I recently read Paradiso, the epic poem written by Dante. Actually, this is part three of Divine Comedy that began with Inferno and Purgatorio. I should indicate that I have not read those first two sections.
This was written by Dante Alighieri in Italian, in the fourteenth century. It is a masterpiece that explores aspects of theology, history and politics.
I will say that reading poetry is not easy for me and reading Dante is especially difficult. Dante’s poetry blends Scripture, Roman Catholic theology, philosophy, history, classical literature, and contemporary events. It assumes a very educated and well-read reader.
The version I read was Paradiso, translated by Robert and Jean Hollander. This translation includes the Italian on the left and the English on the right. It also includes lengthy commentary, which I found especially helpful. There was much in the commentary that I never caught when I just read the poem.
While a challenging read, it is an influential work and provides great insight into what was happening in the fourteenth century and the state of Roman Catholic thought. It is also beautifully written, if hard to understand.
