EXCEPTIONAL UNABRIDGED EDITION
Read the greatest novel by Dante in a beautifully presented edition.
This edition contains in one volume all three parts of The Divine Comedy: the soul's journey through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise.
In this epic poem, Dante fused satire and humour with intellect and soaring passion to create an immortal Christian allegory of mankind's search for self-knowledge and spiritual enlightenment.
Begun in 1308, Dante completed his masterpiece in 1320, a year before his death.
It is widely considered the preeminent work of Italian literature and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's astonishingly Dantean translation, which captures so much of the life of the original, renders whole for us the masterpiece of that genius whom our greatest poets have recognized as a central model for all poets.
Durante degli Alighieri, simply called Dante (1265-1321), was a major Italian poet of the late Middle Ages.
In the late Middle Ages, the overwhelming majority of poetry was written in Latin, and therefore accessible only to affluent and educated audiences. However, Dante defended use of the vernacular in literature. He himself would even write in the Tuscan dialect for works such as The New Life (1295) and the aforementioned Divine Comedy; this choice, although highly unorthodox, set a hugely important precedent that later Italian writers such as Petrarch and Boccaccio would follow.
As a result, Dante played an instrumental role in establishing the national language of Italy. Dante's significance also extends past his home country; his depictions of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven have provided inspiration for a large body of Western art, and are cited as an influence on the works of John Milton, Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare, and Lord Alfred Tennyson, among many others. In addition, the first use of the interlocking three-line rhyme scheme, or the terza rima, is attributed to him.
This magnificient poem is a must-read of classic literature.
