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.