Dante Today

Citings & Sightings of Dante's Works in Contemporary Culture

700 year old fresco depicts Dante sent to burn in Hell

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“Scholars believe they have found a portrayal of Dante being sent to burn in the fires of damnation, hidden in the corner of a 700-year-old fresco in Tuscany.

They say the figure of a man with an aquiline nose and a distinctive red beret bears a striking resemblance to known portraits of Dante, who is revered in Italy as much as Shakespeare is esteemed in Britain.

The demonisation of the poet may have been motivated by the bad relations he had with the Church.

The fresco was painted between 1336 and 1342 by an artist named Bonamico Buffalmacco and adorns a wall of the Camposanto, a historic cemetery in Pisa which is close to the famous Leaning Tower.”    — Nick Squires, The Telegraph, February 1, 2022.

Read the full article here.

Single’s Inferno Netflix Series (2021)

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Single’s Inferno (Korean: 솔로지옥, sollojiog) is a 2021 Korean reality TV series that follows 12 singles as they attempt to find love on a deserted island. The singles begin on an island named “Inferno” and vie for each other’s affection in order to go on dates at a resort called “Paradise”. The first season of the show is currently streaming on Netflix.

Watch a trailer for Single’s Inferno here.

Dante’s Inferno: It’s Time for the Lost Sequel Article, Gina Roberts (2021)

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“Rumors have been surfacing regarding the potential return of an old franchise that is expected to be announced during next month’s EA Play.

“Dante’s Inferno is a fantastic game that received a lot of marketing and heavy support from EA at the time, even having a Super Bowl ad. It also received generally positive reviews and was impressive-looking for its time. Even though it has some graphic elements, it caused little controversy and went on to inspire a comic, an animated short, and a planned film adaptation.

“Dante’s Inferno was fantastic, but it didn’t get a chance to blossom. Instead of resurrecting games and franchises everyone knows and already loves, it’s time for the industry to pay attention to some underrated gems, giving life to titles that could have flourished if given the chance. Dante’s Inferno is a prime candidate for such treatment — after all, dark beat ’em ups certainly haven’t gone out of style.” [. . .]    –Gina Roberts, Comic Book Resources, June 22, 2021 (retrieved January 12, 2022)

Original Sin – The Seven Sins Short Film, dir. Amy Tinkham (2021)

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original_sin_short_film_poster“Original Sin is a modern-day love story about a broken-hearted heroine and her journey through the seven sins and the quest towards the virtue of Hope. The music of the legendary global rock band INXS seamlessly accompanies the film, and ultimately, the young heroine finds true love while the world heals with her.

“The film is loosely based on and inspired by celebrated Italian writer Dante Alighieri’s Inferno and the spiritual journey through the Seven Sins of Purgatory — pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust. The Original Sin short film reimagines Dante’s tale through the eyes of Jane, a 21st-century heroine isolated during the recent pandemic, who continues to search for love and the means to validate her soul.” [. . .]     –UMe, Cision PR Newswire, June 28, 2021 (retrieved January 6, 2022)

Watch a trailer (which includes direct quotes from the first canto of Inferno) for Original Sin here.

Listen to the short film’s Dante-inspired soundtrack here.

How to Cite

Coggeshall, Elizabeth, and Arielle Saiber, eds. Dante Today: Citings and Sightings of Dante's Works in Contemporary Culture. Website. Access date.

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