Purgatory - Paperback

by Dante Alighieri (Author), Anthony Esolen (Translator), Gustave Dore (Illustrator)

A new translation by Anthony Esolen
Illustrations by Gustave Dor

Written in the fourteenth century by Italian poet and philosopher Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy is arguably the greatest epic poem of all time--presenting Dante's brilliant vision of the three realms of Christian afterlife: Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise. In this second and perhaps most imaginative part of his masterwork, Dante struggles up the terraces of Mount Purgatory, still guided by Virgil, in a continuation of his difficult ascent to purity. Anthony Esolen's acclaimed translation of Inferno, Princeton professor James Richardson said, "follows Dante through all his spectacular range, commanding where he is commanding, wrestling, as he does, with the density and darkness in language and in the soul. It is living writing." This edition of Purgatory includes an appendix of key sources and extensive endnotes--an invaluable guide for both general readers and students.

Front Jacket

A new translation by Anthony Esolen
Illustrations by Gustave Dore
Includes an appendix of key sources and extensive endnotes
Arguably the greatest single poem ever written, The Divine Comedy presents Dante Alighieri's all-encompassing vision of the three realms of Christian afterlife. In this groundbreaking new translation of Dante's most brilliant, imaginative creation, Purgatory, Dante struggles up the terraces of Mount Purgatory, still guided by Virgil, in continuation of his difficult ascent to purity.

Author Biography

Anthony Esolen is a professor of English at Providence College. He is the author of Peppers, a book of poetry, and his translations include Lucretius's De rerum natura and Torquato Tasso's Gerusalemme liberata, along with Dante's Inferno and Paradise, published by the Modern Library.