Audiobooks by Dante Alighieri

Epistolae, the letters of Dante Audiobook

"This volume contains the thirteen letters of the poet Dante Alighieri translated from their original Latin, including the famous and controversial letter to his patron Cangrande della Scala. The letters provide a good deal of context for the reader of Dante regarding his political and philosophical positions. In the final letter, the authenticity of which has been hotly contested by scholars, the author dedicates the Paradiso to the Veronese Cangrande, explains his Divine Comedy's title (then just Comedy), and discusses much of the work's content. Summary by Mary J."

Dante Alighieri (Author), LibriVox Volunteers (Narrator)

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The Divine Comedy

"The Divine Comedy (Italian: Divina Commedia) is a long Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun c. 1308 and completed in 1320, a year before his death in 1321. It is widely considered to be the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and one of the greatest works of world literature. The poem's imaginative vision of the afterlife is representative of the medieval world-view as it had developed in the Western Church by the 14th century. It helped establish the Tuscan language, in which it is written, as the standardized Italian language. It is divided into three parts: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The narrative takes as its literal subject the state of souls after death and presents an image of divine justice meted out as due punishment or reward, and describes Dante's travels through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise or Heaven, while allegorically the poem represents the soul's journey towards God, beginning with the recognition and rejection of sin (Inferno), followed by the penitent Christian life (Purgatorio), which is then followed by the soul's ascent to God (Paradiso). Dante draws on medieval Roman Catholic theology and philosophy, especially Thomistic philosophy derived from the Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas. Consequently, the Divine Comedy has been called 'the Summa in verse'. In Dante's work, the pilgrim Dante is accompanied by three guides: Virgil (who represents human reason), Beatrice (who represents divine revelation, theology, faith, and grace), and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (who represents contemplative mysticism and devotion to Mary). Erich Auerbach said Dante was the first writer to depict human beings as the products of a specific time, place and circumstance as opposed to mythic archetypes or a collection of vices and virtues; this along with the fully imagined world of The Divine Comedy, different from our own but fully visualized, suggests that the Divine Comedy could be said to have inaugurated modern fiction."

Dante Alighieri (Author), Anna Cohen, James Taylor (Narrator)

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The Divine Comedy 2: Purgatory

"'Purgatorio' is the second part of Alighieri’s poem 'The Divine Comedy'. The story of Dante travelling through the nine circles of Hell in 'Inferno' continues as he survives the depths of hell and climbs the mountain Purgatory. The mountain has seven terraces which represent the seven deadly sins and the seven levels of suffering which lead to spiritual growth. The story depicts love as the initial reason for the arising of sins. On top of the mountain is the Earthly Paradise. If the soul is however going to reach it, depends on the choices one makes. - Dante Alighieri was an Italian poet, philosopher, language and political theorist, born in Florence in 1265. He is one of the best known poets of the Middle Ages and his masterpiece 'The Divine Comedy' is considered to be a representative of the medieval world-view. 'The Divine Comedy' and 'The New life' were written in vernacular, i.e. the speech variety that was used in everyday life. This made the literature accessible to most people and this is mainly why Dante is called 'The father of Italian language'. Dante’s life was divided by poetry and politics and the relationships between secular and religious authority were topics which were often depicted in his literary works."

Dante Alighieri (Author), Ben Onwukwe (Narrator)

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[Spanish] - La Divina Comedia

"La Divina Comedia es una de las obras señeras de la humanidad. Nadie hasta hoy ha logrado alcanzar las cumbres de la inspiración y la fantasía arrebatadora de que hace gala el genial florentino en su poema inmortal. Guiado por Virgilio y de la mano de Beatriz, su angelical enamorada, Dante canta con pavorosos acentos los horrores del Infierno y del Purgatorio, hasta alcanzar la dulce y armoniosa paz del Paraíso, donde su inspiración poética llega a su plenitud."

Dante Alighieri (Author), Staff Audiolibros Colección (Narrator)

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The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri

"The Divine Comedy describes Dante's descent into Hell with Virgil as a guide; his ascent of Mount Purgatory and encounter with his dead love, Beatrice; and finally, his arrival in Heaven. Examining questions of faith, desire and enlightenment, the poem is a brilliantly nuanced and moving allegory of human redemption. Dante Alighieri was born in Florence in 1265 and belonged to a noble but impoverished family. His life was divided by political duties and poetry, the most of famous of which was inspired by his meeting with Bice Portinari, whom he called Beatrice,including La Vita Nuova and The Divine Comedy. He died in Ravenna in 1321."

Dante Alighieri (Author), Dennis Wells Suzanne Fowler, June Sherman, Kris Welch, Malcolm Cameron, Mollie Sanders, Rina Riley Anis Marsh, Talia Morton (Narrator)

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The Divine Comedy: Inferno

"The most famous of the three canticles that compose The Divine Comedy, 'Inferno' describes Dante's descent into Hell midway through his life with Virgil as a guide. As he descends through nine concentric circles of increasingly agonizing torture, Dante encounters doomed souls that include the pagan Aeneas, the liar Odysseus, the suicidal Cleopatra, and his own political enemies, damned for their deceit. Led by leering demons, Dante must ultimately journey with Virgil to the deepest level of all—for it is only by encountering Satan himself, in the heart of Hell, that he can truly understand the tragedy of sin. This version of the classic poem is the translation by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the poem's first American translator."

Dante Alighieri (Author), James Langton (Narrator)

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The Divine Comedy

"The Divine Comedy (Italian: Commedia, later christened "Divina" by Giovanni Boccaccio), written by Dante Alighieri between 1308 and his death in 1321, is widely considered the central epic poem of Italian literature, the last great work of literature of the Middle Ages and the first great work of the Renaissance. A culmination of the medieval world-view of the afterlife, it establishes the Tuscan dialect in which it is written as the Italian standard, and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature. - The Divine Comedy is composed of three canticas (or "cantiche") - Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Paradise) - composed each of 33 cantos (or "canti"). The very first canto serves as an introduction to the poem and is generally not considered to be part of the first cantica, bringing the total number of cantos to 100. - The poet tells in the first person his travel through the three realms of the dead, lasting during the Easter Triduum in the spring of 1300. (Summary from Wikipedia)"

Dante Alighieri (Author), LibriVox Volunteers (Narrator)

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Inferno

"The Inferno is the first part of The Divine Comedy, Dante’s epic poem describing man's progress from hell to paradise. In it, the author is lost in a dark wood, threatened by wild beasts and unable to find the right path to salvation. Notable for its nine circles of hell, the poem vividly illustrates the poetic justice of punishments faced by earthly sinners. The Inferno is perhaps the most popular of the three books of The Divine Comedy, which is widely considered the preeminent work in Italian literature."

Dante Alighieri (Author), Charles Armstrong (Narrator)

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The Divine Comedy 1: Hell

"'Inferno' tells the story 'of those who have rejected spiritual values', of those who are lost and are unable to find the right way to salvation. It describes each sin and the corresponding punishment. It differentiates between Purgatory and Hell by presenting people begging for forgiveness and others willing to justify their sins. 'Inferno' represents the Christian soul who gets to see what it really is to commit a sin and what is to be expected in the afterlife. 'Inferno' is the first part of Dante Alighieri’s medieval poem 'The Divine Comedy' which was written in the period 1308-1320. It depicts the nine circles of Hell and Dante’s journey through them. - Dante Alighieri was an Italian poet, philosopher, language and political theorist, born in Florence in 1265. He is one of the best known poets of the Middle Ages and his masterpiece 'The Divine Comedy' is considered to be a representative of the medieval world-view. 'The Divine Comedy' and 'The New life' were written in vernacular, i.e. the speech variety that was used in everyday life. This made the literature accessible to most people and this is mainly why Dante is called 'The father of Italian language'. Dante’s life was divided by poetry and politics and the relationships between secular and religious authority were topics which were often depicted in his literary works."

Dante Alighieri (Author), Ben Onwukwe (Narrator)

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The Divine Comedy: Penguin Classics

"Brought to you by Penguin The Divine Comedy describes Dante's descent into Hell with Virgil as a guide; his ascent of Mount Purgatory and encounter with his dead love, Beatrice; and finally, his arrival in Heaven. Examining questions of faith, desire and enlightenment, the poem is a brilliantly nuanced and moving allegory of human redemption. This major translation, described by Bernard O'Donoghue as 'likely to be the best modern version of Dante', is published here for the first time in a single volume. (P) Penguin Audio 2020"

Dante Alighieri (Author), Jot Davies, Kristin Atherton, Robin Kirkpatrick (Narrator)

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The Divine Comedy: Inferno; Purgatorio; Paradiso

"Blake Ritson, David Warner, Hattie Morahan and John Hurt star in this BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of Dante's epic poem. Inferno: Thirty-five year old Dante finds himself in the middle of a dark wood, in extreme personal and spiritual crisis. Hope of rescue appears in the form of the venerable poet Virgil, now a shade himself, who offers to lead Dante on an odyssey through the afterlife, beginning in the terrifying depths of Hell. Purgatorio: Dante is led up Mount Purgatory by his guide. They encounter numerous souls who have embarked on the same difficult journey - one that will eventually lead to their spiritual salvation. Paradiso: Dante's journey comes to a glorious conclusion as he is led by Beatrice, through the spheres of Paradise and into the presence of God himself. As they ascend, they encounter a number of souls who have also achieved blessedness. Many years later, the older Dante reflects on the episodes from his life that have inspired his great poem. ©2014 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2014 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Dante Alighieri, Stephen Wyatt (Author), Blake Ritson, David Warner, Full Cast, Hattie Morahan, John Hurt (Narrator)

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The Divine Comedy

"The Divine Comedy is a narrative poem by Dante Alighieri that describes the the pilgrim Dante’s travels through Hell (Inferno), Purgatory (Purgatorio), and Paradise (Paradiso). This trio of books, or cantiche, is one example of the number three as a theme throughout the work. Each book consists of 33 cantos, which—added to an introductory canto—totals 100. Each cantica follows a pattern of nine phases plus one for a total of ten: nine circles of hell plus Lucifer, nine rings of Mount Purgatory plus the garden of Eden, nine celestial bodies of Paradise followed by the Empyrean essence of God. Widely considered the preeminent work in Italian literature, it helped establish the Tuscan language as the standardized Italian language. This edition follows the H.F. Cary English translation."

Dante Alighieri (Author), Charles Armstrong (Narrator)

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