R. W. B. Lewis. Dante (Italian Bookshelf) (Book Review‪)‬

R. W. B. Lewis. Dante. New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001. Pp. 197. In 1966, Thomas Caldecott Chubb observed in his full-length biography of Dante (Dante and His World) that more had been written about the poet than could ever be read--even if reading were one's full-time occupation. Today, our choices in reading about Dante continue to expand: on one end, the comprehensive work edited by Lansing and Barolini (The Dante Encyclopedia), on the other, the latest book by R.W.B. Lewis. If Lansing and Barolini have produced a work of size and grandeur, Lewis has produced a work analogous to that of the great miniaturists Liberale or Zoppo--a wisp of a book, but nevertheless a beautiful portrait drawn with color and texture. What makes this book particularly interesting is Lewis's own encyclopedic knowledge of English and American literature, and his ability to identify Dante's influence on many of the most notable authors in literature.