Dante Alighieri

John Ciardi

In the second part of Dante's epic poem about about the three realms of the Christian afterlife, a spiritual pilgrim is led by Virgil up the terraces of Mount Purgatory

The Purgatorio

In The Purgatorio, Dante describes his journey to the renunciation of sin, accepting his suffering in preparation for his coming into the presence of God. This brilliant translation of Dante?s canticle crystallizes the great poet?s immortal conception of the aspiring soul.

Jeni Enjaian

To start this review I must admit that I am not the biggest poetry fan. However, I appreciate epic poetry much more than poetry collections. This book falls into the former.
Unfortunately, I do not feel qualified enough to give this book a decent review mainly because it is translated into English from the original work. With poetry, the translation can be crucial. I have no easy way to judge that. That being said, the layout is quite readable. The illustrations are not too frequent. The endnotes are copious (over 100 pages.)
For those interested in reading through the classics, this is a must-read.

The Purgatorio

Reviews