[Jim Moonan]

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I am an unlikely messenger to bring this to the attention of Dante devotees. I’ve never read the Divine Comedy. I have seen it often referred to here and elsewhere as imperative to understanding classical thought in context with other periods of literature/art.

To my surprise, Dante’s Divine Comedy has finally become clear to me through the balletic performance put forth in the Dante Project.

I’ve never felt such admiration for so many art forms combined to reincarnate the Divine Comedy. The staging, music, visuals, lighting and dance performances are living art of the highest kind. I guess it takes that much for me to finally see.

I’m not quite sure where to direct you so that you can see what I’m seeing. There are multiple links to the project, some of which must be paid for. Poke around and sample the waters. Find what you will.

It is one way to say goodbye to the year.


Here are some links to get you started:

The Royal Ballet rehearse The Dante Project


Inferno clip


Purgatorio clip


The Royal Ballet Dante Project review Bold, beautiful and bewildering


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[W T Clark]

Originally Posted by Jim Moonan

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I am an unlikely messenger to bring this to the attention of Dante devotees. I’ve never read the Divine Comedy. I have seen it often referred to here and elsewhere as imperative to understanding classical thought in context with other periods of literature/art.

Yes, but the much, much more important reason why you should read it is for its brilliance of language and psychology, and for some its spirituality, though, I have only appreciated the great light of the Paradiso stanzas in their emotional and fantastical sense, instead of being convinced by the medieval brutalist Christianity. It is a mad work of genius. I hope that this adaptation, which seems fittingly bold and experimental, will help to make a few more people buy a copy.
I finally got around to reading it this year and the major problem was finding a good enough translation that was accessible for me. In the end I settled for the Kirkpatrick translation, which does highlight some glean of Dante's brilliance; but there are others just as good, I think.
Read it. All of it.

[Jim Moonan]

"I finally got around to reading it this year and the major problem was finding a good enough translation that was accessible for me. In the end I settled for the Kirkpatrick translation, which does highlight some glean of Dante's brilliance; but there are others just as good, I think.
Read it. All of it."


Thanks Cameron. I'm on my way.

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