The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: Volume 3: Paradiso

About this book

Robert Durlings spirited new prose translation of the Paradiso completes his masterful rendering of the Divine Comedy. Durlings 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 Dantes 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 Durlings precise and vivid prose which captures Dantes 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. Durlings introduction explores the chief interpretive issues surrounding the Paradiso including the nature of its allegories the status in the poem of Dantes 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 Dantes ambitious style . An unusual feature is the inclusion of the text translation and commentary on one of Dantes 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 Dantes 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.