August 12, 2012

The Secret Book of Dante

Ok, I have not posted anything for quite some time, but I have been reading and reading and reading—then again, isn’t summer the best time for reading? My latest read was a novel written by Francesco Fioretti: Il libro segreto di Dante (“The Secret Book of Dante”). Unfortunately it’s not translated in English yet, but there’s already a Spanish translation, just in case you’d be interested. The basic hypothesis of the book is that Dante didn’t die of malaria—as it has been known for centuries—but that he was killed by people who didn’t want him to publish the last parts of the Comedy. There is also a coded message, left by Dante himself in his cantos, about one of the biggest mysteries ever: the Ark of the Covenant… And, of course, besides greedy Florentine bankers, there are Templar Knights, church conspiracies, treacheries, and treasons. Not a masterpiece, but an intriguing and erudite read.