Dante's Inferno (The Divine Comedy: Volume I, Hell) - Softcover

Alighieri, Dante

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1420952544 ISBN 13: 9781420952544

Publisher: Digireads.com, 2016

Dante Alighieri was born in Florence, Italy in the middle of the 13th century and what is principally known of him comes from his own writings. One of the world’s great literary masterpieces, the “Divine Comedy” is at its heart an allegorical tale regarding man’s search for divinity. The work is divided into three sections, “Inferno”, “Purgatorio”, and “Paradiso”, each containing thirty-three cantos. It is the narrative of a journey down through Hell, up the mountain of Purgatory, and through the revolving heavens into the presence of God. In this aspect it belongs to the two familiar medieval literary types of the Journey and the Vision, however Dante intended the work to be more than just simple allegory, layering the narrative with rich historical, moral, political, literal, and anagogical context. In order for the work to be more accessible to the common readers of his day, Dante wrote in the Italian language. This was an uncommon practice at the time for serious literary works, which would traditionally be written in Latin. One of the truly great compositions of all time, the “Divine Comedy” has inspired and influenced readers ever since its original creation. Presented here is the first volume of the “Divine Comedy” translated into English verse by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

About the Author:

Dante Alighieri was an Italian poet of the Middle Ages, best known for his masterpiece, the epic Divine Comedy, considered to be one of the greatest poetic works in literature.

A native of Florence, Dante was deeply involved in his city-state s politics and had political, as well as poetic, ambitions. He was exiled from Florence in 1301 for backing the losing faction in a dispute over the pope s influence, and never saw Florence again.

While in exile, Dante wrote the Comedy, the tale of the poet s pilgrimage through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. To reach the largest possible audience for the work, Dante devised a version of Italian based largely on his own Tuscan dialect and incorporating Latin and parts of other regional dialects. In so doing, he demonstrated the vernacular s fitness for artistic expression, and earned the title Father of the Italian language.

Dante died in Ravenna in 1321, and his body remains there despite the fact that Florence erected a tomb for him in 1829.

• Publisher: Digireads.com
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1420952544
• ISBN 13: 9781420952544
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 150