Description
Translated by Mary Jo Bang (Graywolf Press, paperback)
Publication Date:July 13, 2021
Publisher Marketing: The second installment in Mary Jo Bang’s exhilarating, innovative translation of Dante’sTheDivine Comedy
Award-winning poet Mary Jo Bang’s new translation ofPurgatoriois the extraordinary continuation of her journey with Dante, which began with her transformative version ofInferno. InPurgatorio, still guided by the Roman poet Virgil, Dante emerges from the horrors of Hell to begin the climb up Mount Purgatory, a seven-terrace mountain with each level devoted to those atoning for one of the seven deadly sins. At the summit, we find the Terrestrial Heaven and Beatrice–who will take over for Virgil, who, as a pagan, can only take Dante so far. During the climb, we are introduced to the myriad ways in which humans destroy the social fabric through pride, envy, and vindictive anger.
In her signature lyric style, accompanied by her wise and exuberant notes, Bang has produced a stunning translation of this fourteenth-century text, rich with references that span time, languages, and cultures. The contemporary allusions echo the audacious character of the original, and slyly insist that whatever was true in Dante’s era is still true. Usain Bolt, Tootsie Fruit Chews, the MGM logo, Leo the Lion, Amy Winehouse, Marvin Gaye, Bob Dylan, and Gertrude Stein are among those who make cameo appearances as Bang, with eloquence and daring, shepherdsThe Divine Comedyinto the twenty-first century.
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