'700th Anniversary of Dante's Death' Seoul Library to Host 'Dante and The Divine Comedy' Lectures in August-September

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Library announced on the 26th that it will operate an online lecture on 'Dante' and the 'Divine Comedy' every Thursday at 7:30 PM from August 12 to September 2 to commemorate the 700th anniversary of Dante's death.

This lecture will be conducted by Professor Park Sang-jin of Busan University of Foreign Studies, an authority on 'Dante' studies. In 2020, he became the first Korean to receive Italy's prestigious literary award, the 'Flaiano Prizes.'

The lecture consists of four sessions exploring the diverse world of 'Dante,' a representative medieval global author, and his masterpiece, the Divine Comedy, including a journey to the places featured as backgrounds in the work. The first session is a journey to find 'Dante' from 700 years ago, the second explores the world of the Divine Comedy, the third is a trip to Italy following 'Dante,' and the fourth is a sharing of empathy in the aftermath of the journey.

Applications for the lecture can be made from the 27th on the Seoul Metropolitan Library website → Application & Participation → Lecture Application. Any Seoul citizen can participate free of charge, and 50 participants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Lee Jeong-su, director of the Seoul Metropolitan Library, said, "The pilgrimage journey of 'Dante' through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven is something we encounter in our complex society and life, but 'Dante' realizes that love endures behind all those journeys," adding, "I hope this will be a meaningful time to discover precious values that support our society and to create everyday loves while reading the work."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.