby Mundy and the team has been enormously encouraging. Especial thanks to Orlando Whitfield who helped in so many ways, and to Margaret Stead, the best editor I have ever encountered, whose literary intelligence, sharp eye, patience and accuracy put me forever in her debt. Tamsin Shelton has been a stimulating and conscientious copy-editor. All those named will undoubtedly be encountered if I ever reach Paradise, and before that dawning, they have made the experience of writing about Dante, discussing Dante, and knocking a book about Dante into shape, a foretaste of Heaven. DANTE IN LOVE