Home Wellesley Neighbors EventsDante: An Introduction - Richard Lansing, Wednesday at 4 PM

Wellesley Neighbors Events - Event View

calendar_add_onAdd to Calendar groupRegistrants

Before you get started, check out our knowledge base for instructions

Dante: An Introduction - Richard Lansing, Wednesday at 4 PM

About this event

Wednesday, September 16th
4 PM - 5:30 PM

This is the image that will be displayed on social media previews

Join Wellesley Neighbors at the Wellesley Free Library for an afternoon with Dante scholar, Richard Lansing as he discusses Dante. Why does a 700-year-old poem about Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven still fascinate readers today? In this engaging introduction, Dante scholar Richard Lansing guides audiences through the world of The Divine Comedy, explaining who Dante was, why he wrote the poem, and how its unforgettable characters and images still shape literature, art, and culture. Through short passages and lively commentary, participants will discover how Dante’s journey through the afterlife explores timeless questions about justice, love, human choices, and the search for meaning. The program is designed for general audiences and requires no prior knowledge of Dante.

Richard Lansing is Professor Emeritus of Italian Studies and Comparative Literature at Brandeis University and a leading scholar of Dante and medieval Italian literature. He is the editor of The Dante Encyclopedia, an award-winning reference work widely used by students and scholars as a guide to Dante’s life, writings, and historical influence. Lansing is also the translator of Dante’s philosophical work Il Convivio (The Banquet) and the author of numerous articles and books on Dante’s poetry and thought.

All are welcome! Bring a friend.

Date and Time

Wednesday, September 16, 2026, 4:00 PM until 5:30 PM

Location

Wakelin Room - Wellesley Free Library
530 Washington Street
Wellesley, MA 02482
USA

Event Contact(s)

Joan Minklei
617-858-0843 (p)

Registration Info

Registration is recommended

Registration cancellations will be accepted