Arthur John Butler, a distinguished Dante scholar and translator, situates the poet within the religious, political, and literary world of late medieval Italy. He traces Dante’s involvement in Florentine faction politics, his exile, and his composition of the Divine Comedy against the backdrop of papal-imperial conflict, the rise of the Italian communes, and the theological debates of the thirteenth century.
Clear and scholarly without being dry, Butler’s study serves as an excellent introduction to Dante for readers approaching the Comedy for the first time, as well as a useful reference for those already familiar with the poem who want deeper historical context.