Today in ours news round up we look at the lost portrait of Dante and the new poetry book from Louise Glück.

Dante Portrait Thought to be Lost Will go on Exhibition in Moscow

A portrait painted in the 16^th century of the poet Dante Alighieri, which was thought to have been lost will be going on show in Moscow on 21^st January. This will form part of the events that are taking place to commemorate the 700^th anniversary of Dante’s death. The portrait will be available to see at the Voznesensky art centre.

The painting was created at some point between 1532 and 1533 but it became lost. It was found during the 1990s by a collector in Europe. In 2020 it was purchase by Leonid Boguslavsky, a Russian businessperson. It has since been on display in New York, and more recently in Saint Petersburg.

The exhibition will be called “Agnolo Bronzino. Allegoric portrait of Dante.” Agnolo Bronzino was a 16^th century Florentine artist. The portrait will be the centrepiece of what is in fact to be a much bigger exhibition for this important part of European history. The appearance of the portrait, and the opportunity to put it on public display is being hailed as something of significant importance both for the art world and also the literary one.

The exhibition will be spread over three separate halls and will also include some rare books from the 15^th – 20^thcenturies as well as the painting. There will also be a number of translations of the work of Dante in several different languages to offer visitors an idea of how influential Dante was to the world of literature.

Dante, who wrote The Divine Comedy, was exiled from Florence, and died in the city of Ravenna in September 1321.

Recipes for Surviving a Hard, Cold Winter by A Jewish Nobel Laureate

Louise Glück has released a new book of poetry, the first that she has written since she received the Nobel prize for Literature in 2020.

The book contains just 15 poems which are spread over a total of 40 pages. However what is particularly striking about it is just what a beautiful book it is. Published as a hardback book, the cover features an elegant puzzle sitting on a plain field of ecru. The title is embossed and there is a drawing and poem by Bada Shanren, the 17^th century artist. The contents of the book are just as polished as the exterior and is well set out with plenty of space on the pages and sketches. This is a book that has been put together with reading, and re-reading in mind.

The book has been dedicated to Kathryn Davis, Glück’s friend.

The collection of poems may seem a little disjointed to some. However, they have been put together with the cold, hard season of winter in mind; the season when everything needs to be carefully prepared and food needs to be foraged. This is a book for reading several times, with new meanings waiting to be found each time.