Sonia Gentili

Sonia Gentili is a Full Professor at Sapienza University of Rome, where she teaches in the Department of Modern Literature and Culture within the Faculty of Humanities. She has held this position since her national qualification as Professor Ordinario (Full Professor) in 2017, following her appointment as Associate Professor in 2015. Her academic career at Sapienza began in 2007 when she joined as a researcher.

Professor Gentili's research focuses on Italian literature with special emphasis on Medieval literature, Dante studies, Petrarch studies, and the reception of classical and biblical sources in Italian literary tradition. Her work explores the intersections between philosophy, particularly Aristotelian thought, and literary production from the Middle Ages through contemporary literature. She has published extensively on Dante's Convivio, the relationship between poetry and philosophy, and the reception of classical texts in Italian literary tradition.

Her scholarly work reveals a consistent interest in how philosophical concepts shape literary expression, particularly examining the transmission of Aristotelian ethics through vernacular literature. Her publications demonstrate expertise in both medieval textual analysis and modern literary criticism, with notable contributions to understanding Dante's intellectual context and the legacy of classical thought in Italian literature.

Professor Gentili has received significant recognition for her work, including:

• The 2016 Viareggio Prize for her poetry collection 'Viaggio mentre morivo'
• The 2009 Literature Prize from the Accademia dei Lincei 'Angiolo Silvio Novaro,' presented by the President of the Italian Republic

She serves in important scholarly capacities, including as a member of the Scientific Council of the Società Dantesca Italiana since 2015 and as co-director of the journal 'Studi Danteschi.' Her research activities include directing multiple funded projects, most notably 'Una biblioteca nella Firenze di Dante: i manoscritti di Santa Croce,' examining Dante's intellectual context through the manuscripts of Santa Croce.

Professor Gentili is actively engaged in the international academic community, regularly presenting at conferences across Europe and collaborating with institutions including Notre Dame University and the École Française de Rome. Her current research projects include 'Institutional censorship in Italy (1946-1989),' 'The history and manuscripts of Santa Croce: a library in Dante's Florence,' and 'The idea of poetry in the Italian Middle Ages.'