Purgatory: from The Divine Comedy, in a new translation by Benedict Flynn
Dante
Nov 2004 · Naxos AudioBooks · Narrated by Heathcote Williams
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4 hr 33 min
Unabridged
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About this audiobook
Now of that second kingdom I shall sing where human souls are purified of sin and made worthy to ascend to HeavenÕ Purgatory is the second part of DanteÕs The Divine Comedy ascending the terraces of the Mount of Purgatory inhabited by those doing penance to expiate their sins on earth. There are the proudÊÐ forced to circle their terrace for aeons bent double in humility; the slothfulÊÐ running around crying out examples of zeal and sloth; while the lustful are purged by fire. Though less well-known than Inferno, Purgatory has inspired many writers including, in our century, Samuel Beckett, and has played a key role in literature.
About the author
Born Dante Alighieri in the spring of 1265 in Florence, Italy, he was known familiarly as Dante. His family was noble, but not wealthy, and Dante received the education accorded to gentlemen, studying poetry, philosophy, and theology. His first major work was Il Vita Nuova, The New Life. This brief collection of 31 poems, held together by a narrative sequence, celebrates the virtue and honor of Beatrice, Dante's ideal of beauty and purity. Beatrice was modeled after Bice di Folco Portinari, a beautiful woman Dante had met when he was nine years old and had worshipped from afar in spite of his own arranged marriage to Gemma Donati. Il Vita Nuova has a secure place in literary history: its vernacular language and mix of poetry with prose were new; and it serves as an introduction to Dante's masterpiece, The Divine Comedy, in which Beatrice figures prominently. The Divine Comedy is Dante's vision of the afterlife, broken into a trilogy of the Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise. Dante is given a guided tour of hell and purgatory by Virgil, the pagan Roman poet whom Dante greatly admired and imitated, and of heaven by Beatrice. The Inferno shows the souls who have been condemned to eternal torment, and included here are not only mythical and historical evil-doers, but Dante's enemies. The Purgatory reveals how souls who are not irreversibly sinful learn to be good through a spiritual purification. And The Paradise depicts further development of the just as they approach God. The Divine Comedy has been influential from Dante's day into modern times. The poem has endured not just because of its beauty and significance, but also because of its richness and piety as well as its occasionally humorous and vulgar treatment of the afterlife. In addition to his writing, Dante was active in politics. In 1302, after two years as a priore, or governor of Florence, he was exiled because of his support for the white guelfi, a moderate political party of which he was a member. After extensive travels, he stayed in Ravenna in 1319, completing The Divine Comedy there, until his death in 1321.
John Henley Heathcote Williams was born in Helsby, Cheshire, England on November 15, 1941. He studied law at Christ Church, Oxford, but left without earning a degree. He was a poet, playwright, and actor who used every artistic means available to express his outrage at royal privilege, private property, environmental degradation, and numerous other targets. His first book, The Speakers, was published in 1964. His collections of poetry included Whale Nation, Sacred Elephant, Falling for a Dolphin, Autogeddon, Royal Babylon: The Case Against the Monarchy, and American Porn. His plays included The Local Stigmatic, AC/DC, The Immortalist, and Remember the Truth Dentist. He also appeared in several movies including The Tempest, Wish You Were Here, Orlando, and Basic Instinct 2. He wrote the television drama What the Dickens!, about Charles Dickens's fondness for staging amateur magic shows for friends. It was broadcast on the BBC in 1983. He died from lung disease on July 1, 2017 at the age of 75.
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