University of York since 1971 , he became an Emeritus Professor of English & Related Literature of the same university in 2011 , as well as being a visiting professor at the University of Malta . He has published dozens of scholarly works in the field of Dante studies and has given lectures on the subject at some of the world ’ s top institutions . Now , he is moving into the world of travel writing – with a distinct Dantesque twist .

On Thursday 7 November , Nick came to Bristol to talk about his new book , Apennine Crossings : Travellers on the Edge of Tuscany . Described by the department ’ s Tristan Kay as “ a distinctive and original project ”, the book follows Nick ’ s decision to walk along the ridge of the Apennines : a walk that would take three years to complete . It is half travel log , half history of the famous mountain range that stretches from the Ligurian Alps at Altare , all the way down to Reggio di Calabria in the south of the peninsula . Before his talk , titled ‘ Dante ' s Mountains and Nineteenth Century Travellers ’, Nick sat down with me for a chat about all things Dante .

When describing himself , Nick likes to say he ’ s a “ recovering academic ” – both personally and in the sense that he ’ s trying to widen the range of people interacting with his work . “ Hopefully , the Apennines book is designed – and indeed priced ! – for a wider audience .”

While the book still harks back to “ Big D ” ( as Nick assures me Dante is referred to in the field ), the writing style is considerably less formal than you might find in a journal article . In fact , like in his talk that afternoon , Nick ’ s humour and talent for storytelling shines throughout . For example , take Nick ’ s recount of reaching the summit of Monte Falterona , a mountain found on the border of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna ; it is a location referenced by Dante in both Purgatorio and the Convivio . Nick recalls arriving at the top of the mountain , only to hear the sound of heavy breathing coming from behind him . It was an Italian hiker , who – collapsing at the summit – looked out at the view , deeming it that of “ dell ’ infinito ” : fitting , for one of Dante ’ s holy mountains .

On British readers of Dante

Nick went on to talk about the many times he got lost in the Apennines , a fate shared by some of the great literary figures who once walked ( and got diverted from ) the tricky mountain paths . One example was that of Captain Francis Brooke , a 19th-century British scholar and travel writer , who

Havely ’ s research has previously been based on Chaucer Source : University of York

also climbed Monte Falterona : his goal was to reach the great waterfalls of Acquacheta mentioned in Inferno 16 . Nick described Brooke as a “ very engaging ” commentator on Dante , particularly “ because he was an absolute pedant ” who took it upon himself to argue with many other leading scholars of the time . Despite this , Brooke is relatively unknown in the field of English-speaking Dante studies : a field that has been thriving for centuries . In fact , another of Nick ’ s books , Dante ’ s British Public , was the first work to address the more than six centuries of British thought on Dante .

He decided early on that his focus would be on the British reading public . As he points out , writing about the English-speaking world more broadly would be too much for one book – or even one person . “ So , I decided to narrow it down to Britain , and very emphatically : Britain , not England . For one thing , there are so many important aspects of reception in the book that dwell upon Scottish writers and artists . There are also many women readers of Dante , of course , something that Federica Coluzzi is very much involved in . I focus on several women readers in my book Dante ’ s British Public , including one who is very much less known .”

Nick was referring to Isabella Macleod , a Scottish aristocrat who lived in the Anglo-Florentine culture of the 1830s and 40s . Macleod put together a huge collection of illustrations , gathered from “ all sorts of sources ”, and organized according to the cantiche of the Commedia . Nick went to see them in-person at the national library in Edinburgh . “ But in order to find out about how she read Dante , I had to go to another archive up in Inverness , where her letters are . And the letters are what reveal her thinking about what she was doing , how she was reading Dante . These are areas that people are recognising that you need to look at now : you don ’ t just go for the printed sources . You go for the journals , the diaries , and the letters .”

Most of her letters were , in fact , addressed to Captain Francis Brooke – the British scholar who , like Nick , got lost in the Apennines . How did he get lost anyway ? Well , as Nick quipped in his talk ,

“ if you want to find that out , you ’ ll have to read the book .”

Dante in the 21st-century : Dante in Piazza and the “ greening ” of Dante

“ There ’ s this idea in Italy , that students were perhaps to be kept away from Dante , because it was a subject that only professors were meant to be declaring authoritatively about ,” says Nick . “ That ’ s something that Theodoro Barolini calls the “ Italian problem ” with Dante : that there was this sort of baronial attitude towards Dante . I think the presence of Roberto Benigni has been quite important for the reception of Dante in Italy , as it has been here . He came to London a while ago to do his show [ TuttoDante ], very much emphasising the importance of Dante being delivered orally .”

When acclaimed Italian actor Roberto Benigni came to London in 2009 , his show brought Dante to Drury Lane , a live , oneman recital of the Commedia – delivered in Italian , of course . To do otherwise would be like “ Mr . Bean talking about John Milton in Italian ”, said the Academy Award-winning actor of La vita è bella . He would go on to perform TuttoDante in Florence ’ s Piazza Santa Croce to an audience of thousands .

Nick Havely ’ s book is available to buy Source : Louise Stitson

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