The Divine Comedy cover art

The Divine Comedy

Penguin Classics

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 Months Free

$8.99/month after 3 months. Cancel anytime.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 29 July 2026 at 11:59 AEST.
More purchase options

The Divine Comedy

By: Dante Alighieri, Robin Kirkpatrick - translator
Narrated by: Kristin Atherton, Jot Davies, Robin Kirkpatrick
Get this deal

$8.99/month after 3 months. Cancel anytime. Offer ends on 29 July 2026 at 11:59 AEST.

Buy Now for $24.11

Buy Now for $24.11

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

 Ancient, Classical & Medieval Literature Death, Grief & Loss Epic European Poetry Themes & Styles World Literature Classics Italy
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic Reviews

The perfect balance of tightness and colloquialism . . . Likely to be the best modern version of Dante (Bernard O'Donoghue)
Kirkpatrick brings a more nuanced sense of the Italian and a more mediated appreciation of the poem's construction than nearly all of his competitors
We gain much from Kirkpatrick's fidelity to syntax and nuance... His introduction...tells you, very readable indeed, pretty much all you need for a heightened appreciation of the work
All stars
Most relevant
While the story itself is brilliant the excessively dramatic narration made is version painful to listen to. I get he's trying bring flare to the reading but in this case it detracted from the experience and made it almost seem a parody of itself.

Great story, excruciating performance.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.