Book reading by Dr. Klaus Engert

Dr. Klaus Engert, who lives in Haßbergen, has dedicated himself to the Italian language, history and art history, and Dante's Divine Comedy since his student days, for example studying at the University of Bologna with Umberto Eco.

The author will be speaking about and reading from his enthralling description of the life of Dante Alighieri in the glory of medieval Italy. From the naturally historical presentation there are a surprising number of connections to our present-day which can be made.

Engert begins by taking a multifaceted look at Dante's medieval home city of Florence, in which the Italian way of life was also different than we know today. Going back and forth between historical excursus on the political and social conditions of Florence in the days of early capitalism and the reading of select passages from his Dante biography, in the center of it all is Dante as a person. Dante is brought to life -- politician, intellectual and poet of the turn of the 13th to the 14th century who takes injustices ruthlessly to task with his sharp literary weapons and at the same time remains in exile as eternally longing lover. Engert portrays not only the world-famous writer and philosopher but also the person and politician with empathy and complexity. With an epilogue focusing especially on the Divine Comedy. A portrait of the first humanist of the Medieval Ages and world-class author and decisive critic of early capitalism thus emerges.