Dante: Convivio

Dante's Convivio, composed in exile between 1304 and 1307, is a series of self-commentaries on three of Dante's long poems. These allegorical love poems and philosophical verse become the basis for philosophical, literary, moral, and political exposition. The prose is written in Italian so that those who were not educated in Latin could take part in what Dante called his 'banquet of knowledge'. In this edition, eminent Dante translator-scholar Andrew Frisardi offers the first fully annotated translation of the work into English, with an extensive introduction, making Dante's often complex writings accessible to scholars and students. The parallel Italian text is also included for the first time in an English translation of the Convivio. Readers of this work can gain a strong understanding of the philosophical themes across Dante's work, including the Divine Comedy, as well as the logic, politics and science of his time.

• The first fully annotated English translation of this important work from a canonical author, based on the current standard critical 1995 Italian edition, with extensive notes on previous editions, and use of existing and up-to-date Dante scholarship
• The reader gains a good understanding of Dante's thought in the Convivio and consequently (since so much of the Convivio's content is echoed in his masterpiece) in the Divine Comedy
• Includes an extensive introduction and notes which will help explain the work for students and scholars