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Dante's Divine Comedy
Dante has no equal as he sings of other-worldly horror and celestial beatitude alike. Yet for all our distance from medieval theology, the Florentine poet's allegorical journey through hell, purgatory and paradise remains one of the essential works of world literature. At least 50 English language versions of the Inferno —the first part of Dante's poem—appeared in the 20th century alone. If Dante's Divine Comedy speaks to our present condition, it is because it tells the story of Everyman who sets out in search of salvation in this world. Dante composed his great poem in the spoken Italian of his time. He wrote about suffering bodies and human weakness, and about divine ecstasy, in words that have resonated with readers and writers for the 700 years. Ian Thomson's lively book is a wide-ranging exploration of a literary masterwork and its influence on writers, poets, artists and filmmakers up to our own time.
- GenresNonfiction
288 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2021
18 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
About the author
Ian Thomson
78 books9 followersIan Thomson is an English author and journalist, best known for his meticulously researched biography Primo Levi: A Life and his controversial and acclaimed reportage The Dead Yard: Tales of Modern Jamaica. Born in London in 1961 and raised partly in New York City, he studied English at Pembroke College, Cambridge, before embarking on a career as a writer, translator, and teacher.
Thomson’s writing spans biography, travel, history, and literary journalism. His first major work, Bonjour Blanc: A Journey Through Haiti, was praised for its vivid and gripping portrayal of the country’s complex history and culture. His biography of Primo Levi, which took a decade to complete, has been widely regarded as the definitive account of the Italian Holocaust survivor’s life and won the Royal Society of Literature’s W.H. Heinemann Award.
His 2009 book The Dead Yard offered an unflinching exploration of modern Jamaica and received both the Ondaatje Prize and the Dolman Travel Book Award. In addition to his books, Thomson has edited collections, translated Italian literature (notably Leonardo Sciascia), and written for leading publications such as The Guardian, The Observer, and The Times Literary Supplement. He has also taught creative nonfiction and held fellowships at several academic institutions.
A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Thomson continues to write and teach. He lives in London with his family.
Thomson’s writing spans biography, travel, history, and literary journalism. His first major work, Bonjour Blanc: A Journey Through Haiti, was praised for its vivid and gripping portrayal of the country’s complex history and culture. His biography of Primo Levi, which took a decade to complete, has been widely regarded as the definitive account of the Italian Holocaust survivor’s life and won the Royal Society of Literature’s W.H. Heinemann Award.
His 2009 book The Dead Yard offered an unflinching exploration of modern Jamaica and received both the Ondaatje Prize and the Dolman Travel Book Award. In addition to his books, Thomson has edited collections, translated Italian literature (notably Leonardo Sciascia), and written for leading publications such as The Guardian, The Observer, and The Times Literary Supplement. He has also taught creative nonfiction and held fellowships at several academic institutions.
A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Thomson continues to write and teach. He lives in London with his family.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 1, 2019
To put it brief, this is an introduction to Dante himself, the different parts of the book and its cultural reception and influence over the last 700 years. In other words, an ambitions project!
Dante shaped the Italian language and identity like few others, and his imagining, particularly in Inferno, has obviously been hugely influential in how the western mind thinks of it. I kind of knew this already, but Thomson is impressively well read - and offers a rich picture, supported by anecdotes and a range of references, without losing the plot. If I were to be cynical, it feels at times like he's showing off, but I nonetheless appreciates his depth of knowledge.
I picked up this book because going straight to the source felt somewhat too ambitious. Now, am I more likely to read "The Divine Comedy" after having read Thomson's introduction? Absolutely.
The book didn’t “move” me, but I feel intrigued to give the real deal a chance.
Dante shaped the Italian language and identity like few others, and his imagining, particularly in Inferno, has obviously been hugely influential in how the western mind thinks of it. I kind of knew this already, but Thomson is impressively well read - and offers a rich picture, supported by anecdotes and a range of references, without losing the plot. If I were to be cynical, it feels at times like he's showing off, but I nonetheless appreciates his depth of knowledge.
I picked up this book because going straight to the source felt somewhat too ambitious. Now, am I more likely to read "The Divine Comedy" after having read Thomson's introduction? Absolutely.
The book didn’t “move” me, but I feel intrigued to give the real deal a chance.
April 21, 2024
Roaming to and fro throughout the Feltrinelli bookshop in Naples, on the one shelf I’ve noticed this book. At the first glance I assumed that it was another re-telling of Dante’s La Comedia, but fortunately I was wrong. This book is an quite interesting and engaging documentary which summates interesting facts about Dante’s life, literary works and him as an everlasting inspiration for the artists since time immemorial to nowadays.
In twelve chapters, the author discussed about many important peculiarities regarding Dante’s youth, his infatuation with Beatrice, the first book – prosimetrum Vita Nuova and the nascence of La Comedia during the exile years.
Myriad citations are present, mentioning the scholars, authors and artists which contributed with their works of art to Dante’s immortality. Many of those books I’ve already read, and many of them I’ve listed on my potential TBR list. The book is abundant with quality photographs with the scenes from La Comedia as various artists depicted them, portraits of many writers which were inspired by Dante and edifices from Florence which were attached to Dante.
The book is mere easy reading with enjoinment for all those who indulge in Dante and his work in a succinct yet wide-ranging manner.
In twelve chapters, the author discussed about many important peculiarities regarding Dante’s youth, his infatuation with Beatrice, the first book – prosimetrum Vita Nuova and the nascence of La Comedia during the exile years.
Myriad citations are present, mentioning the scholars, authors and artists which contributed with their works of art to Dante’s immortality. Many of those books I’ve already read, and many of them I’ve listed on my potential TBR list. The book is abundant with quality photographs with the scenes from La Comedia as various artists depicted them, portraits of many writers which were inspired by Dante and edifices from Florence which were attached to Dante.
The book is mere easy reading with enjoinment for all those who indulge in Dante and his work in a succinct yet wide-ranging manner.
July 14, 2022
I picked this book up on a whim in a bookstore in Florence, and I was pleasantly surprised by the content. Thomson provides a commentary on the books of Dante's Divine Comedy but also delves into the political and historical context in which Dante wrote and the influence of the Divine Comedy onto different forms of art.
Thomson's writing style, especially with a topic that could become tedious or bogged down, is quite engaging and entertaining. He draws interesting parallels with other works of literature and illustrates how influential Dante's work continues to be in contemporary literature and art forms. I enjoyed his comparisons between various translations of The Divine Comedy, and his explanations of 14th century Florentine politics helped to bring many of the characters in The Divine Comedy to life.
Thomson's writing style, especially with a topic that could become tedious or bogged down, is quite engaging and entertaining. He draws interesting parallels with other works of literature and illustrates how influential Dante's work continues to be in contemporary literature and art forms. I enjoyed his comparisons between various translations of The Divine Comedy, and his explanations of 14th century Florentine politics helped to bring many of the characters in The Divine Comedy to life.
April 26, 2023
Chapter 9:
“The prophet-baptizer St John the Evangelist appears before Dante in such a blaze of light that it causes Dante momentarily to go blind. [...] Dante has now seen something that is ‘not lawful for a man to reveal’ – he has seen St John, the precursor of Jesus Christ.”
So, this guy wrote a whole guidebook on Dante and his Comedy, but cannot even tell the difference between John the Baptist and John the Apostle.
----
NB: If you really need a good Dante intro book in English (which is in fact not necessary imho, because there are already a lot of English translations with excellent notes for starters): Read Prue Shaw's “Reading Dante: From Here to Eternity” or Guy P. Raffa's "The Complete Danteworlds". For a slightly more advanced guide, use Giuseppe Mazzotta's Yale Open Course (there is also a book collecting his lecture notes).
“The prophet-baptizer St John the Evangelist appears before Dante in such a blaze of light that it causes Dante momentarily to go blind. [...] Dante has now seen something that is ‘not lawful for a man to reveal’ – he has seen St John, the precursor of Jesus Christ.”
So, this guy wrote a whole guidebook on Dante and his Comedy, but cannot even tell the difference between John the Baptist and John the Apostle.
----
NB: If you really need a good Dante intro book in English (which is in fact not necessary imho, because there are already a lot of English translations with excellent notes for starters): Read Prue Shaw's “Reading Dante: From Here to Eternity” or Guy P. Raffa's "The Complete Danteworlds". For a slightly more advanced guide, use Giuseppe Mazzotta's Yale Open Course (there is also a book collecting his lecture notes).
February 17, 2020
A few years ago, I struggled through half of Dante's 'Inferno'. More recently I found a better translation and managed to finish 'Inferno', but I still wasn't connecting with Dante in the way that I would expect from a world masterpiece. Thinking that I might need more background to appreciate The Divine Comedy and still planning to read 'Purgatorio' and 'Paradisio' I thought that this book from Ian Thomson might be useful. It's an absolutely beautiful book and very well written. But even so, I still don't feel any sort of connection with Dante.
February 22, 2020
An Appreciation of the ‘Divine Comedy’
This work on the ‘Divine Comedy’ is a thorough-going investigation of Dante’s life and times, of the work’s influence on literature, art, and film. Its style is conversational yet confidently authoritative. It is invaluable as an introduction to the Dante and his oeuvre.
This work on the ‘Divine Comedy’ is a thorough-going investigation of Dante’s life and times, of the work’s influence on literature, art, and film. Its style is conversational yet confidently authoritative. It is invaluable as an introduction to the Dante and his oeuvre.
April 23, 2019
Provides the context and background to Dante and his Divina Commedia.
October 9, 2022
Puts the Divine Comedy in context, but not too much detail. Enough to make you curious and go digging.
May 13, 2023
nouvo vita!
December 15, 2018
A fascinating account of Dante and The Divine Comedy
This book provides a biography (such as is possible) of the poet, a history of his times, a review of the Comedia, and details of the poem's reception and influence over 700 years. All this is accomplished in a style that makes it accessible to any interested reader, whatever his background knowledge of Dante, but without in any sense 'dumbing down' his material. I thoroughly recommend this book.
This book provides a biography (such as is possible) of the poet, a history of his times, a review of the Comedia, and details of the poem's reception and influence over 700 years. All this is accomplished in a style that makes it accessible to any interested reader, whatever his background knowledge of Dante, but without in any sense 'dumbing down' his material. I thoroughly recommend this book.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews