Dante Alighieri was born in 1265. Considered Italy's greatest poet, he is the author The Inferno, The Purgatorio, and The Paradiso. Politically active in Florence, he was banished to Italy in 1302. In 1274, he met the love of his life, Beatrice, whom he immortalized in La Vita Nuova (1292) and The Divine Comedy. He died in 1321.
JASON M. BAXTER (PhD, Notre Dame) is a speaker, author, and Professor and Executive Director of the Center for Beauty and Culture at Benedictine College. He is the author of six books, including The Medieval Mind of C.S. Lewis and Beginner's Guide to Dante (jasonmbaxter.com). His writing and speaking focus on the relevance of the medieval experience of beauty for the modern world.