Purgatorio 28

This year, 2021, marks the 700th anniversary of the death of Dante, author of the great Divine Comedy. I invite you to experience the odyssey, by accompanying me as I discuss each canto.

(My book, Dante’s Divine Comedy: A Guide For The Spiritual Journey, is published by Angelico Press for the 700th anniversary of Dante’s death on 13th September 2021.)

Dante begins his journey by waking up in a dark wood. The air tastes bitter. He becomes fearful. Truth is out of reach. But his crisis is a turning point.

Many today, too, are waking up to something that's gone wrong. The air tastes bitter, people are fearful, truth is out of reach. We’re in a spiritual crisis. We must see the world afresh and understand. I believe Dante can help us discover how.

They are in the Eden at the top of Mount Purgatory, at the start of Canto 28. It's enchanted and lovely, with strange winds and waters. They see a stream. Then, quite marvellously, they see a solitary woman. She completely captivates Dante, who asks her to approach. They converse. She explains something of the wonders of the place, as Dante wrestles with his feelings for her. His will and love are aligned, but his transformation has, in a way, only just begun and ominous, even dark feelings, are still in his mind.

There is an MP3 version of the talk, a sign up to the podcast version and receive notifications, and more at www.markvernon.com/dantes-divine-comedy.

If you wanted to discuss the Comedy with others, a Discord-based gathering is currently running here -   / discord  .

I recommend the translation by Mark Musa in the Penguin Classics edition, both for its accessibility and notes.

The images that accompany my discussion are by Gustav Doré (in black and white), William Blake (in colour), Sandro Botticelli (the drawings), Priamo della Quercia (illustrations) and assorted manuscripts.