Scattered in a variety of academic journals here and abroad, these importnat essays have been brought together in a single volume for the first time. Included as an introduction is a lecture prepared by Dino Bigongiari, for over five decades the most eminent scholar at Columbia University and one of the great Dantist of the century.

An internationally-known comparist, founder of Council on National Literatures and for over three decades Editor of its prestigious series, Review of National Literatures, Dr. Anne Paolucci brings her wide reading and training to bear in such essays as "Dante's Satan and Milton's 'Bryonic Hero'," "Dante and Machiavelli: Political 'Idealism' and Political 'Realism';" and "Women in the Political Love-Ethic of the Divine Comedy and the Faerie Queens." She sheds new light on a familiar subject in "Dante, Hegel, and the Marian Inspiration of the Commedia," showing Hegel to be a rich source for critical study in this area. "Exile Among the Exiles: Dante's Party of One" focuses on Dante's bitter life-long exile from his beloved Florence. "The Strident Voices of Hell" provides an insightful introduction to the Inferno. A brief but substantive picture of the Middle Ages is provided in "The Cosmopolitan Age of Dante and His Dream of Restored Imperial Rule."

Professor Bigongiari's essya, probably written to be delivered as a lecture in Florence on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of Dante's birth, is a welcome Introduction to the volume. In his terse, informative and authoritative voice, the author raises two important questions: "Is Dante a popular poet?" and "Is Dante a classic poet?" In the course of answering these questions, Professor Bigongiari provides brilliant insights into the preservation and transmission of the precious manuscripts and codices that passed through his hands in Florence, where he had been invited to help prepare for the anniversary celebrations.