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The New Life is the masterpiece of Dante's youth, an account of his love for Beatrice, the girl who was to become his lifelong muse, and of her tragic early death. An allegory of the soul's crisis and growth, combining prose and poetry, narrative and meditation, dreams and songs and prayers, this work of crystalline beauty and fascinating complexity has long taken its place as one of the supreme revelations in the literature of love.

The New Life is published here in the beautiful translation by the English poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti, an inspired poetic re-creation comparable to Edward Fitzgerald's Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam and a classic in its own right. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A mythic love
The 'Vita Nuova' is more than anything else a prelude to 'The Divine Comedy'. The Beatrice Dante falls in love with and longs for is on the one hand a figure unattainable, the love- goddess of courtly love. On the other hand she is to become the very essence of the spiritual and to guide Dante later through the Paradiso of the Comedy. The real figure and her life who he falls in love with truly is transformed in myth and mind to a kind of image and essence of Divine Beauty.
As with Petrarch and his Laura the love Dante writes of ' La Vita Nuova' does not somehow strike me and move me in the deepest way, and seems somehow too literary and artificial. Lines of love of Rilke and Kafka sound more authentic to me, but perhaps this is because I am apoor reader and no medievalist.
In any case this is a small classic which is prelude to a far greater one. And the real Beatrice is a small figure beside the mythic one Dante will transform into a literary immortal.

What has never been written of any other woman
Genuine romance and passion is missing from most books, either fiction or nonfiction, and I don't think I've ever come across both in such quantity as there is in "La Vita Nuova" (translation: The New Life), the unsung masterpiece of poet Dante Alighieri (who wrote the classic Divina Comedia).

It is a series of poems centering around the life-changing love of Dante for a young woman named Beatrice. The two first met when they were young children, of about eight. Dante instantly fell in love with her, but didn't really interact with her for several years. Over the years, Dante's almost supernatural love only increased in intensity, and he poured out his feelings (grief, adoration, fear) into several poems and sonnets. During an illness, he has a vision about mortality, himself, and his beloved Beatrice ("One day, inevitably, even your most gracious Beatrice must die"). Beatrice died at the age of twenty-four, and Dante committed himself to the memory of his muse.

I have never in my life read a book overflowing with such incredible love and passion as "La Vita Nuova"; it's probably the most romantic book I have ever seen. It's only a little over a hundred pages long, but it's a truly unique love story. Dante and Beatrice were never romantically involved. In fact, both of them married other people.

But Dante's love for Beatrice shows itself to be more than infatuation or crush, because it never wanes -- in fact, it grows even stronger, including Love manifested as a nobleman in one of Dante's dreams. There is no element of physicality to the passion in "La Vita Nuova"; Dante talks about how beautiful Beatrice is, but that's only a sidenote. (We don't hear of any real details about her) And Dante's grief-stricken state when Beatrice dies (of what, we're never told) leads him to deep changes in his soul, and eventually peace. (And though Beatrice died, because of Dante's love for her and her placement in the "Comedia," she has achieved a kind of immortality)

One of the noticeable things about this book is that whenever something significant happens to Dante (good, bad, or neither), he immediately writes a poem about it. Some readers may be tempted to skip over the carefully constructed poems, but they shouldn't. Even if these intrude on the story, they show what Dante was feeling more clearly than his prose.

It's impossible to read this book and come out of it jaded about love or true passion. Not the sort of stuff in pulp romance novels, but love and passion that come straight from the heart and soul, in a unique and unusual love story. Every true romantic should read this book. ... Read more

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Robert Durling's spirited new prose translation of the Paradiso completes his masterful rendering of the Divine Comedy. Durling's earlier translations of the Inferno and the Purgatorio garnered high praise, and with this superb version of the Paradiso readers can now traverse the entirety of Dante's epic poem of spiritual ascent with the guidance of one of the greatest living Italian-to-English translators.
Reunited with his beloved Beatrice in the Purgatorio, in the Paradiso the poet-narrator journeys with her through the heavenly spheres and comes to know "the state of blessed souls after death." As with the previous volumes, the original Italian and its English translation appear on facing pages. Readers will be drawn to Durling's precise and vivid prose, which captures Dante's extraordinary range of expression--from the high style of divine revelation to colloquial speech, lyrical interludes, and scornful diatribes against corrupt clergy.
This edition boasts several unique features. Durling's introduction explores the chief interpretive issues surrounding the Paradiso, including the nature of its allegories, the status in the poem of Dante's human body, and his relation to the mystical tradition. The notes at the end of each canto provide detailed commentary on historical, theological, and literary allusions, and unravel the obscurity and difficulties of Dante's ambitious style . An unusual feature is the inclusion of the text, translation, and commentary on one of Dante's chief models, the famous cosmological poem by Boethius that ends the third book of his Consolation of Philosophy.A substantial section of Additional Notes discusses myths, symbols, and themes that figure in all three cantiche of Dante's masterpiece.Finally, the volume includes a set of indexes that is unique in American editions, including Proper Names Discussed in the Notes (with thorough subheadings concerning related themes), Passages Cited in the Notes, and Words Discussed in the Notes, as well as an Index of Proper Names in the text and translation. Like the previous volumes, this final volume includes a rich series of illustrations by Robert Turner. ... Read more

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Beginning with Dante's liberation from Hell, "Purgatory" relates his ascent, accompanied by Virgil, to the Mount of Purgatory - a mountain of nine levels, formed from rock forced upwards when God threw Satan into depths of the earth. As he travels through the first seven levels, Dante observes the sinners who are waiting for their release into Paradise, and through these encounters he is himself transformed into a stronger and better man. For, it is only when he has learned from each of these levels that he can ascend to the gateway to Heaven: the Garden of Eden. The second part of one of the greatest epic poems, "Purgatory" is an enthralling Christian allegory of sin, redemption and ultimate enlightenment. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Purgation of Dante
I'd completed the first book of The Divine Comedy and had to pick up the second and third. This volume takes place in Catholic Purgatory and opens up with Dante escaping from Hell and making his way across the waters to the mountain of Purgatory. It follows Dante as he makes his way up the mountain encountering more souls who are paying the price for their sins in their now-lost lives. Dante will in essence share in these tribulations to purify himself so that he can enter Paradise.

Medieval vision of the afterlife
This was required reading for a graduate course in medieval history.Norton edition has great articles to help explain the work and is a great translation.The other great translation is by Mark Musa."The Divine Comedy" describes Dante's journey through Hell (Inferno), Purgatory (Purgatorio), and Paradise (Paradiso), guided first by the Roman epic poet Virgil and then by Beatrice, the subject of his love and another of his works, "La Vita Nuova." While the vision of Hell, the Inferno, is vivid for modern readers, the theological niceties presented in the other books require a certain amount of patience and scholarship to understand.Purgatorio, the most lyrical and human of the three, also has the most poets in it; Paradiso, the most heavily theological, has the most beautiful and ecstatic mystic passages in which Dante tries to describe what he confesses he is unable to convey (e.g., when Dante looks into the face of God: "all'alta fantasia qui mancò possa" - "at this high moment, ability failed my capacity to describe," Paradiso, XXXIII, 142).

Dante wrote the Comedy in his regional dialect.By creating a poem of epic structure and philosophic purpose, he established that the Italian language was suitable for the highest sort of expression, and simultaneously established the Tuscan dialect as the standard for Italian. In French, Italian is nicknamed la langue de Dante.Publishing in the vernacular language marked Dante as one of the first (among others such as Geoffrey Chaucer and Giovanni Boccaccio) to break from standards of publishing in only Latin or Greek (the languages of Church and antiquity).This break allowed more literature to be published for a wider audience - setting the stage for greater levels of literacy in the future.

Readers often cannot understand how such a serious work may be called a "comedy".In Dante's time, all serious scholarly works were written in Latin (a tradition that would persist for several hundred years more, until the waning years of the Enlightenment) and works written in any other language were assumed to be comedic in nature.Furthermore, the word "comedy," in the classical sense, refers to works which reflect belief in an ordered universe, in which events not only tended towards a happy or "amusing" ending, but an ending influenced by a Providential will that orders all things to an ultimate good.By this meaning of the word, the progression of Dante's pilgrim from Hell to Paradise is the paradigmatic expression of comedy, since the work begins with the pilgrim's moral confusion and ends with the vision of God.

The Divine Comedy can be described simply as an allegory: Each canto, and the episodes therein, can contain many alternate meanings.Dante's allegory, however, is more complex, and, in explaining how to read the poem (see the "Letter to Can Grande della Scala"), he outlines other levels of meaning besides the allegory (the historical, the moral, the literal, and the anagogical).The structure of the poem, likewise, is quite complex, with mathematical and numerological patterns arching throughout the work, particularly threes and nines.The poem is often lauded for its particularly human qualities: Dante's skillful delineation of the characters he encounters in Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise; his bitter denunciations of Florentine and Italian politics; and his powerful poetic imagination.Dante's use of real characters, according to Dorothy Sayers in her introduction to her translation of "L'Inferno", allows Dante the freedom of not having to involve the reader in description, and allows him to "[make] room in his poem for the discussion of a great many subjects of the utmost importance, thus widening its range and increasing its variety."

Dante called the poem "Comedy" (the adjective "Divine" added later in the 16th century) because poems in the ancient world were classified as High ("Tragedy") or Low ("Comedy"). Low poems had happy endings and were of everyday or vulgar subjects, while High poems were for more serious matters. Dante was one of the first in the Middle Ages to write of a serious subject, the Redemption of man, in the low and vulgar Italian language and not the Latin language as one might expect for such a serious topic.

Paradiso
After an initial ascension (Canto I), Beatrice guides Dante through the nine spheres of Heaven. These are concentric and spherical, similar to Aristotelian and Ptolemaic cosmology.Dante admits that the vision of heaven he receives is the one that his human eyes permit him to see. Thus, the vision of heaven found in the Cantos is Dante's own personal vision, ambiguous in its true construction.The addition of a moral dimension means that a soul that has reached Paradise stops at the level applicable to it.Souls are allotted to the point of heaven that fits with their human ability to love God.Thus, there is a heavenly hierarchy. All parts of heaven are accessible to the heavenly soul.That is to say all experience God but there is a hierarchy in the sense that some souls are more spiritually developed than others.This is not determined by time or learning as such but by their proximity to God (how much they allow themselves to experience him above other things).It must be remembered in Dante's schema that all souls in Heaven are on some level always in contact with God.

Recommended reading for anyone interested in literature and medieval history.

A stint in Purgatorio
"And I shall sing about that second realm/where man's soul goes to purify itself/and become worthy to ascend to heaven..."

Having finished his tour of hell and its residents, Dante Alighieri turns his attention to a more cheerful (if less juicy) supernatural realm. "Purgatorio" is less famous than its predecessor, but it's still a beautiful piece of work that explores the mindset not of the damned, but of sinners who are undergoing a divine cleansing -- beautiful, hopeful and a little sad.

Outside of Hell, Dante and Virgil encounter a small boat piloted by an angel and filled with human souls -- and unlike the damned, they're eager to find "the mountain." And as Hell had circles of damnation, Purgatory has terraces that the redeemable souls climb on their way towards Heaven, and none of the people there will leave their terrace until they are cleansed.

And the sins that are cleansed here are the seven deadly ones: the proud, the envious, the wrathful, the greedy, the lazy, the gluttonous, and the lustful. But as Dante moves slowly through the terraces, he finds himself gaining a new tour guide as he approaches Heaven...

I'll say this openly: the second part of the "Divine Comedy" is simply not as deliciously entertaining as "Inferno" -- it was kind of fun to see Dante skewering the corrupt people of his time, and describing the sort of grotesque punishments they merited. But while not as fun, "Purgatorio" is a more transcendent, hopeful kind of story since all the souls there will eventually be cleansed and make their way to Heaven.

As a result, "Purgatorio" is filled with a kind of eager anticipation -- there's flowers, stars, dancing, angelic ferrymen, mythic Grecian rivers and an army of souls who are all-too-eager to get to Purgatory so their purification can start. Alighieri's timeless poetry has a silken quality, from beginning to end ("Here let death's poetry arise to life!/O Muses sacrosanct whose liege I am/and let Calliope rise up and play") and it's crammed with classical references and Christian symbolism (the Sun's part in advancing the soiled souls).

And the trip through Purgatory seems to have a strong effect on Dante's self-insert, who appears less repulsed and more fascinated by what he sees there. It's hard not to feel sorry for him when the paternal Virgil exits the Comedy, but at least he has someone else appears to guide him.

The middle part of the Divine Comedy isn't as juicy as "Inferno," but the beauty of Dante Alighieri's writing makes up for it."Purgatorio" is a must read... and then on to Paradise.

The notes illuminate Dante's message.
This translation is a "must" for anyone who thought they couldn't comprehend the Divine Comedy.I recommend purchasing the 3 volume set.

Dante Musa Style
Mark Musa has produced an extremely readable translation of a text that at times can be next to inaccessible.As a non-Dante scholar, I have struggled with other translations.The notes accompanying each canto also are well done:thorough and very illuminating.Musa's deft pen has turned Purgatory into a pleasure. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here!"
"Midway life's journey I was made aware/that I had strayed into a dark forest..." Those eerie words open the first cantica of Dante Alighieri's "Inferno," the most famous part of the legendary Divina Comedia. But the stuff going on here is anything but divine, as Dante explores the metaphorical and supernatural horrors of the inferno.

The date is Good Friday of the year 1300, and Dante is lost in a creepy dark forest, being assaulted by a trio of beasts who symbolize his own sins. But suddenly he is rescued ("Not man; man I once was") by the legendary poet Virgil, who takes the despondent Dante under his wing -- and down into Hell.

But this isn't a straightforward hell of flames and dancing devils. Instead, it's a multi-tiered carnival of horrors, where different sins are punished with different means. Opportunists are forever stung by insects, the lustful are trapped in a storm, the greedy are forced to battle against each other, and the violent lie in a river of boiling blood, are transformed into thorn bushes, and are trapped on a volcanic desert.

If nothing else makes you feel like being good, then "The Inferno" might change your mind. The author loads up his "Inferno" with every kind of disgusting, grotesque punishment that you can imagine -- and it's all wrapped up in an allegorical journey of humankind's redemption, not to mention dissing the politics of Italy and Florence.

Along with Virgil -- author of the "Aeneid" -- Dante peppered his Inferno with Greek myth and symbolism. Like the Greek underworld, different punishments await different sins; what's more, there are also appearances by harpies, centaurs, Cerberus and the god Pluto. But the sinners are mostly Dante's contemporaries, from corrupt popes to soldiers.

And Dante's skill as a writer can't be denied -- the grotesque punishments are enough to make your skin crawl ("Fixed in the slime, groan they, 'We were sullen and wroth...'"), and the grand finale is Satan himself, with legendary traitors Brutus, Cassius and Judas sitting in his mouths. (Yes, I said MOUTHS, not "mouth")

More impressive still is his ability to weave the poetry out of symbolism and allegory, without it ever seeming preachy or annoying. Even pre-hell, we have a lion, a leopard and a wolf, which symbolize different sins, and a dark forest that indicates suicidal thoughts. And the punishments themselves usually reflect the person's flaws, such as false prophets having their heads twisted around so they can only see what's behind them. Wicked sense of humor.

Dante's vivid writing and wildly imaginative "inferno" makes this the most fascinating, compelling volume of the Divine Comedy. Never fun, but always spellbinding and complicated. ... Read more

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The "Divine Comedy" was entitled by Dante himself merely "Commedia," meaning a poetic composition in a style intermediate between the sustained nobility of tragedy, and the popular tone of elegy. The word had no dramatic implication at that time, though it did involve a happy ending. The poem is the narrative of a journey down through Hell, up the mountain of Purgatory, and through the revolving heavens into the presence of God. In this aspect it belongs to the two familiar medieval literary types of the Journey and the Vision. It is also an allegory, representing under the symbolism of the stages and experiences of the journey, the history of a human soul, painfully struggling from sin through purification to the Beatific Vision. Contained in this volume is the second part of the "Divine Comedy," the "Purgatorio" or "Purgatory," from the translation of Charles Eliot Norton. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Medieval vision of the afterlife
This was required reading for a graduate course in medieval history.
"The Divine Comedy" describes Dante's journey through Hell (Inferno), Purgatory (Purgatorio), and Paradise (Paradiso), guided first by the Roman epic poet Virgil and then by Beatrice, the subject of his love and another of his works, "La Vita Nuova." While the vision of Hell, the Inferno, is vivid for modern readers, the theological niceties presented in the other books require a certain amount of patience and scholarship to understand.Purgatorio, the most lyrical and human of the three, also has the most poets in it; Paradiso, the most heavily theological, has the most beautiful and ecstatic mystic passages in which Dante tries to describe what he confesses he is unable to convey (e.g., when Dante looks into the face of God: "all'alta fantasia qui mancò possa" - "at this high moment, ability failed my capacity to describe," Paradiso, XXXIII, 142).

Dante wrote the Comedy in his regional dialect.By creating a poem of epic structure and philosophic purpose, he established that the Italian language was suitable for the highest sort of expression, and simultaneously established the Tuscan dialect as the standard for Italian. In French, Italian is nicknamed la langue de Dante.Publishing in the vernacular language marked Dante as one of the first (among others such as Geoffrey Chaucer and Giovanni Boccaccio) to break from standards of publishing in only Latin or Greek (the languages of Church and antiquity).This break allowed more literature to be published for a wider audience - setting the stage for greater levels of literacy in the future.

Readers often cannot understand how such a serious work may be called a "comedy".In Dante's time, all serious scholarly works were written in Latin (a tradition that would persist for several hundred years more, until the waning years of the Enlightenment) and works written in any other language were assumed to be comedic in nature.Furthermore, the word "comedy," in the classical sense, refers to works which reflect belief in an ordered universe, in which events not only tended towards a happy or "amusing" ending, but an ending influenced by a Providential will that orders all things to an ultimate good.By this meaning of the word, the progression of Dante's pilgrim from Hell to Paradise is the paradigmatic expression of comedy, since the work begins with the pilgrim's moral confusion and ends with the vision of God.

The Divine Comedy can be described simply as an allegory: Each canto, and the episodes therein, can contain many alternate meanings.Dante's allegory, however, is more complex, and, in explaining how to read the poem (see the "Letter to Can Grande della Scala"), he outlines other levels of meaning besides the allegory (the historical, the moral, the literal, and the anagogical).The structure of the poem, likewise, is quite complex, with mathematical and numerological patterns arching throughout the work, particularly threes and nines.The poem is often lauded for its particularly human qualities: Dante's skillful delineation of the characters he encounters in Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise; his bitter denunciations of Florentine and Italian politics; and his powerful poetic imagination.Dante's use of real characters, according to Dorothy Sayers in her introduction to her translation of "L'Inferno", allows Dante the freedom of not having to involve the reader in description, and allows him to "[make] room in his poem for the discussion of a great many subjects of the utmost importance, thus widening its range and increasing its variety."

Dante called the poem "Comedy" (the adjective "Divine" added later in the 16th century) because poems in the ancient world were classified as High ("Tragedy") or Low ("Comedy"). Low poems had happy endings and were of everyday or vulgar subjects, while High poems were for more serious matters.Dante was one of the first in the Middle Ages to write of a serious subject, the Redemption of man, in the low and vulgar Italian language and not the Latin language as one might expect for such a serious topic.

Purgatorio
Having survived the depths of Hell, Dante and Virgil ascend out of the undergloom, to the Mountain of Purgatory on the far side of the world (in Dante's time, it was believed that Hell existed underneath Jerusalem).The Mountain is on an island, the only land in the Southern Hemisphere.At the shores of Purgatory, Dante and Virgil are attracted by a musical performance by Casella, but are reprimanded by Cato, a pagan who has been placed by God as the general guardian of the approach to the mountain.The text gives no indication whether or not Cato's soul is destined for heaven: his symbolic significance has been much debated.(Cantos I and II).

Dante starts the ascent on Mount Purgatory.On the lower slopes (designated as "ante-Purgatory" by commentators) Dante meets first a group of excommunicates, detained for a period thirty times as long as their period of contumacy.Ascending higher, he encounters those too lazy to repent until shortly before death, and those who suffered violent deaths (often due to leading extremely sinful lives).These souls will be admitted to Purgatory thanks to their genuine repentance, but must wait outside for an amount of time equal to their lives on earth (Cantos III through VI).Finally, Dante is shown a beautiful valley where he sees the lately-deceased monarchs of the great nations of Europe, and a number of other persons whose devotion to public and private duties hampered their faith (Cantos VII and VIII). From this valley Dante is carried (while asleep) up to the gates of Purgatory proper (Canto IX).

The gate of Purgatory is guarded by an angel who uses the point of his sword to draw the letter "P" (signifying peccatum, sin) seven times on Dante's forehead, abjuring him to "wash you those wounds within".The angel uses two keys, gold and silver, to open the gate and warns Dante not to look back, lest he should find himself outside the gate again, symbolizing Dante having to overcome and rise above the hell that he has just left and thusly leaving his sinning ways behind him.From there, Virgil guides the pilgrim Dante through the seven terraces of Purgatory.These correspond to the seven deadly sins, each terrace purging a particular sin in an appropriate manner.Those in purgatory can leave their circle whenever they like, but essentially there is an honors system where no one leaves until they have corrected the nature within themselves that caused them to commit that sin. Souls can only move upwards and never backwards, since the intent of Purgatory is for souls to ascend towards God in Heaven, and can ascend only during daylight hours, since the light of God is the only true guidance.

Recommended reading for anyone interested in literature and medieval history.
... Read more

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In this new edition Musa views Dante's intention as one of cruel and comic commentary on the shallowness and self-pity of his protagonist, who only occasionally glimpses the true nature of love.

"... the explication de texte which accompanies [Musa's] translation is instructively novel, always admirable.... This present work offers English readers a lengthy appraisal which should figure in future scholarly discussions." -- Choice

Customer Reviews (3)

What has never been written of any other woman
Genuine romance and passion is missing from most books, either in fiction or nonfiction. So it's a rare experience to come across both in such quantity as there is in "La Vita Nuova" ("The New Life"), the unsung masterpiece of poet Dante Alighieri, author of the classic Divina Comedia. This is, simply put, an ode to his muse and love.

"La Vita Nuova" is a series of poems and anecdotes centering around the life-changing love of Dante for a young woman named Beatrice. The two first met when they were young children, of about eight. Dante instantly fell in love with her, but didn't really interact with her for several years. The two married others, but those spouses are paid no attention.

Over the years, Dante's almost supernatural love only increased in intensity, and he poured out his feelings -- grief, adoration, fear -- into several poems and sonnets. During an illness, he has a vision about mortality, himself, and his beloved Beatrice ("One day, inevitably, even your most gracious Beatrice must die"). Beatrice died at the age of twenty-four, and Dante committed himself to the memory of his muse.

It would be a hard task to find another book overflowing with such incredible love and passion as "La Vita Nuova". It's probably the most romantic book I have ever seen. It's brief and only includes one part of Dante's life overall, but it's a truly unique love story -- especially as Dante and Beatrice were never romantically involved. In fact, both of them married other people.

But Dante's love for Beatrice shows itself to be more than infatuation or crush, because it never wanes -- in fact, it grows even stronger, including Love manifested as a nobleman in one of Dante's dreams. There is no element of physicality to the passion in "La Vita Nuova" -- Dante talks about how beautiful Beatrice is, but that's only a sidenote. And Dante's grief-stricken state when Beatrice dies (of what, we're never told) leads him to deep changes in his soul, and eventually peace. And though Beatrice died, because of Dante's love for her and her placement in the "Comedia," she has achieved a kind of immortality.

One of the noticeable things about this book is that whenever something significant happens to Dante (good, bad, or neither), he immediately writes a poem about it. Apparently that was his way of dealing with his emotions. Some readers may be tempted to skip over the carefully constructed poems, but they shouldn't. Even if these intrude on the story, they show what Dante was feeling more clearly than his prose.

It's virtually impossible to read this book and come out of it jaded about love or true passion. Not the sort of stuff in pulp romance novels, but love and passion that come straight from the heart and soul, in a unique and unusual love story. Every true romantic should read this book.

La Vita Nouva is the Prelude to La Divina Commedia
Dante Alighieri's La Vita Nouva is a set of poems that is a mathematical wonder that foreshadows the coming of La Divina Commedia and is itself a work that is pattern after the FIRST CHAPTER OF GENESIS.

Scholars havepreviously looked at La Vita Nouva as a set of poems written in honor of awoman named Beatrice.Such scholarship dishonors Dante Alighieri memorybecause he himself was married and never a poem written in honor of his ownwife.Yet, we are to believe he is said to have written of a woman hebearly ever spoke to.The New Testament warning is that if you covet withyour eyes you have already sin.Scholars say Dante while submitting to theembrace of marriage he loved yet another woman.This is gross and thevilest kind of love.It not only debases him but is a continuous lie tohis wife.Are we to declare that Dante is in constant sin during this timethat he is writing La Vita Nouva and La Divina Commedia?Nay, I say thatBeatrice represented the high ideal of the Church or even to declare thatBeatrice was symbolically a representation of Dante's own soul.The lovehe speaks of is not carnal it is divine.Love of this kind never has to bepassionate to be the deepest kind of love.

The mathematics in La VitaNouva is rightly called The Vital Life because knowing is infinitelygreater than believing.

There are 31 poems with 23 of them with only 14lines and 8 of them have more than 14 lines.The #23 is reduced to 5giving off a play on the numbers 8 & 5.In La Divina Commedia Dantehas 13 base numbers ranging from 115-160.The central 5 numbers 136-148have 13 or 16 cantos collectively totaling to 71 cantos leaving the other 8base numbers to divide up the other 29 cantos.So we see that Dante usesthis device in both La Vita Nouva & La Divina Commedia.

The FirstChapter of Genesis has 31 verses as does La Vita Nouva have 31 poems.TheFirst Four Days of Creation have 17 (8) verses and the rest of the FirstChapter of Genesis has 14 (5) verses.The First Four Days of Creation areseparated from the remainder of the First Chapter of Genesis because the1st Day of Creation has 31 Hebrew words and the 2nd Day of Creation has 38. Both Days combined has 69 Hebrew words.The 3rd & 4th Days ofCreation both have 69 Hebrew Words.This pattern of 3 x 69 breaks off atthe 4th Day of Creation.The 207 words in the First Four Days of Creationhas the same value as the word LIGHT does in gemetria in the 1st Day ofCreation: "Let there be light."

The point being made here isthat those that study La Vita Nouva will grasp that there is a greater lovehere than carnal love and that that love has to do with spirituality andthe salvation of the soul.

There is of course a great deal moremathematics in Genesis, La Vita Nouva, and La Divina Commediathatcorrespond but this review was merely to point out that there is more tothe 31 poems and their commentaries in La Vita Nouva than the agony ofunrequited love.This is so perfectly clear to those that study the bookrather than reading it at the speed of summer lightning.

The power of Love can make a new life.
This is the deeply personal story of how Love changed one man's life. Scholars have tended to over-analyze the simple passion of the small book, which tells how from the age of nine (when he first saw her) Danteworshipped the beatific Beatrice. The force that the power of Love heldover him caused him to adore her even after her death, and her name hasbeen immortalized by his devotion. ... Read more

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This is The Divine Comedy - Paradiso by Dante Alighieri in it's original Italian with a line by line English Translation by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This edition has been carefully edited with an easy to use Table of Contents linking you to each Canto. Also included is a short synopsis at the end of each Canto. The original illustrations by Gustave Dore are inserted throughout. Because of the large amount of content, The Divine Comedy has been issued in 3 volumes. This is the third volumeParadiso - Paradise. All three volumes have been issued simultaneously so you can acquire the complete set.

This is a sample of the easy to read dual language format used in this issue. Dante wrote The Divine Comedy in 3 line stanzas with triple rime and this format has been maintained throughout.

1. Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita
1. Midway upon the journey of our life

2. mi ritrovai per una selva oscura
2. I found myself within a forest dark,

3. che' la diritta via era smarrita.
3. For the straightforward pathway had been lost.

4. Ahi quanto a dir qual era e` cosa dura
4. Ah me! how hard a thing it is to say

5. esta selva selvaggia e aspra e forte
5. What was this forest savage, rough, and stern,

6. che nel pensier rinova la paura!
6. Which in the very thought renews the fear.


7. Tant'e` amara che poco e` piu` morte;
7. So bitter is it, death is little more;

8. ma per trattar del ben ch'i' vi trovai,
8. But of the good to treat, which there I found,

9. diro` de l'altre cose ch'i' v'ho scorte.
9. Speak will I of the other things I saw there. ... Read more

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Publisher: London ; New York : MacmillanPublication date: 1892Notes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The Standard Edition of Dante
I want to explore what makes for a good edition of a classic work such as this. First, of course, is the value of the translation itself. Dr. Esolen's is a superior translation to the others readily available, including that by John Ciardi. I have tried numerous times to read Ciardi's rendering, wanting very much to like it, but in the end I found his rhythm forced and his efforts even at approximate rhyme unsatisfying. Simply put, his lines do not flow. By contrast, Esolen's lines not only flow, but propel the reader onward through the narrative, which is no small feat given the many places throughout the rings of Hell and along the ascent of Mount Purgatory where that attention could stall.

This would be enough to commend the translation, but there is more that makes this Modern Library a superlative edition. His introduction does an extraordinary job of explaining what Purgatory is and is not. In so doing, he has provided an invaluable aid not only to the non-Catholic reader, but likely to the Catholic reader as well, who may not have the best understanding of this wonderful aspect of life after death. Yes, I say it is wonderful based on Esolen's introduction, but I shall leave the reasons for that until another post. For the moment I will conclude by saying that based on his introduction alone, one could not help but marvel at the love of God, desire that love ever more ardently, and see in the gift of Purgatory one more expression of that love.

For such a reasonably priced and slender book, Dr. Esolen manages to include the most helpful appendices and notes. Two appendices contain selections from Aquinas that give insight into Dante's theology. One includes samples of Medieval poetry by poets whom Dante encounters. A fourth appendix includes relevant selections from the Church Fathers on Purgatory, and a fifth presents the full text of various Latin songs and prayers in translation that are sung and prayed by the souls that Dante meets.

Finally, the notes for each canto are all, but only, what a reader needs. To annotate sufficiently the vast number of contemporary references that Dante makes, to say nothing of his ancient allusions, would be a daunting task. Dr. Esolen, however, has provided the reader with just what he needs to make sense of the poem without burdening him with superfluous facts.

As with his Inferno, Dr. Esolen has produced an outstanding edition of Purgatory. In many ways it is like having a university course in Dante in the pages of a book.

Medieval vision of the afterlife
This was required reading for a graduate course in medieval history.
"The Divine Comedy" describes Dante's journey through Hell (Inferno), Purgatory (Purgatorio), and Paradise (Paradiso), guided first by the Roman epic poet Virgil and then by Beatrice, the subject of his love and another of his works, "La Vita Nuova." While the vision of Hell, the Inferno, is vivid for modern readers, the theological niceties presented in the other books require a certain amount of patience and scholarship to understand.Purgatorio, the most lyrical and human of the three, also has the most poets in it; Paradiso, the most heavily theological, has the most beautiful and ecstatic mystic passages in which Dante tries to describe what he confesses he is unable to convey (e.g., when Dante looks into the face of God: "all'alta fantasia qui mancò possa" - "at this high moment, ability failed my capacity to describe," Paradiso, XXXIII, 142).

Dante wrote the Comedy in his regional dialect.By creating a poem of epic structure and philosophic purpose, he established that the Italian language was suitable for the highest sort of expression, and simultaneously established the Tuscan dialect as the standard for Italian. In French, Italian is nicknamed la langue de Dante.Publishing in the vernacular language marked Dante as one of the first (among others such as Geoffrey Chaucer and Giovanni Boccaccio) to break from standards of publishing in only Latin or Greek (the languages of Church and antiquity).This break allowed more literature to be published for a wider audience - setting the stage for greater levels of literacy in the future.

Readers often cannot understand how such a serious work may be called a "comedy".In Dante's time, all serious scholarly works were written in Latin (a tradition that would persist for several hundred years more, until the waning years of the Enlightenment) and works written in any other language were assumed to be comedic in nature.Furthermore, the word "comedy," in the classical sense, refers to works which reflect belief in an ordered universe, in which events not only tended towards a happy or "amusing" ending, but an ending influenced by a Providential will that orders all things to an ultimate good.By this meaning of the word, the progression of Dante's pilgrim from Hell to Paradise is the paradigmatic expression of comedy, since the work begins with the pilgrim's moral confusion and ends with the vision of God.

The Divine Comedy can be described simply as an allegory: Each canto, and the episodes therein, can contain many alternate meanings.Dante's allegory, however, is more complex, and, in explaining how to read the poem (see the "Letter to Can Grande della Scala"), he outlines other levels of meaning besides the allegory (the historical, the moral, the literal, and the anagogical).The structure of the poem, likewise, is quite complex, with mathematical and numerological patterns arching throughout the work, particularly threes and nines.The poem is often lauded for its particularly human qualities: Dante's skillful delineation of the characters he encounters in Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise; his bitter denunciations of Florentine and Italian politics; and his powerful poetic imagination.Dante's use of real characters, according to Dorothy Sayers in her introduction to her translation of "L'Inferno", allows Dante the freedom of not having to involve the reader in description, and allows him to "[make] room in his poem for the discussion of a great many subjects of the utmost importance, thus widening its range and increasing its variety."

Dante called the poem "Comedy" (the adjective "Divine" added later in the 16th century) because poems in the ancient world were classified as High ("Tragedy") or Low ("Comedy"). Low poems had happy endings and were of everyday or vulgar subjects, while High poems were for more serious matters.Dante was one of the first in the Middle Ages to write of a serious subject, the Redemption of man, in the low and vulgar Italian language and not the Latin language as one might expect for such a serious topic.

Purgatorio
Having survived the depths of Hell, Dante and Virgil ascend out of the undergloom, to the Mountain of Purgatory on the far side of the world (in Dante's time, it was believed that Hell existed underneath Jerusalem).The Mountain is on an island, the only land in the Southern Hemisphere.At the shores of Purgatory, Dante and Virgil are attracted by a musical performance by Casella, but are reprimanded by Cato, a pagan who has been placed by God as the general guardian of the approach to the mountain.The text gives no indication whether or not Cato's soul is destined for heaven: his symbolic significance has been much debated.(Cantos I and II).

Dante starts the ascent on Mount Purgatory.On the lower slopes (designated as "ante-Purgatory" by commentators) Dante meets first a group of excommunicates, detained for a period thirty times as long as their period of contumacy.Ascending higher, he encounters those too lazy to repent until shortly before death, and those who suffered violent deaths (often due to leading extremely sinful lives).These souls will be admitted to Purgatory thanks to their genuine repentance, but must wait outside for an amount of time equal to their lives on earth (Cantos III through VI).Finally, Dante is shown a beautiful valley where he sees the lately-deceased monarchs of the great nations of Europe, and a number of other persons whose devotion to public and private duties hampered their faith (Cantos VII and VIII). From this valley Dante is carried (while asleep) up to the gates of Purgatory proper (Canto IX).

The gate of Purgatory is guarded by an angel who uses the point of his sword to draw the letter "P" (signifying peccatum, sin) seven times on Dante's forehead, abjuring him to "wash you those wounds within".The angel uses two keys, gold and silver, to open the gate and warns Dante not to look back, lest he should find himself outside the gate again, symbolizing Dante having to overcome and rise above the hell that he has just left and thusly leaving his sinning ways behind him.From there, Virgil guides the pilgrim Dante through the seven terraces of Purgatory.These correspond to the seven deadly sins, each terrace purging a particular sin in an appropriate manner.Those in purgatory can leave their circle whenever they like, but essentially there is an honors system where no one leaves until they have corrected the nature within themselves that caused them to commit that sin. Souls can only move upwards and never backwards, since the intent of Purgatory is for souls to ascend towards God in Heaven, and can ascend only during daylight hours, since the light of God is the only true guidance.

Recommended reading for anyone interested in literature and medieval history.
... Read more

Product Description
_The Divine Comedy_ is perhaps the greatest Christianclassic ever written, and probably the greatest adveture story evertold.Dante wrote it to entertain, guide, and enrich ordinaryreaders, not just the intellectual elite.This clear new version withunique aids makes the fascinating story accessible to such readerstoday.

Those who love Dante best as a storyteller and teacher will find inthis book what they have been waiting for...the freshest, clearest,most exact, and most readable Divine Comedy in the English language,with full-page illustrations and original notes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent Treatment of a Classic
Lindskoog does an excellent job with the translation and analysis of this book.This would be an excellent version of The Inferno for anyone not familiar with Dante's prolific use of analogy and historical reference.Irecommend this version with my full confidence that any reader will find itenjoyable and informative.

Lucid editing provides a thrilling excursion
I'm sure I must have given up on my original copy of DIVINE COMEDY after "Inferno." But the lucid editing of this edition, with abundant footnotes, make clear and easy that which I could never decipher. WithVirgil, Beatrice & Kathryn leading the way, the trip through Inferno,Purgatory & Paradise was a thrilling excursion. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Medieval vision of the afterlife
This was required reading for a graduate course in medieval history.
"The Divine Comedy" describes Dante's journey through Hell (Inferno), Purgatory (Purgatorio), and Paradise (Paradiso), guided first by the Roman epic poet Virgil and then by Beatrice, the subject of his love and another of his works, "La Vita Nuova." While the vision of Hell, the Inferno, is vivid for modern readers, the theological niceties presented in the other books require a certain amount of patience and scholarship to understand.Purgatorio, the most lyrical and human of the three, also has the most poets in it; Paradiso, the most heavily theological, has the most beautiful and ecstatic mystic passages in which Dante tries to describe what he confesses he is unable to convey (e.g., when Dante looks into the face of God: "all'alta fantasia qui mancò possa" - "at this high moment, ability failed my capacity to describe," Paradiso, XXXIII, 142).

Dante wrote the Comedy in his regional dialect.By creating a poem of epic structure and philosophic purpose, he established that the Italian language was suitable for the highest sort of expression, and simultaneously established the Tuscan dialect as the standard for Italian. In French, Italian is nicknamed la langue de Dante.Publishing in the vernacular language marked Dante as one of the first (among others such as Geoffrey Chaucer and Giovanni Boccaccio) to break from standards of publishing in only Latin or Greek (the languages of Church and antiquity).This break allowed more literature to be published for a wider audience - setting the stage for greater levels of literacy in the future.

Readers often cannot understand how such a serious work may be called a "comedy".In Dante's time, all serious scholarly works were written in Latin (a tradition that would persist for several hundred years more, until the waning years of the Enlightenment) and works written in any other language were assumed to be comedic in nature.Furthermore, the word "comedy," in the classical sense, refers to works which reflect belief in an ordered universe, in which events not only tended towards a happy or "amusing" ending, but an ending influenced by a Providential will that orders all things to an ultimate good.By this meaning of the word, the progression of Dante's pilgrim from Hell to Paradise is the paradigmatic expression of comedy, since the work begins with the pilgrim's moral confusion and ends with the vision of God.

The Divine Comedy can be described simply as an allegory: Each canto, and the episodes therein, can contain many alternate meanings.Dante's allegory, however, is more complex, and, in explaining how to read the poem (see the "Letter to Can Grande della Scala"), he outlines other levels of meaning besides the allegory (the historical, the moral, the literal, and the anagogical).The structure of the poem, likewise, is quite complex, with mathematical and numerological patterns arching throughout the work, particularly threes and nines.The poem is often lauded for its particularly human qualities: Dante's skillful delineation of the characters he encounters in Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise; his bitter denunciations of Florentine and Italian politics; and his powerful poetic imagination.Dante's use of real characters, according to Dorothy Sayers in her introduction to her translation of "L'Inferno", allows Dante the freedom of not having to involve the reader in description, and allows him to "[make] room in his poem for the discussion of a great many subjects of the utmost importance, thus widening its range and increasing its variety."

Dante called the poem "Comedy" (the adjective "Divine" added later in the 16th century) because poems in the ancient world were classified as High ("Tragedy") or Low ("Comedy"). Low poems had happy endings and were of everyday or vulgar subjects, while High poems were for more serious matters. Dante was one of the first in the Middle Ages to write of a serious subject, the Redemption of man, in the low and vulgar Italian language and not the Latin language as one might expect for such a serious topic.

Paradiso
After an initial ascension (Canto I), Beatrice guides Dante through the nine spheres of Heaven. These are concentric and spherical, similar to Aristotelian and Ptolemaic cosmology.Dante admits that the vision of heaven he receives is the one that his human eyes permit him to see. Thus, the vision of heaven found in the Cantos is Dante's own personal vision, ambiguous in its true construction.The addition of a moral dimension means that a soul that has reached Paradise stops at the level applicable to it.Souls are allotted to the point of heaven that fits with their human ability to love God.Thus, there is a heavenly hierarchy. All parts of heaven are accessible to the heavenly soul.That is to say all experience God but there is a hierarchy in the sense that some souls are more spiritually developed than others.This is not determined by time or learning as such but by their proximity to God (how much they allow themselves to experience him above other things).It must be remembered in Dante's schema that all souls in Heaven are on some level always in contact with God.

Recommended reading for anyone interested in literature and medieval history.

Difficult text, rendered well
I am not a professional Dante scholar, and in fact, speak no Italian at all, so my judgement as to the accuracy of the translation is suspect. That said, Musa does an admirable job of helping the reader understand this very difficult final third of the Divine Comedy. Of the three sections of the Comedy, my feeling is that Paradise is the least interesting, though it would be a shame to read the first two parts and neglect the third, since they all are integral to understanding what Dante was trying to accomplish. But the characters in Paradise are all literally perfect and sinless, and there is not nearly as much of interest as in the other books. There is a lot of symbolism involving what shapes the saints stand in and the like, but its all rather trying and sometimes monotonous, to me anyway. Musa is a good guide though. The translation smartly abandons any hope of recreating Rima Terza, and goes with a straight blank verse rendering. The translation is subtle and effective, even when the poem itself is slow and tedious. Despite my beliefs about Paradise, both history and personal experience tell me that Divine Comedy is an important and fulfilling part of the Western Canon that should not go neglected. I have no problem recommending Musa's version of Paradise.

Wonderful, Informative, Scary Story
My interest in classic literature did not arise until recently. I read many reviews which indicated that people with this such interest absolutely MUST read Dante's Inferno. With that hefty weight upon my "newbie" shoulders I decided to undergo the journey that so many others have made over the last 700 years.

As it turns out, Mark Musa's translation of Inferno is fantastic. Each chapter begins with a very brief but informative synopsis, followed by the prose, then finally capped off my Musa's notes on the text. Musa's notes give backgroud on all of the characters and situations that take place throughout the story. These notes are a MUST for any newcomer to Dante and classical literature in general. So, not only is there the original text in English for us non-Italian speakers, but there are notes to increase the readers comprehension.

Dante is guided by the author of the Aeneid, Virgil.Virgil takes Dante through the Nine Levels of Hell to show him the pain and suffering of all those who do not love and follow God.Dante learns a great deal on this journey as does the reader.

Mark Musa's translation of Dante is smooth, entertaining, and very informative. Anyone interested in Christianity, Hell, famous Greeks, and classical literature should definitely indulge themselves as this translation is not overwhelming in the slightest. Five stars across the board.

I understood the grace and beauty
The pilgrim's journey continues to heaven.

If you, like me, are intimidated by Dante but are interested in these great works of Western Literature, you now have an accessible translation of the Divine Comedy.Musa's translation communicates the divinity of the events in the story onan understandable level. The Divine Comedy colored my perception ofreligion and helped me to a new understanding of the harmony ofresponsibility and grace. The work also educates the reader in an enrichingway about the belief system of the middle ages.

Don't miss this book anddon't read any other translation.

Divine Comedy : Paradise
In this translation of paradise, Mark Musa exhibits the same sensitivity to language and knowledge of translation that enabled his versions of the Inferno and Purgatory to caputure the vibrant powers of Dantes poetry.Thats what it says on the back of the book and boy you couldnt have said itbetter than that.This book is by far better than the first and a perfectsequel to the secound translation.Mark Musa puts Dante's complex poetryinto plain english so that even a common student like myself canunderstand.I think anyone who likes Dantes interpretations about lifewill love this addition to his work. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Medieval vision of the afterlife
This was required reading for a graduate course in medieval history.
"The Divine Comedy" describes Dante's journey through Hell (Inferno), Purgatory (Purgatorio), and Paradise (Paradiso), guided first by the Roman epic poet Virgil and then by Beatrice, the subject of his love and another of his works, "La Vita Nuova." While the vision of Hell, the Inferno, is vivid for modern readers, the theological niceties presented in the other books require a certain amount of patience and scholarship to understand.Purgatorio, the most lyrical and human of the three, also has the most poets in it; Paradiso, the most heavily theological, has the most beautiful and ecstatic mystic passages in which Dante tries to describe what he confesses he is unable to convey (e.g., when Dante looks into the face of God: "all'alta fantasia qui mancò possa" - "at this high moment, ability failed my capacity to describe," Paradiso, XXXIII, 142).

Dante wrote the Comedy in his regional dialect.By creating a poem of epic structure and philosophic purpose, he established that the Italian language was suitable for the highest sort of expression, and simultaneously established the Tuscan dialect as the standard for Italian. In French, Italian is nicknamed la langue de Dante.Publishing in the vernacular language marked Dante as one of the first (among others such as Geoffrey Chaucer and Giovanni Boccaccio) to break from standards of publishing in only Latin or Greek (the languages of Church and antiquity).This break allowed more literature to be published for a wider audience - setting the stage for greater levels of literacy in the future.

Readers often cannot understand how such a serious work may be called a "comedy".In Dante's time, all serious scholarly works were written in Latin (a tradition that would persist for several hundred years more, until the waning years of the Enlightenment) and works written in any other language were assumed to be comedic in nature.Furthermore, the word "comedy," in the classical sense, refers to works which reflect belief in an ordered universe, in which events not only tended towards a happy or "amusing" ending, but an ending influenced by a Providential will that orders all things to an ultimate good.By this meaning of the word, the progression of Dante's pilgrim from Hell to Paradise is the paradigmatic expression of comedy, since the work begins with the pilgrim's moral confusion and ends with the vision of God.

The Divine Comedy can be described simply as an allegory: Each canto, and the episodes therein, can contain many alternate meanings.Dante's allegory, however, is more complex, and, in explaining how to read the poem (see the "Letter to Can Grande della Scala"), he outlines other levels of meaning besides the allegory (the historical, the moral, the literal, and the anagogical).The structure of the poem, likewise, is quite complex, with mathematical and numerological patterns arching throughout the work, particularly threes and nines.The poem is often lauded for its particularly human qualities: Dante's skillful delineation of the characters he encounters in Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise; his bitter denunciations of Florentine and Italian politics; and his powerful poetic imagination.Dante's use of real characters, according to Dorothy Sayers in her introduction to her translation of "L'Inferno", allows Dante the freedom of not having to involve the reader in description, and allows him to "[make] room in his poem for the discussion of a great many subjects of the utmost importance, thus widening its range and increasing its variety."

Dante called the poem "Comedy" (the adjective "Divine" added later in the 16th century) because poems in the ancient world were classified as High ("Tragedy") or Low ("Comedy"). Low poems had happy endings and were of everyday or vulgar subjects, while High poems were for more serious matters. Dante was one of the first in the Middle Ages to write of a serious subject, the Redemption of man, in the low and vulgar Italian language and not the Latin language as one might expect for such a serious topic.

Paradiso
After an initial ascension (Canto I), Beatrice guides Dante through the nine spheres of Heaven. These are concentric and spherical, similar to Aristotelian and Ptolemaic cosmology.Dante admits that the vision of heaven he receives is the one that his human eyes permit him to see. Thus, the vision of heaven found in the Cantos is Dante's own personal vision, ambiguous in its true construction.The addition of a moral dimension means that a soul that has reached Paradise stops at the level applicable to it.Souls are allotted to the point of heaven that fits with their human ability to love God.Thus, there is a heavenly hierarchy. All parts of heaven are accessible to the heavenly soul.That is to say all experience God but there is a hierarchy in the sense that some souls are more spiritually developed than others.This is not determined by time or learning as such but by their proximity to God (how much they allow themselves to experience him above other things).It must be remembered in Dante's schema that all souls in Heaven are on some level always in contact with God.

Recommended reading for anyone interested in literature and medieval history.

Difficult text, rendered well
I am not a professional Dante scholar, and in fact, speak no Italian at all, so my judgement as to the accuracy of the translation is suspect. That said, Musa does an admirable job of helping the reader understand this very difficult final third of the Divine Comedy. Of the three sections of the Comedy, my feeling is that Paradise is the least interesting, though it would be a shame to read the first two parts and neglect the third, since they all are integral to understanding what Dante was trying to accomplish. But the characters in Paradise are all literally perfect and sinless, and there is not nearly as much of interest as in the other books. There is a lot of symbolism involving what shapes the saints stand in and the like, but its all rather trying and sometimes monotonous, to me anyway. Musa is a good guide though. The translation smartly abandons any hope of recreating Rima Terza, and goes with a straight blank verse rendering. The translation is subtle and effective, even when the poem itself is slow and tedious. Despite my beliefs about Paradise, both history and personal experience tell me that Divine Comedy is an important and fulfilling part of the Western Canon that should not go neglected. I have no problem recommending Musa's version of Paradise.

Wonderful, Informative, Scary Story
My interest in classic literature did not arise until recently. I read many reviews which indicated that people with this such interest absolutely MUST read Dante's Inferno. With that hefty weight upon my "newbie" shoulders I decided to undergo the journey that so many others have made over the last 700 years.

As it turns out, Mark Musa's translation of Inferno is fantastic. Each chapter begins with a very brief but informative synopsis, followed by the prose, then finally capped off my Musa's notes on the text. Musa's notes give backgroud on all of the characters and situations that take place throughout the story. These notes are a MUST for any newcomer to Dante and classical literature in general. So, not only is there the original text in English for us non-Italian speakers, but there are notes to increase the readers comprehension.

Dante is guided by the author of the Aeneid, Virgil.Virgil takes Dante through the Nine Levels of Hell to show him the pain and suffering of all those who do not love and follow God.Dante learns a great deal on this journey as does the reader.

Mark Musa's translation of Dante is smooth, entertaining, and very informative. Anyone interested in Christianity, Hell, famous Greeks, and classical literature should definitely indulge themselves as this translation is not overwhelming in the slightest. Five stars across the board.

I understood the grace and beauty
The pilgrim's journey continues to heaven.

If you, like me, are intimidated by Dante but are interested in these great works of Western Literature, you now have an accessible translation of the Divine Comedy.Musa's translation communicates the divinity of the events in the story onan understandable level. The Divine Comedy colored my perception ofreligion and helped me to a new understanding of the harmony ofresponsibility and grace. The work also educates the reader in an enrichingway about the belief system of the middle ages.

Don't miss this book anddon't read any other translation.

Divine Comedy : Paradise
In this translation of paradise, Mark Musa exhibits the same sensitivity to language and knowledge of translation that enabled his versions of the Inferno and Purgatory to caputure the vibrant powers of Dantes poetry.Thats what it says on the back of the book and boy you couldnt have said itbetter than that.This book is by far better than the first and a perfectsequel to the secound translation.Mark Musa puts Dante's complex poetryinto plain english so that even a common student like myself canunderstand.I think anyone who likes Dantes interpretations about lifewill love this addition to his work. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Prose translations are best
As Dante accepted Virgil's offer to be his guide, please consider letting me be your guide for a moment on the subject of reading Dante's "Divine Comedy."In honor of Dante's work, I will denominate my suggestions as cantos.

Canto 1.Any prose translation is better than any verse translation.To create verse in English out of Dante's Italian verse always results in text that is, I think, too inaccurate and too difficult.

Canto 2.Read all three parts of the "Divine Comedy."Reading only "Inferno" is like seeing only the first third of Shakespeare's "The Tempest," or reading only the first third of Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment," or watching only the first third of the film "Casablanca."Dante's "Divine Comedy" has a happy ending, but you won't see it if you don't read all three parts.Dante never, ever, ever, ever imagined that people would read only "Inferno."

Canto 3.Take Professor Robert Hollander's advice, and read Dante's "Divine Comedy straight through while sitting under a tree, without consulting footnotes at all.True, you won't understand every thing.But do you understand in a Shakespeare play the first time you see it?

A Beautiful Translation and Informative Endnotes
Dante's _Inferno_ is truly one of the most fascinating and riveting epic poems of all time.This edition of the _Inferno_, translated by Durling Martinez, is wonderful, jam-packed with all sorts of extras that lend itself to study and careful examination.The Italian verse and English prose translation mirror each other on each page and Martinez's translation is extremely user-friendly, allowing the reader to get caught up in the emotion of Dante's powerful masterpiece without trying to observe the strict meter requirements of the original.

In addition to the Italian text, Martinez provides copious amounts of end notes to each Canto.The only shame is that they are presented as end notes and not as footnotes, forcing the reader to thumb back and forth frequently while reading.Many of them are so interesting and helpful that it would have been useful to be able to access them with more ease.That being said, however, once you see the size and length of the end notes, you will understand while they have been given their own section.

On top of all of the end notes, providing the historical and literary context for all of Dante's allusions, this edition also include illustrations, including one showing the organization of Hell, and sixteen short essays that focus on various aspects of the _Inferno_.At over 650 pages long, this edition is a serious one and is best used for serious study rather than a book to shove in your pocket for pleasure reading.But if you desire to delve into the _Inferno_, this edition is fantastic for its amount of scholarship and user-friendliness.I highly recommend this edition for any fan of Dante and anyone approaching the _Inferno_ for the first time.

great translation, great notes
The Durling-Martinez edition is the one used in my college Dante class. Together with their translation of Purgatorio (their edition of Paradiso apparently still in progress), the two works have great endnotes for every canto of the poem, good appendices and Purgatorio has a series of 'intercantica' notes which refer the reader to all the parallels between the two works, so you don't have to remember that the Gates of Hell and the Gates of Purgatory are found in Canto 9 of their respective works.

I wrote this review because the top reviews for this edition were all in fact for other editions, and this one definately deserves its due. It may be more expensive than Mandelbaum's paperback, but its worth it. The print is larger, the language clearer, the notes more useful. Try it out.

An Unique Perspective of Christian Hell
The Inferno of Dante Algihieri is part of a larger work known as the Divine Comedy, a set of three poems in which Dante describes his spiritual journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven.Inferno is the first part of the trilogy; in it, Dante describes his journey through Hell, escorted by the ancient Roman poet Virgil.Hell, as Dante portrays it, is divided into nine concentric circles, each one smaller and lower than the previous, and therefore forming a funnel-like shape.In each circle, the souls of persons who have committed or lived a life of a certain sin, such as gluttony, avariciousness, or fraud, are condemned to some form of eternal punishment.For example, heretics are forever entombed in burning tombs.These nine circles are further divided into three categories: incontinence, violence, and fraud.
Perhaps Inferno, and the Divine Comedy in general, has its greatest value in Dante's literary mastery.Dante's wording and use of various literary devices make the poetry of Inferno nothing short of magnificent.I am not able to read the original Italian it was written in, but for those advanced readers the original text is provided opposite each page.Furthermore, the translation by Robert Durling, used in this edition of Inferno, does its best to retain the poetic beauty for which the Divine Comedy was so famous.Unlike many other versions, there is no attempt to rhyme the lines in English, nor does Durling try to match his own literary skill to Dante's.Instead, the book is a modern prose translation; for the most part, there is a very simple vocabulary used throughout.The lines, however, are not rearranged into a more easily comprehensible form.For many readers, this may prove a slight problem, yet, after a few chapters, the flow of the poem becomes more easily understandable.
As for the piece itself, many have claimed it to be a depressing, dark tale of Dante's trip to hell, relating it more to the horror genre than any other.On the contrary, the message Dante means to convey in the poem is much more than simply terror and dismay.I, however, find Inferno's importance in its spiritual message, for Dante gives a unique perspective of sin.Unlike the traditional Christian image of sin, Dante portrays it as more of an intellectual transgression against self, fellow man, or God rather than simply a violation of traditional moral values.The punishments are considerably brutal, but Dante only uses suffering as more of a literary device than to define the gruesome details of Hell, since the punishment is usually meant to reflect the horrors of a particular sin.The book also has a deep rooting in politics, for Dante was heavily involved in the political strife between the pro-Papal and pro-Emperor parties in Italy.Therefore, a somewhat basic background knowledge of Italian Renaissance history is needed to understand some parts of the book.
Those familiar with classical mythology may find many surprises when reading the story.The evidence of Greek and Roman influence are many, yet Dante does little to keep in line with the traditional characters.Plutus, for instance, is found as a raving, dumb guardian of the circle of the avaricious.Nevertheless, Dante's variations do little to subtract from the meaning or flow of the poem, rather it only serves to enhance its eccentricity.It is obvious throughout the story that Dante cares little of keeping his image of Hell similar to conventional Western stories.For example, the center of Hell is not brutally hot and aflame, but a frozen pit of ice.Satan himself is not a quick-witted, agile devil as is the traditional image of him is, yet a humongous beast resembling more the intellect of a robot than of a man.The symbolism of these differences is quite clear: Dante has decided to redefine the Christian belief of sin and has therefore redefined the classical/Christian image of Hell.
In short, few stories survive the test of time, however, Inferno certainly deserves its 700-year history.It is a divine dissertation on a different perspective of sin embodied in the tale of a journey through Hell.For those who enjoy literary depth and meaning, every line in Inferno could be argued to contain some type of symbolism.By combining ancient Greek mythology with Christian dogma, Dante has created a fascinating depiction of one of the tenets of religious doctrine since the times of antiquity, yet not conforming to any traditional image of Hell.Needless to say, the Inferno of Dante Algihieri is a unique story written in absolutely magnificent poetic form, setting the precedent for narrational poetry in the modern era.What is more, Robert Durling does a terrific job at keeping Dante's literary genius intact while providing sufficient notes and background reading to provide the reader with their own interpretation, void of any self-bias.Despite the difficult reading, I would recommend this book to any who wish to expand their spiritual and historical knowledge.

An Engrossing and Interesting Translation
I began reading this book for a high school class, and did not finish it prior to the due date. However, this book so enthralled me that I simply had to keep reading it through the finish. Robert M. Durling & Co.'s notes proved to be very helpful in understanding the worldview with which Dante was writing. If there was ever a movie I would want to see, the Inferno would be it. I should note that I was so involved in the book that I became obsessed with death for the duration, listening to music such as Mozart's Requiem and more. I thus highly reccommend it, but discourage it for those individuals that are easily depressed. ... Read more

Product Description
fantastic and grotesque scenes depict the passion and grandeur of one of Dante’s most highly regarded works—from the depths of hell onto the mountain of purgatory and up to the empyrean realms of paradise. Includes plates produced for The Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise. Illustrations accompanied by appropriate lines from the Longfellow translation.
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Customer Reviews (19)

Vultures and spiders and Hell - o my!
Although just a man, the prolific career of Gustove Dore really has some divine inspiration. Perhaps that's one reason the church needed him so much - perhaps something really did reach out and whisper his name and someone listened. (Personally I hope that thing was Cthulhu and the dreams were bad, but that's just me)

As far as this book goes, it is one of the easiest to gain entry into a very exciting world. I like the way the rendering are set to tell the story, too, allowing the reader to walk through some frightening gates and look into some of the terrible things that are described in a language that sometimes does seem heavy (Personal opinion and I don't mean offense by it).

When I look at this, it reminds me of the journey that I took as a young adult while learning about all those names and faces that I didn't know. It also reminds me of everything from people with their bodies buried in the ground to one poor soul writhing as a half spider/half woman appeared on the ground. Dore is that kind of influence and I'm glad that someone granted me entry into this world because, if they hadn't, I would have missed out on so much. So, brielf, I have to say that this is well worth the price of admission and it is well worth obtaining so you can look at the detail and marvel at the tools being utilized.

also, look into the other books. The bible, the mad; Dore was inspired by everything. And that is inspiring, to say the least.

Excellent
Excellent book. This is a must-have for fans of Dore's work. I'm almost tempted to buy a second copy to frame a few pages.

Classic and Classical
The work by Dore is what you think of when you imagine Dante's Divine Comedy.The comments of some should be completely disregarded and the work seen for what it is; Classic work, on Classical themes, done very well.

Dore Illustrations
Book arrived in promised condition, and in a timely fashion.I would buy from this seller again.

An Excellent book for the Doré or Dante lover
The quality of this book - along with an amazingly affordable price tag - quickly persuaded me to pick up a copy. Its really everything you could ask for in an art book;

The pictures are all very big, but not overwhelming; Its easy to see minute detail, and the overall scope of the image. I actually blew up some of the prints in photoshop and printed them on huge poster paper for my room, while not sacrificing a drop of detail.

Also, I had to put quite a good deal of pressure onto the spine of the book in order to get a good scan from them, and im happy to say that doing so didn't even leave an annoying "bookmark" crease in the book, and the spine didn't even crease. Dover books really did produce a fine quality book, and the note on the back really is true: This book IS permanent.

If you have read or are reading the divine comedy this book is a great reference to glance at every now and again to truly suck you into Dante's epic poem, and bring you to the Heights of Heaven, The Depths of Hell, or the pain of purgatory in a way you could never have imagened.

The woodcuts done here by dore are so elaborate and vivid you could spend a good portion of a day just gazing into the faces of cursed souls writhing in hell, or the beauty of millions of angels soaring in the highest heaven. Dore illustrates every picture so full of movement and depth its the next best thing to a movie. ... Read more

Product Description
This splendid verse translation by AllenMandelbaum provides an entirely fresh experience ofDante's great poem of penance and hope. As Danteascends the Mount of Purgatory toward the EarthlyParadise and his beloved Beatrice, through "thatsecond kingdom in which the human soul is cleansedof sin," all the passion and suffering, poetryand philosophy are rendered with the immediacy ofa poet of our own age. With extensive notes andcommentary prepared especially for thisedition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A stint in Purgatorio
"To course across more kindly waters now/my talent's little vessel lifts her sails/leaving behind herself a sea so cruel..."

Having finished his tour of hell and its residents, Dante Alighieri turns his attention to a more cheerful (if less juicy) supernatural realm. "Purgatorio" is less famous than its predecessor, but it's still a beautiful piece of work that explores the mindset not of the damned, but of sinners who are undergoing a divine cleansing -- beautiful, hopeful and a little sad.

Outside of Hell, Dante and Virgil encounter a small boat piloted by an angel and filled with human souls -- and unlike the damned, they're eager to find "the mountain." And as Hell had circles of damnation, Purgatory has terraces that the redeemable souls climb on their way towards Heaven, and none of the people there will leave their terrace until they are cleansed.

And the sins that are cleansed here are the seven deadly ones: the proud, the envious, the wrathful, the greedy, the lazy, the gluttonous, and the lustful. But as Dante moves slowly through the terraces, he finds himself gaining a new tour guide as he approaches Heaven...

I'll say this openly: the second part of the "Divine Comedy" is simply not as deliciously entertaining as "Inferno" -- it was kind of fun to see Dante skewering the corrupt people of his time, and describing the sort of grotesque punishments they merited. But while not as fun, "Purgatorio" is a more transcendent, hopeful kind of story since all the souls there will eventually be cleansed and make their way to Heaven.

As a result, "Purgatorio" is filled with a kind of eager anticipation -- there's flowers, stars, dancing, angelic ferrymen, mythic Grecian rivers and an army of souls who are all-too-eager to get to Purgatory so their purification can start. Alighieri's timeless poetry has a silken quality, from beginning to end ("But here, since I am yours, o holy Muses/may this poem rise again from Hell's dead realm/and may Calliope rise somewhat here/accompanying my singing...") and it's crammed with classical references and Christian symbolism (the Sun's part in advancing the soiled souls).

And the trip through Purgatory seems to have a strong effect on Dante's self-insert, who appears less repulsed and more fascinated by what he sees there. It's hard not to feel sorry for him when the paternal Virgil exits the Comedy, but at least he has someone else appears to guide him.

The middle part of the Divine Comedy isn't as juicy as "Inferno," but the beauty of Dante Alighieri's writing makes up for it."Purgatorio" is a must read... and then on to Paradise.

Noted poet/scholar Allen Mandelbaum's moving, faithful (inexpensive!) translation
I've read THE DIVINE COMEDY in the original Italian and I highly recommend poet and scholar Allen Mandelbaum's acclaimed (facing page) translation (in 3 inexpensive mass-market paperbacks from Bantam: Inferno (Bantam Classics): 0553213393 / Purgatorio (Bantam Classics): 055321344X / Paradiso (Bantam Classics): 0553212044). Originally published in hardcover by the University of California Press, these free-verse English works carry the melancholic tone and the humanity of the original more faithfully than several other translations I've read. The maps/charts/notes for these mass market paperbacks are excellent (if relatively brief) and will likely satisfy the reader with a general interest in World Literature.

There is no end of commentary out there, extending back to Dante's own time (700 years worth!). Many Italian Studies professors lament that Dante's most famous work gets duller with each volume. I disagree, in part. Though the INFERNO is undoubtedly the most dramatic, I believe that the PURGATORY is the most satisfying, because it is so recognizably human. The PARADISE is not my favorite as I've never been enthusiastic about theology, though the PARADISE (and THE DIVINE COMEDY in toto) may be best appreciated as a microcosm of medieval European thought. One must also appreciate the difficult conditions under which this masterpiece was composed -- in exile -- no doubt a much more trying experience in early 14th century "Italy" than in our time. You don't have to agree with Dante to admire him and his art. The man suffered, and you can feel it. I believe the intensity of feeling in the poem is, in part, what distinguishes it from many other well-known epic poems which demonstrate more artifice than humanity.

N.B.: Mandelbaum's complete translation of THE DIVINE COMEDY is also available in a single-volume, portable cloth-hardcover edition, though the single-volume is in English with no facing-page original Italian (and with notes by Peter Armour): Everyman's Library, ISBN 0679433139. The Divine Comedy: Inferno; Purgatorio; Paradiso (Everyman's Library)
If you find you love Mandelbaum's translation and Barry Moser's haunting ink-wash illustrations, you can search for the original (bilingual) editions from the Univ. of CA Press.

If you're looking for a different translation of The Divine Comedy, many scholars agree that the following free-verse English-language versions are currently the pick of the crop (and also more expensive than the Mandelbaum/Bantam Classics):

Robert Durling's INFERNO and PURGATORIO translations with excellent, brief notes (and beautiful maps and cover illustrations) -- Oxford Univ. Press. Durling is currently working on his translation of the PARADISO;

Charles S. Singleton's scholarly translation/notes for the Inferno/Purgatory/Paradise are expensive (though you might find inexpensive used copies), and probably best appreciated by Dante aficionados -- Princeton Univ. Press;

At this time I have not yet read the recent translations by the Hollanders, which are said to be fantastic. I believe much of the praise is for the accompanying notes which condense Hollander's voluminous knowledge. I've read some of the notes and they are very impressive. Robert Hollander is another esteemed Dante scholar.

Dedicated students of Dante will want to check out Princeton's online Dante database (the Princeton Dante Project [PDP] and Dartmouth College's online Dante database, the Dartmouth Dante Project [DDP], both directed by Robert Hollander.

If you're looking for an attempt at capturing the rhyme of the original Italian (terza rima), a Norton Critical Edition of Michael Palma's rhyming translation of the Inferno (Norton Critical Editions) (edited by Giuseppe Mazzotta) is available (ISBN-10: 039397796X ; ISBN-13: 9780393977967). The NCE is loaded with great supplementary material (annotation, backgrounds, criticism, etc.).

Other attempts at capturing the Dante's rhyme scheme: Longfellow (edited by the Bondanellas of Indiana Univ.), Dorothy Sayers or Laurence Binyon (L.B.'s is out-of-print but available through used booksellers).

John A. Scott's UNDERSTANDING DANTE (The William and Katherine Devers Series in Dante Studies) may be the best and most comprehensive one-volume guide in English to Dante Alighieri and his work. I've read much on Dante and found it fascinating and highly informative--but more significantly, it's been highly praised by a number of notables in the field. ISBN-10: 0268044511.

The Best Translation for the Student of Italian
There are two things that set this edition of Dante's
Purgatorio apart. The first is the evocative 1982 translation
by Allen Mandelbaum. The Italian government itself has
showered prizes on Mandelbaum and indeed, from an Italian
perspective this is also the best translation available. It
has a fidelity to the Italian that is all the more jealously
guarded because, for modern Italian speakers, Dante's
14th contury language is not so remote.

The second is that the original Italian text is supplied
side by side with the translation. For the student of Italian
or any non-native speaker, this is an arrangement that
facilitates the appreciation of the lyricism of the original
because you are not distracted by the only slightly archaic
language.

Mandelbaum's notes are illuminating and the illustrations by
Barry Moser are inventive and evocative masterpieces.

When the Italian comedian Robert Benigni visited the U.S.
to accept his Oscars for La Vita e Bella, the story was that
the only person he wanted to meet was the famed Dantista,
Allen Mandelbaum.


--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINEand
the novel bang BANG. ISBN 9781601640005

Medieval vision of the afterlife
This was required reading for a graduate course in medieval history.
"The Divine Comedy" describes Dante's journey through Hell (Inferno), Purgatory (Purgatorio), and Paradise (Paradiso), guided first by the Roman epic poet Virgil and then by Beatrice, the subject of his love and another of his works, "La Vita Nuova." While the vision of Hell, the Inferno, is vivid for modern readers, the theological niceties presented in the other books require a certain amount of patience and scholarship to understand.Purgatorio, the most lyrical and human of the three, also has the most poets in it; Paradiso, the most heavily theological, has the most beautiful and ecstatic mystic passages in which Dante tries to describe what he confesses he is unable to convey (e.g., when Dante looks into the face of God: "all'alta fantasia qui mancò possa" - "at this high moment, ability failed my capacity to describe," Paradiso, XXXIII, 142).

Dante wrote the Comedy in his regional dialect.By creating a poem of epic structure and philosophic purpose, he established that the Italian language was suitable for the highest sort of expression, and simultaneously established the Tuscan dialect as the standard for Italian. In French, Italian is nicknamed la langue de Dante.Publishing in the vernacular language marked Dante as one of the first (among others such as Geoffrey Chaucer and Giovanni Boccaccio) to break from standards of publishing in only Latin or Greek (the languages of Church and antiquity).This break allowed more literature to be published for a wider audience - setting the stage for greater levels of literacy in the future.

Readers often cannot understand how such a serious work may be called a "comedy".In Dante's time, all serious scholarly works were written in Latin (a tradition that would persist for several hundred years more, until the waning years of the Enlightenment) and works written in any other language were assumed to be comedic in nature.Furthermore, the word "comedy," in the classical sense, refers to works which reflect belief in an ordered universe, in which events not only tended towards a happy or "amusing" ending, but an ending influenced by a Providential will that orders all things to an ultimate good.By this meaning of the word, the progression of Dante's pilgrim from Hell to Paradise is the paradigmatic expression of comedy, since the work begins with the pilgrim's moral confusion and ends with the vision of God.

The Divine Comedy can be described simply as an allegory: Each canto, and the episodes therein, can contain many alternate meanings.Dante's allegory, however, is more complex, and, in explaining how to read the poem (see the "Letter to Can Grande della Scala"), he outlines other levels of meaning besides the allegory (the historical, the moral, the literal, and the anagogical).The structure of the poem, likewise, is quite complex, with mathematical and numerological patterns arching throughout the work, particularly threes and nines.The poem is often lauded for its particularly human qualities: Dante's skillful delineation of the characters he encounters in Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise; his bitter denunciations of Florentine and Italian politics; and his powerful poetic imagination.Dante's use of real characters, according to Dorothy Sayers in her introduction to her translation of "L'Inferno", allows Dante the freedom of not having to involve the reader in description, and allows him to "[make] room in his poem for the discussion of a great many subjects of the utmost importance, thus widening its range and increasing its variety."

Dante called the poem "Comedy" (the adjective "Divine" added later in the 16th century) because poems in the ancient world were classified as High ("Tragedy") or Low ("Comedy"). Low poems had happy endings and were of everyday or vulgar subjects, while High poems were for more serious matters.Dante was one of the first in the Middle Ages to write of a serious subject, the Redemption of man, in the low and vulgar Italian language and not the Latin language as one might expect for such a serious topic.

Purgatorio
Having survived the depths of Hell, Dante and Virgil ascend out of the undergloom, to the Mountain of Purgatory on the far side of the world (in Dante's time, it was believed that Hell existed underneath Jerusalem).The Mountain is on an island, the only land in the Southern Hemisphere.At the shores of Purgatory, Dante and Virgil are attracted by a musical performance by Casella, but are reprimanded by Cato, a pagan who has been placed by God as the general guardian of the approach to the mountain.The text gives no indication whether or not Cato's soul is destined for heaven: his symbolic significance has been much debated.(Cantos I and II).

Dante starts the ascent on Mount Purgatory.On the lower slopes (designated as "ante-Purgatory" by commentators) Dante meets first a group of excommunicates, detained for a period thirty times as long as their period of contumacy.Ascending higher, he encounters those too lazy to repent until shortly before death, and those who suffered violent deaths (often due to leading extremely sinful lives).These souls will be admitted to Purgatory thanks to their genuine repentance, but must wait outside for an amount of time equal to their lives on earth (Cantos III through VI).Finally, Dante is shown a beautiful valley where he sees the lately-deceased monarchs of the great nations of Europe, and a number of other persons whose devotion to public and private duties hampered their faith (Cantos VII and VIII). From this valley Dante is carried (while asleep) up to the gates of Purgatory proper (Canto IX).

The gate of Purgatory is guarded by an angel who uses the point of his sword to draw the letter "P" (signifying peccatum, sin) seven times on Dante's forehead, abjuring him to "wash you those wounds within".The angel uses two keys, gold and silver, to open the gate and warns Dante not to look back, lest he should find himself outside the gate again, symbolizing Dante having to overcome and rise above the hell that he has just left and thusly leaving his sinning ways behind him.From there, Virgil guides the pilgrim Dante through the seven terraces of Purgatory.These correspond to the seven deadly sins, each terrace purging a particular sin in an appropriate manner.Those in purgatory can leave their circle whenever they like, but essentially there is an honors system where no one leaves until they have corrected the nature within themselves that caused them to commit that sin. Souls can only move upwards and never backwards, since the intent of Purgatory is for souls to ascend towards God in Heaven, and can ascend only during daylight hours, since the light of God is the only true guidance.

Recommended reading for anyone interested in literature and medieval history.

Another Classic Masterfully Translated
The second of three books that compose the Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri's "Purgatorio" is a continuation of his epic Cantos.Having seen Satan with their own eyes, Dante and Virgil once again breathe fresh air as they surface through an opening in a cliff.Their adventure then carries them to the mountain island of Purgatory where Dante hears tales of woe and sees some familiar faces, all the while drawing nearer to his beloved Beatrice.

Often overlooked as the middle story, Purgatorio is, in its own rights, a classic.It would be my recommendation, however, to read it in order so as not to confuse yourself and to miss out on any of the important events that occur.

What makes this edition so special is the wonderful translation done by Allen Mandelbaum.The notes that are provided make understanding not only the language but the plot and its nuances much easier and consequently much more enjoyable.This is easily the best version on the market today for the casual reader. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great book, but don't be fooled by the price
First things first.I bought this book on campus during my days in college.This book is listed by the publisher as $10.00, not $50.00.Unless the pages and the cover are lined with gold, I would bargain for the actual price.

[...]

Anyway, I bought this earlier version because Pinsky is one of the literary greats, being a former U.S. Poet Laureate.I also never knew him to be an Italian translator (He really does the translation.It says so in the book.).Arnaldo Mondadori provides Pinsky with the original manuscript.They work so well and so hard to put this great book together.

If one is familiar with the work, then they understand the story that interlaces with it.It is one thing to read it in English, but it is much more special and enticing when one reads it in comparison to its original language. The Italian manuscript is much more beautiful, especially when it is written aloud.You get a very good grasp of the sound behind the poetry.

Inferno is written in a poetic style that barely compares to modern poetry, where end rhymes tend to be frowned upon.The whole work is an epic poem designed in terza rima form, as 3-line stanzas.The first and third line in the stanza rhyme together.The middle line carries into the next stanza and continues on, and the cycle repeats itself.

For example, A-B-A, B-C-B, C-D-C, ... etc.The canto (poetic chapter) in this literary opus ends with a one line stanza, rhyming with the second line from the last stanza.

If you are a student of poetry (or a casual reader of it), and one wants to know what old-school formalist poetry is like, then one must have this edition on your book rack.Compare this style of poetry to other poetic forms, like sonnets from Petrarch and Shakespeare.Contrast these styles to free-verse, like Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass or works by Maya Angelou, and you will get a better understanding and appreciation for such diversities in poetry.

... Read more

Product Description

This new critical edition, including Mark Musa's classic translation, provides students with a clear, readable verse translation accompanied by ten innovative interpretations of Dante's masterpiece.

Customer Reviews (5)

It only makes sense
Look, you can buy Mark Musa's translation of Inferno and notes from Penguin The Divine Comedy: Volume 1: Inferno (Penguin Classics)and that's all you get. Or you can buy this book, get the same translation and notes with a festschrift (a collection of scholarly essays written to honor Musa (Musa even offers one himself)). I think that's worth the extra three bucks plus its a handsomer book. Plus, Musa blank verse is very good. While you're at it, you could also look at my bookDante's Journey: A Field Guide to the Infernal Regions

Mark Musa knows his stuff ! ! !
Oh my Wow! Musa's translation is like sooo the best I've ever read.Inferno is like wine em dine em 69em! lol

Do not take this journey through hell without Musa.
The Inferno is a record of Dante the Pilgrim's first trip through hell.It was Virgil's second.This was my fifth trip through the Inferno, and having Musa along for the ride made it wonderful.Whether this is your first time through or not, you ought to have this critical edition as your guide.As another reviewer noted, Musa isn't nearly as fettered by the rhyme scheme as translators like John Ciardi and Robert Pinsky.Even Ciardi apologizes often for his liberties in the name of rhyme.Musa has gorgeous footnotes on lines that Pinsky and Ciardi neglect for the rhyme.If you have the great fortune to teach the Inferno, it makes great sense, of course to have multiple translations before you, but Musa's critical edition will be the most weathered edition in the end.Your students will gain a great understanding of the importance at looking at multiple sources as well.

for a translation, High Fidelity is the Sound of Poetry
Musa is a scholar, not a poet, at least not professionally.But the authenticities of his translation's thunder, juices, epiphanies, and whiffs would indicate that scholarship makes a successful move to a new languagemore probable than do poetic gifts.Dante, now, was a poet.The infiniteriches of his simple simple lines glow from each line of Musa's.While theessential deep love for the poem glows from each line of his commentary. Pinsky, a very good poet, spent his powers on reproducing the virtuallyunreproducible--the never-ending aba bcb cdc terza rima rhyme scheme.Andhe did an expert job.But the poetry is the loser.It's in the back seat,trying to stay awake.The real surprise is how careless Pinsky's rhythmsare.Musa's pound right along-a fairly consistent, and unobtrusive, iambicpentameter.Dante, of course, rhymes and rhymes and rhymes, but always toprofoundest purpose.(It is said he wrote three lines a day.The deeperone goes into the Commedia the easier it is to believe this.)What rhymeswith what was clearly something Dante cared a lot about.Take Inferno 34,34-39.Dante's final six words (and I should point out that my Italian isvery limited) for these six lines are: UGLY, EYEBROW, SORROW/ WONDER, HEAD,RED.Pinsky's are: beautiful, brows, well/ was, head, this.Musa's: foul,Maker, him/ up, faces, red.The parallels the rhymes convey, as I see it,are these. Lucifer, now UGLY, is the source of the world's SORROW.(Musafaithfully pairs "foul" and "all grief should spring fromhim." Pinsky pairs "beautiful" (reversing Dante's carefulsequence of beautiful to ugly) with "then all sorrow may well"which depends on the next line to mean anything, which sort of weakens theparallel:Like saying 1 plus 1 = 1.2 and uh oh another eight tenths.)Andthe second parallel: Lucifer, whose fall to hell began with the raising ofan insolent EYEBROW, has become hideous, a three-headed WONDER.Frombeautiful to UGLY, from the happiness of Eden to a world of SORROW.Musa's"Maker"/"looked up" is admittedly not terrific. Pinsky's "brows"/"How great a marvel it was" is moresuccessful.But compare the two translations' net impact.If you saw whatDante saw, and he was very much writing so that you would, which set oflines below would better convey your reaction?

"If he was truly onceas beautiful / As he is ugly now, and raised his brows / Againsthis Maker--than all sorrow may well /

Come out of him.How great amarvel it was / For me to see three faces on his head: / In frontthere was a red one; joined to this, /

. . . "

"If he wasonce as fair as now he's foul / and dared to raise his brows againsthis Maker, / it is fitting that all grief should spring from him. /

Oh, how amazed I was when I looked up / and saw a head--one headwearing three faces! / One was in front (and that was a brightred)."

A Masterpiece
The Inferno is a book that everybody should read (if they can even read). Mark Musa translates Dante's original pros. into a cloak wheel which is very easy for almost anybody understand. Thepoetry is lost(as with anytranslation), but the story Dante will tell shall live forever. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
Rediscovered in a manuscript of the Roman de la Rose in 1881, the Fiore comprises a cycle of 232 sonnets tracing the adventures, misfortunes, and triumph of the lover in his pursuit of the rose, all this representing a version of the archetypal text of Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun, and preserving in full the brilliance of the original in its ample recourse to irony and parody. The 'internal signature' of the poem straightaway gave rise to speculation as to the possibility of the poem's belonging to Dante. The present edition, which reproduces the now received text of Gianfranco Contini, offers in parallel to this a diplomatic transcription of the sole MS in which the poem survives (Montpellier, Bibliotheque universitaire H438), as well as a lively English translation and three sets of critical and historical apparatus (ecdotic, literary and historical, and interpretative). The detailed introduction provides an account of the historical and linguistic aspects of the text as well as a discussion of its meaning and significance responsive to developments in the sphere of Rose criticism proper. There is a full, up-to-date bibliography, glossary, table of references from the Fio ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Sweet
There were no problems with the seller or the product. Would recommend purchasing from this seller.

Terrific way to read the Inferno
This parallel-text edition gives the Italian alongside Sinclair's translation, which is prose but gives you a close understanding of the Italian.The footnotes are helpful without overburdening the reader, and each canto ends with some good expatiatory commentary on each canto.This makes for a very nice reading of the piece for the general reader.

Modern trends
The Inferno is a timeless classic that continues to inspire young authors. I recently ran a cross a modern version of the book,, A Journey to hell and Back by Charlotte Johnson, based on one individuals modern journey through hell in the Z-shop.It is intriguing to read both books and discuss the modern use of metaphors and allegory with classic literature.It is alos a good way to keep teenagers interested in classical literature. I have included this book introduction to show the parallel structures.

Journey To Hell and Back
By Charlotte Johnson
Journey To Hell and Back is a gripping saga of a young woman's journey from adolescence to adulthood at an accelerated pace. This book is an exploration of a troubled teen's journey into the underworld to emerge as an independent, confident, and self-assured woman. Pitfalls, tragedy, and trials that lure a young honor student into the mean streets of Atlanta and finally, New York mark the story. Her journey to hell led her through a fiery furnace that burned 70 % of her body with 2nd and 3rd degree burns, and an over three months hospital stay where God provided personal consolation and healing. After God miraculously saved her from a life in the streets heaped with sin, her zeal for God resulted in her making additional mistakes, including renewing the abusive relationship that had almost cost her life.
The story is a modern day version of Dante's Inferno. Each layer of Hell corresponds with a new low in the protagonist's life. Finally, from within the very bowels of Hell, she cries out to the Lord for salvation.This spiritual epiphany becomes a turning point in her life, thrusting her forward from Hell. The tremendous suffering and miraculous ending of this book will offer hope and comfort for anyone suffering from loneliness, heartache, or disappointment. It provides a realistic and human perspective on many social topics such as teenage rebellion and pregnancy, domestic violence, divorce, AIDS, substance abuse, prostitution, and the legal system. It is a necessity for anyone who has been a part or will work with any of these populations.

Dante/Sinclair - A marriage made in heaven... (Or hell ?:)
La Commedia Divina is one of the cornerstones in litterature, and Sinclair's translation is, hands down, STILL the Primus Inter Pares of English translations of Dante Alighieri's work of genious. Sinclair's translation is based on even older source-material than Giorgio Petrocchi, but instead of trying to "get artistic" with Dante's original Terza Rima's, he stick to easily understood prose backed up with lots of elaborate notes, invaluable in understanding Dante's work fully.

Be sure to get the "Purgatorio" and "Paradisio" volumes too; they are equally essential.

"The divine comedy" is such a grand piece of work that it deserves to be read in different translations, but for God's sake, make the Sinclair version one of them... ...A good alternative is the Mark Musa translation.

Another good idea is to get the book "The Dore Illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy", because, to me at least, the imagery of Doré has become an integral part in fully appreciating the medieval way of thinking, portraited in Dante's Comedy.

"La Commedia Divina" has had such an impact on me, that I at some point actually considered learning Italian to get the full splendour out of Dante's poetry... ...Well, there's still time...

Dante Translation Difficulties
Dante's Comedy is one of the three or four must-reads if you want to gain an understanding of mediaeval thought & culture. The problem is that Dante's Italian--because of the rhyme scheme & stanza structure--is simply not translatable into English. Our languagedoes not have enough rhymes avilable to use the same pattern as Dante, or anything like it. Many have tried--Longfellow, Sayers, Pinsky--& all have failed to some extent or other. Sinclair's prose translationtries to show you what Dante says, without trying to imitate his poetic structure.This, unfortunately, may be the best & only way to get a good feeling for the content & meaning of this remarkable work. Highly recommended--but if you're really interested in pursuing this further, try to learn some Italian. ... Read more