The Divine Comedy (5): Dante Alighieri (Chartwell Classics) - Tapa dura

Comprised of three books -  Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso  - Dante's  Divine Comedy  follows Dante Alighieri's epic poems follows Dante through the different sections of the afterlife; hell, purgatory, and heaven.

Divine Comedy began as a project in 1308 and ended in 1320, the year before Dante's death. Told in first person, Dante follows the poet Virgil through the rings of hell and purgatory. TheDivine Comedy  is a highly allegorical text and renowned as one of the most influential Italian masterpieces in literature.

This classic translation by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) was the first to be published by an American author and is a staple in every library. With this accurate and eloquent translation, the beauty of Dante's amazing epic poetry can be fully appreciated. Inspiration to a slew or popular authors and poets, Divine Comedy is well remembered and Gustave Dore's illustrations bring Dante's masterpiece to life.

John Lotherington has written widely on Renaissance literature and history, including co-authored surveys of sixteenth-century Europe, Years of Renewal, and sixteenth-century England, The Tudor Years.  He is at present a Program Director at the Salzburg Global Seminar.