Dante Alighieri (1265–1321), an Italian poet, political thinker, and moral philosopher, is best known today for his three-part (Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso) poem titled La Commedia (The Divine Comedy), for which he invented an interlocking rhyme scheme called terza rima. He lived in the city of Florence during a time of political upheaval. As a result of taking a principled stand against those he felt were compromising the safety and integrity of the city, he was exiled on pain of death should he ever return. He spent the remainder of his life as the guest of noble families who supported him and his work, and he died in Ravenna of malaria, which he contracted on his way back from Venice, where he had been sent by his host on a diplomatic mission.
Bio by Mary Jo Bang.