Divine Comedy by Robin Kirkpatrick

Robin Kirkpatrick’s superb translation of the most famous work of Italian literature, in a one-volume edition

The Divine Comedy describes Dante’s descent into Hell with Virgil as a guide; his ascent of Mount Purgatory and encounter with his dead love, Beatrice; and finally, his arrival in Heaven. Examining questions of faith, desire and enlightenment, the poem is a brilliantly nuanced and moving allegory of human redemption. This major translation, described by Bernard O’Donoghue as ‘likely to be the best modern version of Dante’, is published here for the first time in a single volume.

Suitable for students as well as the general reader who is coming to the great masterpiece of Italian literature for the first time, this title examines the questions of faith, desire and enlightenment, the poem is nuanced and moving allegory of human redemption.

About the Author: Dante Alighieri was born in Florence in 1265 and belonged to a noble but impoverished family. His life was divided by political duties and poetry, the most of famous of which was inspired by his meeting with Bice Portinari, whom he called Beatrice,including La Vita Nuova and The Divine Comedy. He died in Ravenna in 1321.

Robin Kirkpatrick is a poet and widely-published Dante scholar. He has taught courses on Dante’s Divine Comedy in Hong Kong, Dublin, and Cambridge where is Fellow of Robinson College and Professor of Italian and English Literatures.

29 Nov 2012
 

The Divine Comedy: Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso by Robin Kirkpatrick ISBN 9780141197494