Who authored the Divine Comedy?

Dante Alighieri authored the “Divine Comedy.” Written in Italian during the early 14th century, the poem is Dante’s imaginative journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. It is widely regarded as the pre-eminent work of Italian literature and one of the central masterpieces of Western literature.

Dante was born in Florence around 1265 and spent much of his later life in exile after political conflict forced him to leave the city. Those experiences shaped the poem, which combines theology, philosophy, classical mythology, personal memory, and sharp commentary on Florentine and Italian politics.

The work was originally titled “Comedìa,” or “Comedy”; the word “Divine” was added later. Dante’s decision to write in the Tuscan vernacular, rather than Latin, helped establish Tuscan as the foundation of standardized Italian. Common mix-ups include naming Virgil, who guides Dante for much of the journey, or Beatrice, who guides him through Heaven. They are major figures in the poem, but Dante is its author.