Date: Tuesday 24 February 2026

Time: 6.30pm - 8.00pm

Location: CO.AS.IT, 199 Faraday Street, Carlton.

 

  

 

 

 

Presented by CO.AS.IT. and Dante Alighieri Society, Melbourne.

 

Join us for an evening with Richard Alston to present his book The Glory of Dante.

 

Dante Alighieri, an Italian poet, writer, and philosopher, stands out for his enduring and celebrated legacy. Unlike typical literature grounded in the present, Dante's "Divine Comedy"offers a transcendental experience, exploring profound spiritual and existential questions. His vivid depictions of Hell have a lasting impact, making his work timeless. Seven hundred years after his death, Dante remains influential, his works continuously revered and translated, a testament to his lasting significance in Western literature. Here, Richard Alston shares his insights on this remarkable poet, whom Pope Francis recently described as "a witness to the innate yearning for the infinite present in the human heart."

 

The Relevance of Dante Today

“Dante and Shakespeare divide the modern world between them: there is no third.”
— T. S. Eliot

A former senator and diplomat shares his enduring love for Dante, exploring the poet’s lasting importance for our present moment and for generations to come.

 

About the author:

 

Richard Alston is an Australian businessman, former politician and former barrister. He served as a Senator for Victoria from 1986 to 2004, representing the Liberal Party. During the Howard government  he held ministerial office as Minister for Communications and the Arts (1996–1997), Communications, the Information Economy and the Arts (1997–1998), and Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (1998–2003). He was simultaneously Australia's longest serving Communications minister and Arts minister.