Paradiso (Bantam Classics) Mass Market Paperback – January 1, 1986

How to even begin reviewing Dante's crown jewel to the three part Divine Comedy? An absolutely daunting task. But certainly Dante gave us much more than the Bible can tell us about heaven. He gave us a fantastic blinding light show of celestial symmetry complete with song and dance by angels and souls that made it to paradise. Some prominent souls Dante met in paradise were Adam the first man who fell from grace and began the adventure for mankind, and the king Solomon, whose excess and debauchery would have earned any other mortal a certain place in hell. But because they were were God's elect and they only had to do time in purgatory before gaining entry of paradise. So unless one is super Biblical savvy, informed in astronomy, well versed in Greek mythology and has paid attention in school to European and middle eastern history from ancient times to the 13th century, one will miss many gems in Dante's presentation of God's Alpha and Omega plan for mankind and His exquisite design of the universe. Underpinned by His unchanging laws of the nature or laws of classical physics, the stars and planets orbit in perfect rhythm and position. Complex as Dante's 33 cantos are, fear not because in The Paradiso, our excellent translator John Ciardi gave us wonderful notes to cross check. We also live in the age of Google and Wikipedia. Uncovering the background of that unfamiliar name of a person or place is only a few keystrokes on the keyboard away. Just like 9 descending strata of hell, and the slow ascent to the different heights of purgatory, Dante's paradise too is an interstellar journey across the planets and stars, each orbit with lights more blinding and celestial hymns more haunting than the previous as Dante zooms across space in light speed with his sweetheart Beatrice as guide. At some point, I began to the wonder if I was reading Dante's poetry and not actually reading astronomy and the law of physics written by someone who lived centuries before the appearance of people like Newton, Einstein and even Hawking. For those of us who love and know the Bible, Dante gave us the additional info on the Biblical characters by writing about his encounters with such eminent characters like the first man Adam, the blessed virgin Mary, Jesus' favourite disciple, Apostle John the eagle, and king Solomon just to name a few. Mysteries such as how did Adam remain in the garden of Eden, the language he spoke and the exact offence Adam angered God to give mankind the inheritance of the original sin. It is clearly evident that Catholicism was Dante's Christianity with the blessed Virgin Mary getting more ink and praise compared to her son Jesus. The protestant church did not exist during Dante's time since Martin Luther was still a futuristic figure by two hundred years. It was surprising to read Dante's brutal and scathing criticism of the papacy and the corruption of the Catholic church pre-Lutheran times. But maybe I shouldn't be surprised that discerning educated people like Dante and Luther, especially in the Latin language could cross check the actions of the Catholic church with the Latin Bible. I was also at first surprised theologically by Dante's strong advocate for predestination and God's favour for only His elect, a theology on God's grace we often associate with John Calvin, who also came roughly the same time as Martin Luther, which was 2 centuries after Dante. But I shouldn't be surprised if the Bible I read today is the same as the Latin Bible of Dante that contains the same clear messages that God saves only his elect and his criteria is only known by Him. It was interesting to read that people of olden times like Dante (lived 900 years ago) also grappled with questions like the fate of virtuous people who lived the earth and died without knowing Jesus. Much more widespread was ignorance of Jesus in olden times before the digital age of internet and when bibles were hand copied in a few languages, chiefly Latin. Accessibility to Jesus then was acutely reserved for monks and the educated who had their hands on the precious few hand copied of bibles in extremely limited circulation. Also the souls of babies who died too soon. Where do their souls go? Dante seized his chance to get answers from the higher powers and was comforted to know that God had reserved places for these ignorant virtuous souls and the babies that died too soon. But alas places in Heaven are limited to those God has elected and they are filling up even as I write this book review. Once the last throne is filled, the day of reckoning will be upon mankind and all will be revealed. We will see how close Dante's vision of hell, purgatory and paradiso are to the real thing. Paradiso was not rarefied air or a vacuum of darkness as Dante reached beyond the outermost of Primum Mobile to finally glimpse the orbit call Empyrean, reserved for the most exclusive club (called paradise) members like the blessed Mary and Abraham. Far from it, we find a universe bathed in Gods blinding rays of love emanating from the centre of the Empyrean (which encircles the Primum Mobile and all the other 9 orbits of paradiso). God's love represented by the ray of lights of the sun is the single force that holds the universe in perfect unchanging symmetry & balance, the future of mankind and the meaning of life and the universe. While Hawking may still be seeking his elusive "unifying theory" for the universe, Dante Alighieri has already revealed it to the world, nearly 900 years ago.

I have been grappling with Dante for many years and every time I turn back to the Divine Comedy I am once again hooked. I like this version because it is elegantly translated and has a modern touch that I find compelling (in comparison to Longfellow's, for example). I always prefer the translations that maintain rhyme and structure, although I have prose versions also for when I get confused.The introductions and summaries of each canto are minimal but helpful. I always use the on-line Shmoop commentaries that are much more detailed yet also light hearted and readable.If you studied the Inferno at college or high school .... I recommend completing the set. This version is a very good place to start.

Purchased as a requested gift for someone who read Inferno by Dante. He was very happy with it!

I truly enjoy reading the classics. However some classics must be translated. Some translations loose meaning since you can not translate word for word. Only the meanings can be translated and with the evolving English language sometimes words can have skewed definitions. John Ciardi is the best Dante translator I have read. Signet has done a good job at this price point. The Devine comedy is a book set that will expand your understanding on many uncannonized ideas. The Inferno (Signet Classics)The Paradiso (Signet Classics)The Purgatorio (Signet Classics)

As with the other two books of the Divine Comedy, Paradiso could be a stand alone work of literature in its own right. The Grande Finale of Dante's massive poem ends with a flourish and upholds the tradition of masterful writing set forth by Inferno and Purgatorio.This book should only truly be read upon completing Inferno and Purgatorio as many of the asides and relationships were first developed there. Allen Mandelbaum does a wonderful job of translating the poem but of also providing the reader with numerous notes and explanations on certain phrases or objects within the Cantos. This version is by far the easiest and most complete and can be enjoyed by both the casual and experienced reader.

Ciardi's is the best available English-language translation of Dante's Divine Comedy. The Paradiso far surpasses the literary quality of the two previous canti, which is a great achievement. Everyone who is interested in Italian literature, great literature, and/or Christian culture MUST read this book!

Beautiful translation and I really enjoy the original Italian/Latin text on the opposite page. I have read the Inferno and Purgatorio and Paradiso did not disappoint.