Teodolinda Barolini

Teodolinda Barolini is the Lorenzo Da Ponte Professor of Italian and Director of Graduate Studies at Columbia University. She holds dual academic appointments and has served as Chair of the Department of Italian (1992–2004, 2011–2014) and President of the Dante Society of America (1997–2003). Her research focuses on medieval Italian literature, classical reception, and Dante studies. She earned her B.A. in Classics from Sarah Lawrence College (1972), and her M.A. (1973) and Ph.D. (1978) in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.

Barolini’s scholarly work includes groundbreaking studies on Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio, with a focus on textual analysis and historical context. Her notable publications include Dante’s Poets: Textuality and Truth in the ‘Comedy’ (1984) and The Undivine Comedy: Detheologizing Dante (1992). She is Editor-in-Chief of Digital Dante, a pioneering digital platform for Dante scholarship, and author of the Commento Baroliniano, the first digital commentary on the Divine Comedy.

Her honors include membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei (Italy’s National Academy), and the Medieval Academy of America. She teaches courses on Dante, medieval lyric poetry, and Boccaccio’s Decameron, blending scholarly rigor with accessibility for students.