Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘In the Hand of Dante‘ intertwines the story of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri with that of contemporary writer Nick Tosches from Newark. In one timeline, we follow Dante’s journey as he writes the poem that would immortalize him. In the other timeline, we follow Nick, who is hired by a mobster to find and authenticate the original manuscript of Dante’s ‘The Divine Comedy.’ While there is a sense of spirituality about Dante’s journey, Nick’s storyline is more brutal and violent. What makes it more interesting is that the character shares the name with a well-known American author. SPOILERS AHEAD.
In the Hand of Dante Presents a Fictionalized Version of the Man Who Wrote It
‘In the Hand of Dante’ adapts the 2002 novel of the same name by Nick Tosches, who integrated a fictional version of himself into the storyline. The author was born in Newark, New Jersey, and got into writing at a young age. He turned it into his profession at the age of 19. In the early 70s, he worked as a music journalist, writing for magazines like Creem, Fusion, Circus, and Rolling Stone. He authored his first book in 1982, a biography of Jerry Lee Lewis titled ‘Hellfire.’ He also wrote books about Sonny Liston and Dean Martin, as well as gangsters like Arnold Rothstein and Michele Sindona (who is also mentioned in the movie when the protagonist talks about writing ‘Power on Earth’). He also wrote several poetry and fiction books, with his last work being the 2015 novel, ‘Under Tiberius.’
Tosches revealed that he had always been fascinated by Dante and had dreamed of writing a book about him. He said that it was while lying on a semi-deserted island beach that he was struck with the idea of combining Dante’s story with that of a contemporary writer. He noted that this fictional approach would allow him to write what he wanted while also marketing his book as sellable and profitable for his publishers. While the story is fictional, the author rooted it in reality. Regarding Dante, he delved into research to the point that he felt he knew everything there was to know about his subject. Reportedly, he studied ancient manuscripts and received training in medieval Latin.
The author sought out experts on the subject and found and read rare texts that allowed him a keen understanding of Dante and his poem. He is said to have even found and studied a Hebrew transliteration of the text, which is considered the oldest known version of the poem, given that there is no known original manuscript directly attributed to Dante. As for the contemporary writer, he knew he was going to write the story from the first person, so it made sense that he created the character in his own image. He used his own backstory to create a skeleton for the Nick Tosches we meet in the book. However, the events that unfold in the story and certain other background details were entirely made up.
The Author and the Actor Created Their Own Versions of the Fictional Nick
In the movie, Nick reveals he killed a boy when he was young, and later, he gets involved with criminals who kill people left and right. In real life, Tosches was not known to have killed anyone at any age, and he was not known to have worked with any criminal gangs either. However, he did write two biographies of gangsters, and the research for them would have given him insights he likely used in his fiction book. Another important part of Nick’s fictional story is his romance with a woman named Giulietta. In real life, Tosches was known to have been briefly married to a woman named Sunny. They didn’t have any children, and after they got divorced, the author is not known to have married anyone else. He died on October 20, 2019, at the age of 69, at his home in Manhattan, following an unknown illness.
When Julian Schnabel decided to adapt the book for the screen, he decided to lean into Dante and Nick’s parallel by giving them the same face. Oscar Isaac plays both characters in different timelines, establishing a connection that borders on the idea of reincarnation. Knowing he was going to play a version of the author of the film’s source material, the actor researched by reading the book and listening to Tosches’ poetry recordings. He also studied Dante’s ‘The Divine Comedy’ and said that he would have its three English translations and the original Italian by his side every night during filming, along with Tosches’ book and recordings. With this, he wanted to present his own take on the character whose fictional roots tie him to two real-life authors in interesting ways.
Read More: Where Was In the Hand of Dante Filmed?
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