Come and learn about Dante’s multifaceted genius and his epic journey through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. George Ferzoco’s richly illustrated lecture will feature some unforgettable episodes of Dante’s journey, whether it is witnessing the tortures of Hell or the transcendent beauty of the upward journey to Paradise. Let George be your guide, and hear why popes and poets recommend, not only to Catholics but to everyone, why people should read Dante and be transported by his Divine Comedy. This otherworldly pilgrimage is an inspiration, to the mind and to the spirit, for all of us to have hope in all that we do, even – or especially – in difficult times. In our own modest ways, we can make our lives a divine comedy!

George Ferzoco is Adjunct Senior Instructor at the University of Calgary’s Department of Classics and Religion, and Research Fellow at the Department of Religion and Theology at the University of Bristol (U.K.). He is an elected Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (London, U.K.) and is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Linguists. In 2021, George was invited by the University of Toronto’s Department of Italian Studies to be its Emilio Goggio Visiting Professor; commemorating the 700th anniversary of Dante’s death, he helped organize multilingual readings of Dante’s Inferno along with interviews and discussions with figures such as novelist Margaret Atwood and former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson. Most of George’s publications are on aspects of religious culture such as medieval preaching, saints’ lives, and canonization. His work has received medals from the Regional Council of Tuscany and distinctions from learned societies. George has taught and published extensively on Dante, with invitations to lecture in North America, the U.K., Ireland, France, Italy and as far as South Africa and Australia.

Copies of Dante’s Divine Comedy will be available for purchase before the lecture. 

RSVP here 

Parking will be free
Light refreshments will be provided after the presentation