The Alma Mater loses one of its teachers: he died yesterday – November 3 – at the Sant’Orsola hospital Emilio Pasquini, professor emeritus of Italian literature, great expert on Dante, philologist. “A person who has given a lot as a teacher and as a scholar at national and international level”, the student recalls Gino Ruozzi.
Emilio Pasquini was 85 years old, in his prestigious curriculum he studied Dante, Guicciardini, poetry between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, which he also studied in the so-called minor poets (his essay “Le botteghe della poesia”) and then Leopardi and Montale. Dante, in particular. In a recent interview on the institution of a national day dedicated to the great poet, the Dantedì, he said: “If literature or poetic invention have meaning in this world, Dante represents the last trench for a humanity that does not resign yourself to the consumerist brutality of a globalized society “.
To Dante, who literally knew by heart, Emilio Pasquini dedicated dozens of studies and above all the masterly commented edition of the Commedia in collaboration with Quaglio (1982-1986), a point of reference for subsequent Dante editions and research. On Dante he wrote numerous books, including Dante and the figures of truth (2001), Life of Dante. Days and Works (2006), Dante’s journey. History of Comedy (2015).
A professor with a great ability to write: “He was clear, precise, lucid, he had a clear writing”, the words of Professor Ruozzi. “A profound, brilliant, creative scholar”. But above all his colleagues remember him for “his great humanity and sympathy, his rigorous and at the same time engaging way” of passing on knowledge, “the ability to direct you to study with pleasure”.
Born in Padua in 1935, graduated in Bologna in Italian Literature in 1956, Pasquini taught in high schools, then was commanded at the Italian Philology Studies Center at the Accademia della Crusca in the five-year period 1961-66; assistant professor in the Faculty of Literature and Philosophy of Bologna since 1966, he became professor of the History of the Italian language from 1968 and of Italian Language and Literature from 1971.
Has been visiting professor in numerous international universities including Perth, Los Angeles Ucla, Montréal, Yale, Oxford, Dakar, Erevan, Gent.
In the University he was director of the Department of Italian Studies for six years, until 2002, he directed “Studies and problems of textual criticism”, the magazine founded by Spongano, he chaired the Commission for language texts, he was president of the Dante Society Italian and member of the National Committee for the celebrations of the seven hundred years since the death of Dante Alighieri in 2021.
“The death of Emilio Pasquini deprives our country of a philologist and Italianist of great value who has dedicated his life to study, research and teaching”, the condolences of the Minister for Cultural Heritage and Activities and for Tourism , Dario Franceschini.
He leaves his wife Fiorella, his children Andrea and Laura. The funeral parlor will be Saturday morning – 7 November – at Sant’Orsola (9.30-11), on funeral in the afternoon (2 pm) in the church of the Annunziata in Porta San Mamolo.
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