The Dante Lesson in Fuyumi Soryo’s “Cesare: Il creatore che ha distrutto”

This study examines the treatment of Dante’s Divine Comedy in a graphic novel by the female Japanese mangaka (manga artist), Fuyumi Soryo—Cesare: Il creatore che ha distrutto (2005-present). The manga focuses on the Renaissance condottiere, Cesare Borgia. Soryo collaborates with Motoaki Hara, an Associate Professor in the School of Cultural and Social Studies in the Department of European and American Studies at Tokai University, who specializes in medieval and Renaissance Italy. One chapter, Divine Comedy, features a lesson delivered by the eminent Renaissance commentator, Cristoforo Landino on Inf. 33. Among the students are Cesare Borgia and Giovanni de’ Medici (future Leo X), both of whom who were actually at the University of Pisa together in the late 1400s. Landino’s lecture generates lively debates on civic responsibility and leadership. My analysis considers western and eastern readings of this unusually rich chapter. While there have been scholarly studies of Gō Nagai’s Dante Shinkyoku (Divine Comedy), there have been none of Soryo’s work. The Divine Comedy chapter warrants attention for its inventive, innovative, and bold treatment of the Ugolino episode.

Keywords: Dante, Manga, Fuyumi Soryo, Cristoforo Landino