The Asiatic Society will display its coveted treasure, Dante's Divine Comedy, as part of its five-day exhibition of Italian Treasures

Written in the first person, Dante's Divine Comedy tells of his journey through the three realms of the dead, lasting from the night before Good Friday to the Wednesday after Easter in the spring of 1300.

The Roman poet Virgil guides him through Hell and Purgatory; and Beatrice, Dante's ideal woman, guides him through Heaven.
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But if you thought you could walk into a bookshop and ask for a copy to read the book, widely considered as the central epic poem of Italian literature and also seen as one of the greatest works of world literature, you are so wrong.

A portrait of Dante