Omas and the Dante Alighieri Society present “Dante Alighieri”, a limited edition of pens dedicated to the Italian ‘Supreme Poet’. Dante is known as the Father of the Italian Language: you can find Omas’ tribute to him at Giardino.it.
“Midway upon the journey of our life
I found myself within a forest dark,
For the straightforward pathway had been lost.”
Inferno, Canto I, The Divine Comedy
From Latin to the vernacular language
Dante is thought to have been born in 1265, in Florence.
Back then, Italy as we know it didn’t exist: after the fall of the Roman Empire, the Italian peninsula was a cluster of manors contended by squires. People in different towns spoke different languages, while Latin – the language of the Romans – remained the language of scholars and writers.
We are aware of a few exceptions to this rule, one being the Veronese Riddle.
This was found as a side note on the margin of a parchment, written in late Vulgar Latin. The note was the transcription of a popular riddle in the Middle Ages by a Christian monk from the city of Verona, Northern Italy.
Such a note is considered to be the first document ever written in the Italian language.
Dante’s Comedy: a language revolution
Dante’s Comedy started a language revolution: no one ever before had written a piece of fiction in any other language than Latin. Dante not only put the vernacular language into writing, but – with his Comedy – also codified the oral tradition. He set a standard in writing that would later be regarded as a reference for grammar and lexicon. He also introduced a number of common expressions still in use today.
The Comedy was not only an incredible piece of satire, a tale that ridiculed depravation and vices of the rich: it was also the foundation of the Italian language.
Inferno, a place where we all have been
Dante’s Comedy is an unmatched piece of literature for several reasons: we could think of it as a trilogy – Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise. One hundred chapters tell the story of a dream, whose main character is Dante himself.
The Comedy is a story depicting the highs and lows of human nature. It’s the story of a man’s soul that has gone astray: walking his path to salvation, he descends into the Inferno (the Italian word for ‘hell’).
Round after round, he faces his worst fears with the help of a mentor – poet Virgil, and leaves Inferno behind. He then arrives to a place that is neither good nor bad: Purgatory. This is a grey limbo, a place were the soul uncomfortably waits for something to happen. In his struggle for understanding, he finally learns that love is the key to positive change.
Dante’s soul can now ascend to Paradise, a place where the most sublime of human feelings can be experienced.
The three stages depicted by Dante are universal. This is the story that every human being goes through, sooner or later in life: feeling lost, longing for something to happen, and, eventually, overcoming the situation through the selfless acts inspired by love.
Dante’s message is powerful and timeless. His writing has changed the history of a nation.
Dante Alighieri by Omas: a pen to honor the ‘Supreme Poet’
2015 sees two important anniversaries: 750 years since Dante’s birth and 90 years since Omas was founded.
To celebrate this double anniversary, Omas has issued a limited edition of 575 fountain pens and 175 roller pens (totaling 750) dedicated to Dante Alighieri and his Comedy.
Dante Alighieri by Omas features a cylindrical barrel of vermeil (silver 925‰, gold plated) and solid – black cotton resin.
The cap’s clip is shaped in the form of a feather, the most common handwriting tool in Dante’s time.
The cap’s ring is sculpted with the first three lines of Dante’s Inferno (Canto I):
“Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita
mi ritrovai per una selva oscura,
ché la diritta via era smarrita”
meaning that Dante, at the age of 33 – half the life span of a man in the Middle Ages – finds himself astray in a dark forest, after losing his way.
The cap also features a laurel wreath – an honor reserved for poets. The anniversary is also expressed here in Roman numerals, while the backs displays Dante’s face and the pen’s number.
The nib is 18 Kt gold and bears the incision of the letter D (for Dante) in Gothic font.
Further details of this incredible pen can be found in Giardino Italiano’s website: Dante Alighieri by Omas comes in a handmade black wooden box that reproduces an ancient desk.
This is a meaningful pen for a meaningful occasion: to miss it, would be hell.