Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), Italian poet. Dante wrote his epic poem 'Divina Commedia' (The Divine Comedy) between 1308 and his death in 1321. Consisting of 14,233 lines, and divided into three parts (Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso), it is considered the greatest literary work in the Italian language and a world masterpiece. It is a comprehensive survey of medieval theology, literature and thought. The new non-dialect poetic language Dante created became the basis of modern Italian. 1860 artwork, by French artist Gustave Dore and engraved by Stephane Pannemaker, from 'The Vision of Hell' (1868), Cary's English translation of the Inferno.