Save the Date

Castellano Memorial Lecture, 2024

In 1952, Dr Francesco Castellano re-founded the Brisbane branch of the Dante Alighieri Society, which had suspended its activities in 1939. The Society honours his memory each year by inviting a special guest speaker to present the Castellano Memorial Lecture, which is faithfully supported by his wife, Maria Castellano, and her family.

This year’s lecture will be presented by historian Catherine Dewhirst, on a topic from her recent research:

‘Vote taken in paddock’:

The Danesi brothers, anti-fascism and rights of Italian migrants in Queensland, 1920s-1940s

Dr Catherine Dewhirst, University of Southern Queensland

Saturday 28 September, 2.30pm

St Anne’s Hall, 127 Nelson St, Kalinga

Entry is free, all welcome!

To assist us in catering for refreshments after the lecture, please book by email info@dante-alighieri.com.au or by phone 0401 927967.

Franco  Arcidiacono is presenting our Dante Biennial Lecture this year, with the title "Dante’s Sicilian Connections: Mythology, geography, history and literature in the Divine Comedy and popular culture". It promises to be a fascinating topic, discussed in Franco's engaging presentation style.

• Synopsis: Dante’s profound connection to Sicily, along with his prodigious knowledge of those aspects numerated in the title of this presentation, led one Dante scholar to propose that within the Commedia there appears to be no region in all of Italy, “more rich with memories, more fertile in associations, more full of interest, than la Sicilia” (Edward Moore, 1890). Nor should Sicily’s special importance to Dante be any wonder, for it was there that the wars waged, alliances made and intrigues plotted by the protagonists profoundly influenced Dante’s own misfortunes, hopes, and aspirations - as reflected by their placement in his Christian conception of an afterlife. As for the Sicilians themselves, they were never passive victims of their subjugation, and they had long memories both good and bad.

The event will be on Saturday 24 August, mid afternoon.

For the calendar, a brief listing could be something like: Dante Society Brisbane: Presentation by Franco Arcidiacono on Dante's Sicilian Connections. Saturday 23 August, afternoon, venue TBC. With refreshments.