Roberto Benigni will prove Dante is beautiful

The upcoming four-day visit of world-renowned, Oscar-winning actor, scriptwriter and director Roberto Benigni was yesterday described as a "high-level occasion" by the dean and deputy dean of the University's Faculty of Arts, whose initiative it was to bring him over.

But although Mr Benigni is mostly associated with the big screen, and in particular the 1997 tragicomedy Life Is Beautiful, he will be in Malta more for his academic interests and contributions - the fact that he is an avid Dante scholar.

Mr Benigni has reached a new level of popularity and relevance since he embarked on the Italian TV programme Tutto Dante, the dean of the Faculty of Arts, Dominic Fenech, said.

"He has never been as popular as he is now," he pointed out in regard to the timing of the visit.

"We had been talking in the corridors about the possibility of bringing Benigni over," said Prof. Fenech, piling the credit onto the deputy dean, Gloria Lauri Lucente, for managing to realise their dream.

During Mr Benigni's visit - he arrives on April 21 - the University will be conferring him with a doctorate honoris causa for his contribution to the humanities.

The honorary degree of Doctor of Literature will be conferred on April 22 at the Jesuits' church, in Valletta, in recognition not only of his distinctive exploration of the emotional range possible in cinema but also the significant contribution to Dante scholarship, to the study of literature and to the humanities in general.

Dr Lauri Lucente, a senior lecturer and an expert on film, said Mr Benigni is known for being a versatile personality, for his slapstick comedy and linguistic abilities, but also for his Lectura Dantis.

Mr Benigni has been studying Dante's Divina Commedia for years, reviving the ancient tradition of recitations in public and uniting it with the modern culture of TV, Dr Lauri Lucente explained.

His first-class commentary and analysis of Dante's verses, an academic exercise during which he also gives his own interpretation, is followed by the recitation by heart of the canti to perfection, bringing out their sublimity, showing the modernity and relevance of the work 700 years later and arousing curiosity in it, she said.

When he carried out these recitations in Siena's main piazza, Mr Benigni pulled a crowd larger than the Palio does, Dr Lauri Lucente said, adding that his TV show attracted audiences of 12 million, whetting the appetite to watch him live in action in Malta.

It is no coincidence that Mr Benigni will be visiting Malta during the inauguration of an exhibition of illustrations of the new annotated translation of the Divina Commedia by artist Monika Beisner at the Italian Cultural Institute in Valletta.

The "impressive", original illustrations - each one a work of art in its own right - form part of the "elegant and de luxe" three-volume translation into English of the Divina Commedia by Robert and Jean Hollander, with a preface by Mr Benigni himself.

In fact, the cherry on the cake of "the week dedicated to the humanities" is the presence of "Premier League" Dante scholar, Prof. Hollander, the founding director of the Princeton Dante Project, and his wife.

Prof. Hollander and Mr Benigni, who work together on the dissemination of knowledge about Dante worldwide and enjoy reciprocal admiration, will be performing together at a serata Dantesca in the University's Sir Temi Zammit Hall on April 23. This would be a "treat", Prof. Fenech said, adding that Italian universities wished they had such an opportunity.

The one-of performance will be transmitted live via a maxi screen in the University's main quadrangle so that the public can follow it for free.

Prof. Hollander will also conduct a seminar on April 24 on campus titled Dante's "Sympathetic" Sinners and the Italian Cultural Institute, in collaboration with the Faculty of Arts, will be presenting the limited edition of the Divina Commedia on the following day at the University in the presence of Ms Beisner.