Hrvati i Dante

Croats and Dante is a collection of works edited by Božidar Petrač on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the death of Dante Alighieri. The collection brings together a selection of studies, essays and literary-historical contributions created over almost a hundred years of Croatian Dante studies. The aim of the book is to show how Dante's work, especially The Divine Comedy, shaped Croatian literature, culture and spiritual life.

The collection features twenty-four authors from different generations and professions: philologists, literary historians, translators, theologians, academics and poets. Among them are Vinko Lozovina, Petar Skok, Grga Novak, Mirko Deanović, Josip Torbarina, Jure Kaštelan, Ivo Frangeš, Olga Maruševski, Frano Čale, Mate Zorić, Ivan Golub, Mladen Machiedo, Mirko Tomasović, Josip Bratulić, Ante Stamać, Tonko Maroević and Pavao Pavličić. Their works testify to the enduring interest of Croatian culture in Dante's work and to the different ways of interpreting it.

The collection is given special value by authors who have marked Croatian humanities and literary studies. Petar Skok was one of the most important Croatian novelists, Ivo Frangeš a leading literary historian, Frano Čale a top Dante scholar and translator, while Tonko Maroević and Pavao Pavličić are among the most influential contemporary Croatian writers and essayists. Their contributions show how Dante has inspired Croatian intellectuals from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day.

The collection represents a valuable overview of the Croatian dialogue with one of the greatest European poets. In addition to serving as a source for studying Dante's oeuvre, the book testifies to the deep involvement of Croatian literature in the European cultural tradition and confirms the importance of Dante in Croatian literary and cultural history.