With the recent release of Dan Brown’s latest novel, Inferno, The Guardian’s Nick Lezard discusses in this article ten important facts about Dante, emphasizing  his relevance for modern day writers and Italian speakers especially.

Elaborating on fact number five, which states that Dante “more or less invented the Italian language,” Lezard writes:

“OK, this is a bit of an exaggeration, but in his day there was no country-wide language – rather, several dialects.  This is still pretty much the case today, but the reason Italian is the way it is is largely because Dante decided to write his poem in his beloved Tuscan dialect, rather than in Latin.”

If you can speak some Italian, or are currently learning the language, can you identify any dialects in addition to Tuscan?  If you’ve signed up for GLN’s Italian Foreigner class this summer, it may be an interesting question for your teacher.

Albrecht Dürer, Self-portrait (1484). Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia commons

The National Gallery of Art is currently featuring an exhibit of the German artist Albrecht Dürer, widely regarded as the most important artist of the Northern Renaissance.  The exhibit, on display through June 9th, features a large number of works on loan from the Albertina Museum in Vienna.  Home to the the most renowned Dürer collection in the world, the Albertina’s contributions to this exhibit make it the largest display of Dürer’s artwork to be shown in the US in over forty years.

From the National Gallery of Art website:

“Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) has long been considered the greatest German artist, uniquely combining the status held in Italian art by Michelangelo in the sixteenth century, by Raphael in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and by Leonardo da Vinci in our own day.

While Dürer’s paintings were prized, his most influential works were his drawings, watercolors, engravings, and woodcuts.  They were executed with his distinctively northern sense of refined precision and exquisite craftsmanship.”

For further reading on this exhibit, the Washington City Paper and The New York Review of Books both have articles discussing this collection, as well as the historical significance of Dürer’s artwork.

Photo courtesy of Moyan_Brenn

The Bantu have a word for it: “ Bilita Mpash.”

If you’ve ever had a relationship that feels like “reheated cabbage,” felt the irresistible urge to squeeze something cute, or wanted a name for the people who loiter in coffee shops but don’t spend any money, There are languages out there for that have words for them all.

One of the many reasons to learn a new language is to find the perfect word. If you’re curious about which language any of these words belong to, read all 38 Wonderful Foreign Words We Could Use in English.

Click the picture to see the full gallery of grandmas and their cooking, from Riverboom’s Gabriele Galimberti.

Everyone has a special dish that reminds them of home. It’s the ultimate “comfort food,” especially when it’s something you’ve been eating your whole life, and it’s made by a beloved family member.

What better way is there to experience different cultures than by experiencing these dishes as prepared by grandmothers around the world? One photographer, Gabriele Galimberti, set out to do exactly that. Click on the picture above to see the full gallery.

In the Germany version of the Office, Stromberg is played by Christoph Maria Herbst. Photo courtesy of the BBC.

Tonight marks the series finale of the US version of “the Office” after 9 seasons. You may have known it started with a version in the UK. But did you know it spread worldwide?

Versions around the world include:

• “Le Bureau” (France)
• “Stromberg” (Germany)
• “La Job (French-Canadian)
• “La Ofis” (Chilean)
• “המשרד” (Israeli)
• “Kontoret” (Swedish)

The foibles and frustrations of office life are more universal than you might think! Check out this BBC article about all the different versions around the world.

Which version of “the Office” was your favorite? And which versions could you watch without subtitles?

Sure, it’s refreshing, but did you that gelato’s history dates back to the 16th Century?  Italy Magazine offers a bilingual summary of the history of this classic treat .  Click on the photo above to access the article.