The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: Volume 2: Purgatorio [Paperback]

Dante Alighieri (Author), Robert Turner (Illustrator), Robert M. Durling (Translator), Ronald L. Martinez (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri | Publication Date: April 8, 2004

The second volume of Oxford's new Divine Comedy presents the Italian text of the Purgatorio and, on facing pages, a new prose translation. Continuing the story of the poet's journey through the medieval Other World under the guidance of the Roman poet Virgil, the Purgatorio culminates in the regaining of the Garden of Eden and the reunion there with the poet's long-lost love Beatrice. This new edition of the Italian text takes recent critical editions into account, and Durling's prose translation, like that of the Inferno, is unprecedented in its accuracy, eloquence, and closeness to Dante's syntax.
Martinez' and Durling's notes are designed for the first-time reader of the poem but include a wealth of new material unavailable elsewhere. The extensive notes on each canto include innovative sections sketching the close relation to passages--often similarly numbered cantos--in the Inferno. Fifteen short essays explore special topics and controversial issues, including Dante's debts to Virgil and Ovid, his radical political views, his original conceptions of homosexuality, of moral growth, and of eschatology. As in the Inferno, there is an extensive bibliography and four useful indexes.
Robert Turner's illustrations include maps, diagrams of Purgatory and the cosmos, and line drawings of objects and places mentioned in the poem.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In this new translation, Durling tries to be as concrete as possible, producing a version that is more fluent and accurate than the versions of Mandelbaum and Musa.... Highly recommended."--Library Journal

About the Author

Robert M. Durling is Professor Emeritus of English and Italian Literature at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Ronald L. Martinez is Professor of Italian at the University of Minnesota. Their works together include Dante's Inferno and Time and the Crystal: Studies in Dante's "Rime petrose."
Robert Turner has been a professional illustrator for more than 20 years. He works at the Museum of New Mexico in Santa Fe.

Product Details

• Paperback: 720 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (April 8, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195087453
• ISBN-13: 978-0195087451
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #120,509 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #50 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > European

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars perfect version, September 20, 2010

By 

Steve (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: Volume 2: Purgatorio (Paperback)

This is one of the best traslations of the Purgatorio that i have been able to find. It is easy to understand and certainly not convoluted as many other versions are. In addition this version offers the italian text which is a nice addition. Finally, the notes and commentary povided in this book are amazing and perfect for use in the classroom or just6 for general enjoyment.

I can not wait for this translator's paradise to come out so i can buy it, i know it will be phenominal

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ^_^, April 20, 2011

By 

Shadegem - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: Volume 2: Purgatorio (Paperback)

I was required to read Inferno for a colloquial English class in college and we compared the translation adaptation aspects of different translators. This translator is one of my favorite, since he translates fairly straight-forward and gives a lot of notes and background information on the lines of the cantos in order to better understand the meaning behind the writings, rather than several other translators who try to retain the poetic aspect of it. To each their own. This version also is facing, with the original Italian on the opposite page. I've only just begun reading his translation of Purgatorio but so far the same elements remains.

4.0 out of 5 stars Purgatorio is Pretty Interesting, June 28, 2011

By 

Alexandro C. Telander "Alex C. Telander" (Roseville, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: Volume 2: Purgatorio (Paperback)

In the second volume of Dante's Divine Comedy, Purgatorio, Dante continues his journey from hell into purgatory, continuing to be guided by the skilled hand and mind of Virgil. Dante must climb up the Mount of Purgatory, beginning at the bottom with Ante-Purgatory, then the seven terraces - seven levels of suffering and spiritual growth - as associated with the seven deadly sins; at the very top is Earthly paradise. Just as in the first volume, Inferno, Dante continues to discuss politics and the Church in general, as well as relating to his own experiences during the writing of the Divine Comedy in the fourteenth century. Familiar characters in Dante's life again play a part, as he makes his intentions of them all too clear. It is in this volume that Dante is reunited with his long-lost love, Beatrice.

In this shorter introduction, Robert M. Durling and Ronald L. Martinez go into some detail on when this second volume was likely begun, how and when it was exactly written and how Dante was influenced by events and happenings in his life in the writing of it. Just as with the first volume, detailed notes are provided at the end of each canto, explaining locations, historical references, and short biographies on the people mentioned and what relevance they had to Dante. With these priceless details, any reader can pick up this translation of the Divine Comedy, and not feel lost or overloaded by all the historical setting, peoples and details, but are skillfully guided along Dante's unique journey.

At the end of the text are further detailed notes and fifteen short essays covering Dante's political views, his respect and use of Virgil and Ovid, his original conceptions of homosexuality, and on moral growth, to name a few. Durling and Martinez also explore similarities and possible linkages with the three volumes in analyzing similar cantos, their possible relations to each other, as well as the numbering system used in each volume. At the end is a bibliography and extensive index, allowing the reader to travel about the text freely and with little hindrance.

With this second volume, Durling continues what he began with Inferno, keeping the reader hooked with this accurate translation, along with the original Italian on the left-hand page, as Dante's true skill as a storyteller and descriptive writer are brought to light as never before.

Originally written on April 10, 2011 ©Alex C. Telander.

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