Dante's Divine Comedy: Purgatory: Journey to Joy, Part 2

Mark Musa has produced an extremely readable translation of a text that at times can be next to inaccessible. As a non-Dante scholar, I have struggled with other translations. The notes accompanying each canto also are well done: thorough and very illuminating. Musa's deft pen has turned Purgatory into a pleasure.

This is the second volume of Alighieri Dante's classic Divine Comedy. It tells the tale of Dante's journey through Purgatory, led by his guide, Virgil. Having passed through the depths of Hell (the Inferno) in the first volume, Dante and Virgil ascend the mountain of Purgatory, passing its many allegorical characters and observing the penances they must fulfill. The Divine Comedy is a beautiful, epic poem that takes the reader through a wide emotional spectrum and many vivid, picturesque scenes from Dante's fictional afterlife.This translation was wonderful. Each of the 33 Cantos (Chapters) is set up in this sequence: 1) a short summation by the translator, 2) the poem, and 3) notes on names, characters, and items referenced by Dante. The translator, Mark Musa, even explains in his notes when he has a differing interpretation of a word or phrase than other translators' have had. Dante used so many references to Greek mythology and events that were common knowledge to educated people of the 13th-14th Century that this poem, without notes, is entirely esoteric and fully appreciated only by the most erudite modern-day readers. Mark Musa brings every reader up to par with his thorough, easily-read notes; thereby making this classic poem a very entertaining and profound experience.

Inferno is the most famous of the trio of volumes of Dante's Divine Comedy. But don't stop there. Purgatory is a beautiful work, illustrating the rise of the human soul through Purgatory's nine ledges. I found it beautiful how the souls were not hurrying. They waited patiently, yet eagerly.Musa's translation makes all the difference. The language is accessible, but not irreverent or vulgar. A routine I found helpful was to read the introduction to each canto, read the canto, then read all the notes, checking back to reinforce meanings or double check a name or place.The Pilgrim's journey through this volume is heavily illustrative of God's grace, and yet the idea of each person's responsibilities to God are clear.Don't stop reading after Inferno. These stirring translations by Musa make it possible to read, understand and love the whole Divine Comedy.

I'm sure I must have given up on my original copy of DIVINE COMEDY after "Inferno." But the lucid editing of this edition, with abundant footnotes, make clear and easy that which I could never decipher. With Virgil, Beatrice & Kathryn leading the way, the trip through Inferno, Purgatory & Paradise was a thrilling excursion.

Review of "Dante's Divine Comedy:Purgatory," by Kathryn LindskoogDante's Divine Comedy:Purgatory, by Kathryn Lindskoog, is a delight to read. This is definitely a reader-friendly retelling of the second part of Dante's Christian classic. The original Divine Comedy was written in terza rima, a closely rhymed form of Italian poetry. This version is written in clear and flowing modern English prose, which at times is suggestive of poetry. The reader is given easy-to-follow footnotes, providing historical background and interpretation that make the book readily understandable and enjoyable. The story can be understood on more than one level. On the literal level, this spiritual adventure describes Dante's journey, led by the Roman poet, Virgil, up the mountain of Purgatory on the way to Paradise. There, on Purgatory's nine ledges, penitent souls move eagerly through repentance and penance, purifying themselves in the joyful knowledge that Paradise awaits them. As an allegory of the Christian experience, Purgatory relates the pilgrimage of the human soul, homesick for heaven, struggling to be free of an unworthy past, and longing for fulfillment in God. Dante envisions Purgatory as a place of unearthly beauty, and here Kathryn Lindskoog's pleasing choice of language makes this book a delight for the reader. Her descriptive passages include such lovely phrases as: "a cliff so steep that nimble legs were useless," ... "a mountain mist...through which you could see only as moles do..." "...gold and fine silver, crimson cloth, ... freshly cracked emeralds - all these colors would look dull next to the grass and flowers in that valley, just as less is always overcome by more." The true glory of Purgatory lies in the sense of eagerness, hope, and anticipation that Dante discovers in the souls he encounters on his journey of spiritual preparation. The book closes with the words, "now I was pure and prepared to rise to the stars." This reader has been caught up in Dante's joyful anticipation of heaven and eagerly awaits the third volume of Dante's Divine Comedy: Paradise, also by Kathryn Lindskoog.