Ivano Dionigi, born in Pesaro and based in Bologna, worked as
researcher and lecturer at the University of Bologna until 1990,
when he was appointed ‘Professore Straordinario' for the chair of
Latin Literature at the Faculty of ‘Lettere' (‘Arts') of Venice
University Ca' Foscari. In 1994 he was appointed professor
(‘Professore Ordinario') in the Faculty of ‘Conservazione dei
Beni Culturali' (‘Cultural heritage') of Bologna University at
Ravenna. From 1 November 1997 he has been holding the first chair
of Latin Literature, as successor of professor Alfonso Traina, in
the Faculty of ‘Lettere e Filosofia' (‘Arts') of Bologna
University.
Dionigi's research activity touches on different realms:
classical Rome, as well as Greece, paganism and Christianity,
classical and humanistic tradition, Latin and Italian, ancient and
modern thought. Dionigi's approach to textual analysis, rooted at
first (1973-1979) in philosophical and theoretical interests (with
a particular regard for Epicureanism and Stoicism), focused then on
the study of the language and textual criticism to reaffirm the
verbal foundation of analysis and criticism. Dionigi was
particularly engaged with textual exegesis, in its different
aspects (philological, grammatical, semantic, literary), in the
early 1980s, (alongside his interest for literary models and the
genesis of thoughts), with the publication of the critical edition,
with a commentary, of Seneca's De otio (new edition,
Brescia 2007).
Lucretius' De rerum natura (of which Dionigi edited the
text and a commentary, Bur-Rizzoli 1990) was the main topic of his
research during the late 80s. Some surveys on the ‘linguistic
constants' of the poem and its influence on humanistic poetry were
systematically collected in the volume Lucrezio. Le parole e le
cose (1988, 19922, 20053) and expanded in later articles to
stress the linguistic and philosophical approach to the poem. The
same attention to linguistic details shapes the treaty on Latin
grammar Verba et res. Morfosintassi e Lessico del Latino
(1997), in which, alongside traditional grammar, the semantics of
the parts of the speech and the use of technical languages are
covered.
More recent researches tackle the reception of classical authors
in modern and contemporary Italian literature, with particular
regard to poetical translations (in particular from Lucretius) and
the history of thoughts (e.g. the idea of model, to which Dionigi
devoted a seminar at the Accademia dei Lincei in Rome).
In the last decade, a new and twofold research trend has been
explored: on the one end, the relationship between the humanities
and science, to be framed in a new paradigm of unity and
‘alliance', beyond the traditional ‘two cultures'. On the other
hand, the study of the classical tradition, aimed at widening
access to classical culture by means of the institute “La
permanenza del Classico”, which Dionigi founded in 1999 and has
supervised ever since. Among the numerous activities related to
these two spheres, the creation of a direct and systematic dialogue
between classicists and modern scientists was promoted (see the
2005 international conference Scientia rerum. La scienza di
fronte ai Classici and the ensuing volume, published by
Bur-Rizzoli, 2007) as well as the establishment of an original form
of interdisciplinary teaching, with the course Linguaggi delle
scienze e antichità classica (started in 2006 and open to
students from all faculties). Dionigi has also been promoting
classical studies to the wider audience of schools and society
through a series of lectures and public readings which have now
reached their eighth edition (www.classics.unibo.it/Permanenza
) and have proved remarkably successful (having been covered by the
national press). Through the institute ‘La permanenza del Classico'
Dionigi's activity thus pursues a didactic and a scientific aim
that blends the different ‘souls' of the classical tradition: the
Greek, the Latin, the Christian, the medieval and the humanistic
one. Alongside the activity of the institute, a series of books
devoted to the influence of the classics on different spheres of
contemporary culture has been published (by BUR-Rizzoli). This was
premiered by the 2002 volume Di fronte ai classici, which
gave rise to a widespread debate and was followed by a number of
publications by some largely influential intellectuals.
Ivano Dionigi has delivered conference papers in several Italian
and foreign universities, he is member of the editorial boards of
international journals (e.g. Eikasmos), he is co-director
of the prestigious series “Testi e Manuali per l'Insegnamento
Universitario del Latino” (Pàtron, Bologna) and member of academic
institutes and societies (Centro di Studi ciceroniani,
Accademia delle Scienze di Bologna).
