To celebrate the 750th anniversary of Dante Alighieri’s birth, the National Library of Malta and the Italian Cultural Institute have organized a bibliographic exhibition displaying antique and precious editions of the works of the Supreme Poet.
For the occasion, the great linguist and academic expert on Dante, prof. Tullio De Mauro will give an inaugural address and announce new developments in this area of study. The Minister for Education and Employment Hon. Evarist Bartolo and Italian Ambassador H.E. Giovanni Umberto De Vito have been invited to inaugurate the event.
The National Library of Malta holds an outstanding collection of books that encompasses various editions of Dante’s masterpiece. This collection includes a prestigious edition of the Divine Comedy dating back to 1502 and which was printed in the printing house of the famous typographer and editor Aldo Manuzio. This copy, together with a rare edition of the Divine Comedy printed in 1506 in the typography owned by the Giunti family of Firenze and two editions of the Convivio, will be the highlights of this exhibition.
The exhibition comprises of some splendid 19th century editions of the Divine Comedy with fine gold bindings and decorated with the famous engravings by French artist and engraver Gustave Doré. On display there will also be some editions of this literary work in English and Maltese.
A section of this exhibition is dedicated to the critical studies on Dante published by Italian, French and English academics in the 19th and 20th Centuries. One may find the Dantesque Dictionary published in Siena in 1855.