“I did not die, nor did I stay alive:” The Dark Grace of Nonexistence in Inferno XXXIV

By Francis J. Caponi

In the final canto of Inferno, Dante confronts Dis, “la creatura ch’ebbe il bel sembiante” (XXXIV.18). In response, the poet declares: “Io non mori’ e non rimasi vivo; / pensa oggimai per te, s’hai fior d’ingegno, / qual io divenni, d’uno e d’altro…

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Version 1.0 - published on 23 Jun 2025

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