Vyacheslav Ivanov and Dante Alighieri, although six centuries apart in time and representatives of completely different cultures, are linked by a surprising inner affinity of spirit. Both were poets of an intellectual and philosophical cast of mind who sought to interpret their experience and art in the light of a religious world-view. Both tried to relate the events and cultural trends of their time to a wider spiritual perspective; Dante's world was medieval Florence, Ivanov's world was early twentieth-century Russia. Ivanov was aware of this affinity and felt strongly drawn to Dante throughout his life-time. This study uses a comparative approach to explore Ivanov's perception of Dante as a way of reaching a deeper understanding of the creative method of a leading Russian Symbolist.

The research for this study could not have been undertaken without the support of several institutions. While studying at St Antony's College, Oxford (1976–9), I received a series of scholarships from the British Council which made it possible for me to spend over a year working in the state literary archives of Moscow and Leningrad. My subsequent tenure of a travelling research fellowship at The Queen's College, Oxford (1979–81), enabled me to make further research trips to the Soviet Union, to America to participate in the first international symposium on Ivanov at Yale University, and to Rome to work in the poet's archive. Further grants from the University of Birmingham (1981–4) and the University of Surrey (1984–7) made it possible for me to take part in the second and third symposia, held at the Universities of Rome and Pavia in 1983 and 1986.