Hollander to be honored in Italy

Princeton professor emeritus Robert Hollander will be honored with a Gold Florin award by the city of Florence, Italy, on May 30 for his translation of Dante Alighieri's "The Divine Comedy." Hollander will share the honor with his wife, Jean, with whom he collaborated.

Hollander, a professor of European literature and French and Italian emeritus, retired in 2003 after more than 40 years on the Princeton faculty. A 1955 Princeton alumnus, Hollander specializes in medieval Italian literature and is one of the world's foremost Dante scholars. He served as president of the Dante Society of America from 1979 to 1985. He also founded the Dartmouth Dante Project, an online database of the text and commentaries on "The Divine Comedy," and the Princeton Dante Project, an online multimedia version of the epic poem.

The city of Florence presents the Gold Florin every three years to honor a translation of Dante. The celebration includes an elaborate ceremony in the Palazzo Vecchio, followed by a parade through the streets, led by Florentines in 14th-century regalia.