“Dante at a certain point wakes up, looks around, and doesn’t recognize the physical and the moral landscape around him. This is a moment of fracture in his existence, and it is a moment of fracture which implies naturally not only his private life, but the life around him, which makes no sense anymore.” Riccardo Bruscagli
What a pleasure to sit down with Riccardo Bruscagli, Professor Emeritus of Italian Literature, University of Florence, to discuss the one and only, Dante Alighieri, and, more specifically the riveting two-part documentary film Dante: Inferno to Paradise directed by Ric Burns and written by Bruscagli, currently streaming on PBS.
In this first episode, Riccardo takes us expertly and captivatingly through the entire process from how the project was born to the enthusiastic response it’s received. Don’t miss this important conversation about the film which is a stunning mix of evocative historical reconstructions, interspersed with expert readings of Dante’s life and work, provided by Riccardo and other illustrious Italianists from the world over. All of this with luscious footage, the magic of Dante’s poetry, and keys to understanding the relevance and importance of Dante’s journey to us all.
Biography & Links Riccardo Bruscagli is Emeritus Professor of Italian Literature at the University of Florence. He was a full Professor of Italian Literature at the University from 1987 until his retirement. In 2010 he was elected Dean of the Faculty. Riccardo has given lectures and been visiting professor at many renowned universities the world over including Stanford, Berkeley, Rutgers, CUNY, the Sorbonne and Bonn Universität, to name a few. He is a member of the board of directors of the Società Dantesca. Most recently, he has teamed up with documentary filmmaker Ric Burns to write and produce a PBS documentary on Dante Alighieri and The Divine Comedy.