A UALR professor will discuss Brunetto Latini, the 13th-century poet and mentor to famed Italian scholar, Dante, during special programing on public radio station KUAR 89.1 FM.

Dr. Michael Kleine will offer his insight during Arts & Letters, an original production of KUAR that celebrates the arts, humanities and social sciences of the University District.
The show will air at noon Saturday, May 10, and at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 13.

Kleine is a professor in the UALR Department of Rhetoric and Writing. His book “Searching for Latini,” describes his own academic quest to introduce the scholar to an American audience.

He argues that Latini lays the groundwork for Dante’s best known piece, “The Inferno.” Inferno is Italian for hell. The book is the first part of Dante’s epic poem “The Divine Comedy,” about the journey of the soul towards God.

“The Inferno” places a character named Latini among the sodomites in Hell, although Dante shows him affection and respect during their encounter.

“What we learn in the program is that Latini is so much more than a Dante character. He is considered by Italian scholars to be one of the most influential rhetoricians. Yet, in the U.S., he remains relatively unknown,” says show host Dr. J. Bradley Minnick, associate dean of UALR’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

“Kleine’s thoughtful scholarship attempts to rescue the classical rhetorician Latini if not from the depths of Dante’s hell, at least out of academic obscurity,” Minnick says.

The show will also feature the music of local artists Laura and Micah Sukany and Frank Thurmond on guitar. Contributors to the program include international Latini scholar Dr. Julia Bolton Holloway of Florence, writer Amy Kleine, and UALR professor Jeremy Ecke. KUAR’s Chris Hickey, writer Heather Hummel, and UALR English Instructor Frank Thurmond are also included in the production.

For more information or to schedule interviews with Kleine or Minnick, please contact KUAR at 501.569.8485.