I am so glad for the Divine Comedy and Decameron group for providing the structure and encouragement which provided the impetus for my finally reading this classic! I am also very pleased that I decided to read John Ciardi's translation as his synopsis and notes added immeasurably to my reading.

While personally I found Dante's travel's through Hell occasionally difficult, the Purgatorio and Paradiso (except for the first few scholarly cantos) flowed with beautiful poetry. And through it all, Dante maintained his amazing, and consistent, vision.

No wonder this has stood the test of time.

Five stars is not enough. Many stars for this poet of stellar dimensions.

UPDATE

https://publicdomainreview.org/collec...


UPDATE

https://www.ancient-origins.net/histo...


UPDATE

https://europeanconservative.com/arti...

Having a surfeit of time with which to listen to audiobooks since starting my new job, I decided that I might as well revisit this old classic. The recording was a good one—featuring musical interludes in between each canto—and so I prepared myself for some Christian epicness. But now, having finished, I’m somewhat disappointed.

I know that the fault is not Dante’s (well, at least not mainly his fault), since I liked the poem so much the first time. I would suggest that it was because I listened to it rather than read it, but that hasn’t prevented my enjoyment of anything else. It could be the translation. The version used in the audiobook was decidedly inferior to the Longfellow translation I originally read—being more prosaic and modern. But the strange thing was that Dante, stripped of his poetic trappings and presented as a story, became petty.

Yes: there is a current of extraordinary pettiness that runs through The Divine Comedy. With the bitterness of an exile, Dante puts all of his political enemies in Hell, all of his allies in Purgatory or Heaven. To a modern reader this may seem merely natural. But consider: he is attempting a narrative that seeks to integrate all human and divine knowledge—to integrate both pagan and Christian art forms—and Dante still can’t help taking jabs at his foes.

Also stunning is his arrogance. Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven notwithstanding, the only thing supernatural about this poem is Dante’s ego. He could have made anyone the hero: St. Thomas Aquinas, Charlemagne, St. Augustine. But he chose himself. Dante is Dante’s own hero. How could the man—who had never done anything extraordinary in his life—venture to portray himself as such a favorite of God that he would be led up to the highest sphere of Heaven itself? What’s more, he sets Beatrice—the woman he lusted after—nearly on a level with the Virgin Mary! Just think about that for a second. Throughout the entire poem Dante is presuming to know the Mind of God. What profounder blasphemy can be committed by a poet? It’s absurd, really.

But I bet I would have a similarly disappointed reaction to a modernized and simplified version of Shakespeare. Poetry without the poetry is paltry. And who am I—who is writing an internet book review on one of the greatest poems of all time—to judge another for being arrogant?

Plumbing the crucible of happenstance.

I should give a quick intro and say that I rarely EVER, EVER re-read a book. I should also mention that 3 years ago I had never cracked Dante's Divine Comedy. Now, I am finishing the Divine Comedy for the 3rd time. I've read Pinsky's translation of the Inferno. I've read Ciardi. I've flirted with Mandelbaum and danced with Hollander, but from Canto 1 of Inferno/Hell to Canto XXXIII of Paradiso/Heaven, I can't say I've read a better version than the Clive James translation. He replaced the terza rima (**A-B-A, B-C-B, C-D-C, D-E-D-E-E** a measure hard to write without poetic stretch marks in English) with the quatrain, and in doing so made the English translation his own. It gives the Divine Comedy the verbal energy and the poetry that makes inferior translations a slog and makes Dante so damn difficult to translate well. A mediocre translation might capture the stripes but lose the tiger. Clive James pulled off a master translation of one of the greatest works of art in any medium -- ever.

FINALLY. I have finally read this book till the end! I wished I would have read this book while going to school. Since Dante has included so many well-known fiction and non-fiction figures from his time, it was hard to follow each poem because I had to look up and memorize which figure was where out of which reason. Thankfully, the book version had a comprehensive introduction explaining the background of Dante and added additional remarks to names mentioned in the poems itself.

As mentioned in one of my previous reviews, I don't know poems well but with this book, I understood the charming effect of this literature form. The vocabulary, the atmosphere and the relationship of Dante and the other characters were beautifully used to create a capturing voyage through hell and paradise. I can't imagine what a genius Dante must have been to create such a master piece.
I wished I could read this in the original language. It doesn't matter how well a translation is done, the aura of the book gets lost to some extent after translating.

ریویوی دوزخ:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

ریویوی برزخ:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

ریویوی بهشت:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Everything it is to be a human being is brought to form and consequence within a single structure that makes The Divine Comedy the most massive metaphor of western culture." —From the Introduction

"Midway in our life's journey, I went astray
from the straight road and woke to find myself
alone in a dark wood . . ."
—Inferno, Canto I, 1-3

I first heard those words from Don Draper in the trailer for the opening episode of Mad Men*'s sixth Season, when it first aired in 2013 . . .

Fast forward 4 years.

I'd been putting off reading The Divine Comedy because I knew that I would have to spend a couple of hours deciding on a translation †. When I finally decided to, I had that rendering of the first Canto in mind that I had heard on Mad Men, but I didn't know if it actually existed, or if someone on the show had taken an artistic liberty and changed an existing translation.

I began comparing: I found Longfellow hard to follow; Mendelbaum flat. Finally, I came across Ciardi's translation. I loved it. Not just the opening of the first Canto, but the whole of the first Canto, and some other parts that I compared. For me, it strikes a perfect balance between readability and poetic melody.

__________
The edition that I read includes an Introduction, 13 diagrams, a short summary of the Canto at the start of each one, and 1-5 pages of Ciardi's extremely helpful, insightful, and at times, humorous notes‡, at the end of each Canto.

I had read that Dante's magnum opus was very dense, and included lots of references, and use of literary techniques such as symbolism, allegory &c., but I didn't think to check if various editions included notes when I was ordering a copy.

I was lucky.

In my opinion, even if you know your scripture, church doctrine &c. inside out, know the topography of Italy better than your home country, and have a good knowledge of ancient history, you will still want a copy with notes for your first reading.

The density is astounding, definitely the densest poem that I have read, and could definitely contend with, for example, Ulysses & The Sound and The Fury on this front.

But Ciardi guides you through with a gentle hand, unravelling this masterwork with precision, diligence, and detail.

When I was reading, I read the helpful summary (which includes some details like scene, and characters) first, then the actual Canto, then browsed the notes at my leisure. I didn't have a meticulous interest in the biblical references, so I only read enough of those notes to get a general understanding of the Canto in terms of the biblical references, and I also got a bit burned-out with the topological & historical Italian references that Dante was making, so again I didn't read all of these. But I read fully most of the other notes. These include textual information, notes on the translation (such as liberties he took), and literary explanations.

The notes were detailed, and helped me to appreciate the complete genius of Dante infinitely more than if I had not consulted any notes. And again, this is something that I would absolutely recommend a first-time reader should do if they don't want to get lost and confused, and risk lack of understanding and boredom on Dante's divine journey.

__________
Like most people. I enjoyed the Inferno the most. Purgatory and Paradise I did enjoy, but to a lesser extent. But this mainly comes down to the subject matter. I do have a small interest in, but am not familiar with, church doctrine, scripture &c. at all. But you don't need this knowledge to appreciate Dante's literary genius on all fronts.

n  "Dante must be read attentively: mind will reveal itself only to mind. But Dante is not difficult to read. It is true that he writes in depth and on many simultaneous levels. Yet his language is usually simple and straightforward. If the gold of Dante runs deep, it must also rise to the surface. A lifetime of reading cannot mine all that gold; yet enough lies on the surface, or only an inch below, to make a first reading a bonanza in itself. All one needs are some suggestions as to what to look for. Thereafter, one need only follow the vein as it goes deeper and deeper. One must, to begin with, think allegorically."n

__________

A few quotes:

There are always those
who measure worth by popular acclaim,
ignoring principles of art and reason
—Purgatory, XXVI 120-122

. . .within a cloud of flowers
that rose like fountains from the angel's hands
and fell about in showers
—Purgatory, XXX, 28

. . . and it lost Paradise by the same deed.
Nor could they be regained . . .
—Paradise, VII, 87

And now, that every wish be granted you
I turn back to explain a certain passage,
that you may understand it as I do.
—Paradise, VII, 121

Here I concede defeat. No poet known,
comic or tragic, challenged by his theme
to show his power, was ever more outdone
—Paradise, XXX, 22

That he may experience all while yet alive
—Inferno XXVIII, 48

The instant I had come upon the sill
of my second age and crossed and
changed my life
—Purgatory XXX 124-125

. . . with fruits of paradise.
—Paradise XI, 123

So many streams of happiness flow down
into my mind that it grows self-delighting
—Paradise XVI, 19-20

I have learned much that would, were it
retold,
offend the taste of many alive today.
—Paradise XVII, 116-117

. . . sees far beyond
the furthest limits
—Paradise XIX, 56-57

. . . for though he learns
the sweet life, he has known the bitter
way.
—Paradise XX, 47-48

The name of that Sweet Flower to which I pray
morning and night, seized all my soul and moved it
—Paradise XXIII, 88-89

Into the gold of that rose that blooms eternal
—Paradise XXX, 124

. . . the two eternal roots of this our rose
—Paradise XXXII, 120

. . . to this flower of timeless beauty.
—Paradise XXXII, 126

__________
* One of the best shows (part of my 'holy trinity') which, like Dante, is very dense, and uses lots of literary techniques which most viewers do not even realise, mistaking the show for a soap-opera with lots of adultery and nothing particularly deep to say. I have watched it multiple times, and have read multiple articles on each episode which delve fully into the literary techniques that Mad Men uses, and even after multiple viewings and reading multiple articles, I still have original views and insights on most episodes. Here is a website which links various reviews for each episode by season if I have piqued your interest. If you want to avoid information overload, Todd VanDerWerff, Alan Sepinwall, and Andrew Johnston are the most incisive and perceptive critics.
http://tiredandboredwithmyself.com/th...

† Personally, when it comes to poetry, I think that the poetic form of the author should be preserved as much as possible, and so I did not consider any literal translations.

This short article discusses and compares four different translations by Zapulla, Mendelbaum, Hollander, and Ciardi.
http://poems.com/special_features/pro...

‡ Here are some excerpts from Ciardi's notes to Paradise:

"Few readers will have remembered the point Dante left open in those lines, but Dante seems never to forget. To read him is to experience mind in extraordinary order."
-Note to XX

". . . though had he done so he would have found himself prophesying the end of the world within fairly tight limits, a prophecy Dante wisely chose not to utter. Poetry is, among other things, the art of knowing what to leave out."
-Note to XX

"The art of juxtaposing details in a way that constantly gives scale to an all-containing system of values is one of the marvels of Dante's genius."
-Note to XXIII

"The Muses gave suck to the poets, thereby transmitting to them the powers of song. How these virgin sisters maintained their milk supply is one more item to be filed among the sacred mysteries."
-Note to XXIII

"Adam declares that his whole sojourn in the Terrestrial Paradise was six hours (and perhaps part of the seventh). . . . Half an allegorical day is about as long as any man can stay innocent."
-Note to XXVI

But even Ciardi, one or twice, has to bow before the Genius of Dante:

n  ". . . Such questions must be referred to a quality of revelation unknown to footnotes."n

YouTube kanalımda Dante'nin kitaplarından ve İlahi Komedya'nın nasıl okunması gerektiğinden bahsettim:
https://youtu.be/qY11mC3P_e0

"Yaşam yolumuzun ortasında
karanlık bir ormanda buldum kendimi,
çünkü doğru yol gitmişti.
Ah, içimdeki korkuyu
tazeleyen, balta girmemiş o sarp, güçlü
ormanı anlatabilmek ne zor!" (s. 35)

https://i.ibb.co/kmFt6KP/1.jpg

Derken bir ormanda buldum kendimi ben de Dante gibi. Yürüyordum. Belki de Dante'nin ilk kez 9 yaşındayken gördüğü Beatrice'e dediği gibi, ben de kimsenin kimse için yazmamış olduğu şeyleri Goodreads'e yazabilmek için yürüyordum.

https://i.ibb.co/xHrxYkD/2.jpg

O anda beklenmedik bir şey oldu. Karşıma Vergilius'un Aeneas kitabı çıkmıştı. Nasıl olduğunu anlamadım. Bu ormanda, sadece ölülerin bulunduğu bu diyarda bir kitabın ne işi olabilirdi?

https://i.ibb.co/McVgQTn/3.jpg

Bana şöyle dedi Aeneas: Seni cehennem, araf ve cennetten önceki son durağa götüreceğim Oğuz, gel. Dünyevi zevklerden hiçbirinin anlamının artık kalmadığı bir yere götüreceğim. Senin de ölülerden değil esas dirilerden korktuğunu biliyorum, o yüzden bu yolda senin rehberin olacağım! İlahi Komedya'yı hakkıyla anlayabilmek için benim rehberliğime ihtiyacın var Oğuz...

Vergilius bana bunları derken, ölüler diyarının kapısına geldiğimizde bu kapıda bekçilik yapan üç başlı köpek Kerberos'un yerine teknik yetersizliklerden dolayı üç başlı kedi olan Ketberos'un olduğunu gördük:

https://i.ibb.co/JvxYJqF/4.jpg

Yolumuza devam ettik ve Vergilius beni rahmetli anneannemle dedemin mezarının başına götürdü. Dante ile Vergilius işte tam da bu noktada buluşmuştu. Ölülerin dilinden en iyi anlayan iki adamla birlikte bir mezarın başındayım, belki de hayatın en büyük ve en açık spoiler'ını yiyordum.

https://i.ibb.co/g9QVVjr/5.jpg

İlahi Komedya'ya ölülerin artık konuşamayacağını ve hiçbir ölüden haber alınamadığını söyledim. Bana inanmadı. Hatta o anda bana tam olarak şunları söyledi...

İlahi Komedya: Yanılıyorsun Oğuz, eğer bir çeşit vecd hali ile kendinden geçip ruhunun dünyevi zevklerinden sen de kurtulursan ölüler diyarını sen de ziyaret edebilirsin. Ben öyle yapmadım mı kitabımda, okumadın mı beni? Cehennem, araf ve cennetteki insanların durumunu anlattım. İnsan, dünyada yaptığı ne varsa öldükten sonra da eksiksiz olarak karşılığını alır. Ne ekersen onu biçersin, bu böyledir.

Oğuz: Peki, seni ve ölüler diyarını tam olarak anlayabilmek için hangi kitapları okumam gerekli İlahi Komedya?

İlahi Komedya: https://i.ibb.co/qy1Fxzv/6.jpg
İşte, bu fotoğraf sana yardımcı olacaktır. Dönüşümler 1-15, Aeneas ve şiir kitabım olan Yeni Hayat'ı okursan eminim ki İlahi Komedya'yı çok daha anlayarak okursun. Çünkü benim için hayat, Hristiyanlık'taki teslisler içindeki teslisler bütününden ibarettir. Baba, Oğul, Kutsal Ruh gibi sen de bu 3 kitabı okursan beni daha iyi anlarsın. Çünkü Beatrice ile de ilk olarak 9 yaşında karşılaşmıştım. Bu 9 sayısını da 3'ün karesi ile bağdaştırmıştım. Teslis ve Hz. İsa'nın bizi kurtuluşa götüreceği inancı benim için çok önemlidir Oğuz.

O anda ölüler diyarından şöyle bir uzağa baktım...

https://i.ibb.co/s1fh6Sj/7.jpg

Herkes isterdi manzaralı mezarım olsun, sen benim manzarasız mezarımdın demişti Dante de Beatrice'e. Çünkü en derinine gömmüştü onu. Anneannemle dedem de belki şu an aynı yerdeydi, Dante ile Beatrice'in tam da şimdi olduğu gibi.

https://i.ibb.co/nb1GshJ/8.jpg

Peki, bizim gömüleceğimiz yer nerede? Anneanne? Dede? Siz söyleyin bana... Cehenneme mi yoksa cennete mi gideceğim?

Anneannem: ...
Dedem: ...

Yahu Dante, sen kitabında o kadar kişinin cehenneme ya da cennete gideceğine karar vermişsin. Cevap versene bana... Biz nereye gideceğiz? Ölüler diyarından haber yok mu? Bildiklerin sadece İtalya tarihindeki kişiler ile mi kısıtlı? Sadece Caroberto, Cunizza, Lorenzo, Valerius, Mucius, Porsenna, Piccarda, Costanza, Donati, Forese, Corso, Francesco gibi insanların mı öldükten sonra nereye gideceğine karar verebiliyorsun? Nereye gideceğim, söylesene be adam?!

https://i.ibb.co/dm0Qc2B/9.jpg

Komedyanın anlamı, cehennem bölümünün ürkütücü olmasına karşılık bu şiirin, komedilerde olduğu gibi mutlu sonla sonuçlanmasından dolayı olduğunu ben de biliyorum. Peki bu inceleme neden bu kitap gibi mutlu bir sonla sonuçlanmıyor? Konuşsana ulan İlahi Komedya!

https://i.ibb.co/LZQ1M4n/10.jpg

O anda etrafta ne Vergilius, ne Dante, ne de Beatrice kalmıştı. Oğuz da o an ne olduğunu bilmiyordu. 11 İhlas, 1 Fatiha okumaya gelmişken karşısındaki kitap ona resmen meydan okuyordu. İlahi Komedya o anda çıldırmış bir şekilde üstüne geldi, Oğuz'un gözünün en son görebildiği açıdan sadece "İLAH" kelimesi okunabiliyordu...

https://i.ibb.co/4fTY5Hn/11.jpg

Sonra da dünyası çeşitli renklere büründü. O anı anlatmaya kelimeleri yetmedi. Dante'nin de İlahi Komedya'nın sonundaki anı anlatmaya kelimeleri yetmemişti. Hristiyanlık'taki üç dinsel erdem olan sevgi, inanç ve umudun renkleri miydi bunlar? Cehennem, araf ve cennetin renklerinin mi bir temsiliydi yoksa?

https://i.ibb.co/8Yzsj2v/12.jpg

Anneanne, dede, lütfen söyleyin. Neden hiçbir ölüden haber gelmiyor? Dante'nin kafasına göre ölüleri cehenneme ve cennete yollaması bana çok garip geliyor, bari siz söyleyin. Siz şu an neredesiniz? Ruhunuzla beraber mi yatıyorsunuz burada? Ruh denen bir şey var mı, yoksa sadece bedenlerimizle mi dirileceğiz? Neden ölüler diyarından hiçbir ses gelmiyor? Hayatımın en büyük spoiler'ını yemeye geldim buraya. Biliyorum, ben de buz gibi bir toprağın içinde gözlerim kapalı bir şekilde yatacağım. Biliyorum, ben de İlahi Komedya'da anlatılan ruhların ektiği şeyleri biçeceğim. Biliyorum, benim de kendi iradem var ve dünyevi zevkler yerine esas kalıcı hayat uğruna çalışmam gerektiğini biliyorum... Peki, şu an neden böyle oldu? Lütfen cevap verin...

Sen şimdi neredesin, ey Vergilius? Bana asıl şimdi cevap ver! Sana asıl şimdi ihtiyacım var rehberim ey Vergilius! Nerelerdesin ki? Ansızın yok oluverdin! Neredesin, ey cevap veren, neredesin, ey bana ölümü çok gören?

"Cevap versenize!
Niçin susuyorsunuz? Niçin?
Yok mu bir cevap veren?
Kimse cevap vermiyor mu?
Kimse, hiç kimse cevap vermiyor mu?"
Kapıların Dışında

Divina Commedia = Divine Comedy (La Divina Commedia #1-3), Dante Alighieri

The Divine Comedy is a long narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun c. 1308 and completed in 1320, a year before his death in 1321.

It is widely considered the preeminent work in Italian literature, and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature.

The poem's imaginative vision of the afterlife is representative of the medieval world-view as it had developed in the Western Church by the 14th century. It helped establish the Tuscan language, in which it is written, as the standardized Italian language.

It is divided into three parts: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.

Inferno: The poem begins on the night before Good Friday in 1300, "halfway along our life's path". Dante lost in a dark wood, he cannot evade and unable to find the "straight way" – also translatable as "right way" – to salvation. Conscious that he is ruining himself and that he is falling into a "low place" (basso loco) where the sun is silent, Dante is at last rescued by Virgil, and the two of them begin their journey to the underworld.

they had their faces twisted toward their haunches
and found it necessary to walk backward,
because they could not see ahead of them.
... and since he wanted so to see ahead,
he looks behind and walks a backward path.

Purgatorio: Having survived the depths of Hell, Dante and Virgil ascend out of the under gloom to the Mountain of Purgatory on the far side of the world. The Mountain is on an island, the only land in the Southern Hemisphere, created by the displacement of rock which resulted when Satan's fall created Hell.

The mountain has seven terraces, corresponding to the seven deadly sins or "seven roots of sinfulness." The classification of sin here is more psychological than that of the Inferno, being based on motives, rather than actions. It is also drawn primarily from Christian theology, rather than from classical sources. However, Dante's illustrative examples of sin and virtue draw on classical sources as well as on the Bible and on contemporary events. ...

Paradiso: After an initial ascension, Beatrice guides Dante through the nine celestial spheres of Heaven. These are concentric and spherical, as in Aristotelian and Ptolemaic cosmology. While the structures of the Inferno and Purgatorio were based on different classifications of sin, the structure of the Paradiso is based on the four cardinal virtues and the three theological virtues.

The seven lowest spheres of Heaven deal solely with the cardinal virtues of Prudence, Fortitude, Justice and Temperance. The first three spheres involve a deficiency of one of the cardinal virtues – the Moon, containing the inconstant, whose vows to God waned as the moon and thus lack fortitude; Mercury, containing the ambitious, who were virtuous for glory and thus lacked justice; and Venus, containing the lovers, whose love was directed towards another than God and thus lacked Temperance.

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: ماه جولای سال 1976میلادی

عنوان: کمدی الهی در سه جلد: دوزخ - برزخ - بهشت؛ سروده: دانته آلیگری؛ مترجم: شجاع الدین شفا؛ تهران، امیرکبیر، 1335؛ موضوع اشعار شاعران ایتالیا - سده 14م

البته که ترجمه های دیگران از نامداران و مترجمان این اثر کم بدیل جداگانه معرفی شده اند

سرود اول بهشت: (جلال ِ آنکس که گرداننده ی همه چیز است، سرتاسر جهان آفرینش را، به فرمان خویش دارد؛ ولی در اینجا (آسمان) بیشتر، و در جاهای دیگر کمتر متجلی است؛ بدان آسمانی رفتم، که بیش از هر آسمان دگر، از فروغ او بهره مند است، و چیزهایی را دیدم، که آنکس که از آن بالا فرود آمده باشد، نه میداند، و نه میتواند بازگفت؛ زیرا که حس ادراک ما، با نزدیکی به مایه ی اشتیاق خود، چنان مجذوب میشود، که حافظه ی ما را، یارای همراهی با آن نمیماند؛ با این همه، آنچه را که از قلمرو مقدس (بهشت) در گنجینه ی اندیشه، جای توانسته ام داد، اکنون مایه ی این سرود خویش میکنم، و بازش میگویم؛ ای «آپولوی» نیک نهاد، برای این سهم آخرین، مرا آن اندازه، از نبوغ خویش عطا کن، که برای سپردن تاج افتخار محبوب خود به کسان، از آنان طلب میکنی...)؛ پایان نقل از برگردان روانشاد «شجاع الدین شفا»؛

میاندیشم این رویاها را، شاید در خیال خواب خویش، همگان نیز دیده باشیم، «دانته» نیز دیده است؛ این منظومه ی بلند، دارای سه بخش «دوزخ»، «برزخ» و «بهشت» است، و هر بخشی سی ‌و سه چکامه (کانتو) دارد، که با مقدمه، در کل شامل یکصد چکامه می‌شود؛ «دانته» برای این اثر از قافیه ‌پردازی نوی، که به «قافیه ی سوم» مشهور شد، سود جستند؛ هر چکامه، به بندهای «سه بیتی» تقسیم می‌شود، که بیت اول و سوم، هم قافیه هستند، و بیت میانی، با بیت اول و سوم بند بعدی، دارای قافیه جداگانه ‌است؛ مبنای وزن هر بیت، یازده هجایی است؛ مجموع ابیات «کمدی الهی» به دوازده هزار و دویست و سی و سه بیت می‌رسد؛ زبان این اثر گویش ایالت «توسکانا» در «ایتالیا»ی آن روزگاران است

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 26/06/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 22/05/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

With a good translation, particularly an annotated one that can explain gaps between his age and ours, the beautiful and powerful language and imagery will flow and you’ll be enriched in your spirit.

I would say I found Inferno and Paradiso the best of the three poems. The writing in both those volumes is particularly intense and passionate. While much is made of Dante’s vision of Hell, his vision of Heaven is equally compelling.

It’s difficult to fully comprehend all the aspects of Inferno without a guide (like Virgil) to explain who all the people are that Dante fills Hell with in retribution. That’s why I recommend an annotated edition. Otherwise there is a great deal the reader won’t be able to take in.

I’d like to read the poem again. However I still need to tackle Paradise Lost for the first time.

I once thought I'd write an essay on how long it takes a serious author (of fiction or nonfiction) before he or she inevitably quotes Dante. If I were to write a novel myself (this is a hypothetical grammatical construction!), I'd probably manage about a page before I'd exclaim that I am lost, and middle-aged, and in the middle of a dark forest. I'd try to kill off annoying acquaintances and punish them severely for their lack of admiration for me and my creativity (not to mention my sarcasm and irony!!), and of course I would meet my teenage love and be joined together forever in eternal happiness in the end (or maybe not, come to think of it, I might skip that part!), after spending a life travelling the underworld in the company of the most brilliant author I can think of.

Dante fulfilled all his (and my!) dreams with the Divina Commedia, and I envy him his bravery and talent, not to mention his ability to write in that beautiful Italian. However, not all parts of the poem were equally appealing to me.

I found myself loving Inferno, liking Purgatorio, and not quite identifying with Paradiso at all.
I always wondered why that is, and concluded that humans are much better at depicting hell than heaven, chaos than order, dystopia than utopia. Reason being, in my (not very important) opinion: there's no storyline behind real bliss, and without stories, we are not entirely connected to humanity and its questions anymore. Paradiso is nice, but uninteresting, sort of.
"Lasciate ogni speranza, voi che entrate" - the ticket to hell: I doubt if there ever was a better advertisement for a rollercoaster adventure!

Update in Year One Of Post-Truth Wall Building:

I am still lost in that dark forest of middle age, trying to make sense of life, and Dante comes to mind more and more often, in the same way Orwell's 1984 does: it grows more realistic with every day that passes. This morning, "The Wall Of Dis" all of a sudden forced itself upon my thoughts, - the great wall separating Dante's Upper and Lower Hell. Upper Hell is for the Carnal, Gluttonous, Greedy, and Wrathful, whereas the other side of the wall contains the Heretical, Violent, Fraudulent and Treacherous. It just struck me that every wall in the world has created that kind of "mental division". The typical representatives of "upper hell", consumed by the everyday sins of wanting most of everything for themselves without being bothered by others, usually keep their "moral upper hand" by accusing the "other side of the wall" of worse crimes, such as the "wrong religion", violence, and treason.

The funny (or sad) thing is that it works both ways. You can turn hell upside down and have the same results: egotistical, narcissistic angry men accuse others of treason and heresy to deflect from their own faults. No wonder Inferno is a timeless classic: after all, Dante based it on his own experience of a divisive, violent political situation.

I propose an extra level in the Inferno for procrastinators and abandoners. I was planning to write a novel where three protagonists commit suicide and end up in Scottish Hell. Since overcrowding has plagued the old Scottish Hell HQ, the protagonists are forced to queue up for weeks on end before arriving at the building for processing. Upon their arrival, their sins are assessed by an administrator to determine which circle of Hell is appropriate for them. But due to cutbacks and financial instabilities, the three suicides are deemed unfit for service in Hell and are returned to their bodies. Back on Earth, the three characters return to their miserable lives, which they want to leave immediately. But before they commit suicide again, they have to break free from their mousy personalities and commit sins grievous enough to secure them a decent place in Hell. As the characters commit petty thefts and minor infelicities, the sin requirements to Hell become tougher and tougher, and they are repeatedly returned to their bodies. They spend their lives building up to larger and larger sins, constantly being returned to their bodies as the world around them becomes increasingly more depraved and violent. When they die, because the notion of “sin” has been completely reclassified to mean the most vile, sickest violations, they are secured a place Heaven for their relatively minor embezzlements, murders and rapes. I started this book but lost impetus halfway through. I was convinced this idea was derivative of other works (the Hell-as-bureaucracy has certainly popped up in British satire) and lost heart. I also lost heart halfway through the Inferno section of this, despite the translation being very fluent and readable. So I am going to the tenth circle, for the procrastinating bolter. (I did read the graphic novel version: partial redemption?)