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A review by stewardii
Purgatory: Dante's Divine Trilogy Part Two. Decorated and Englished in Prosaic Verse by Alasdair Gray by Dante Alighieri
challenging
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Here’s a quote - perhaps the most famous quote - from Lanark:
"Glasgow is a magnificent city," said McAlpin. "Why do we hardly ever notice that?"
“Because nobody imagines living here… think of Florence, Paris, London, New York. Nobody visiting them for the first time is a stranger because he's already visited them in paintings, novels, history books and films.”
Although I hadn’t read Inferno prior to this translation, I was no stranger to Dante’s Hell. I had no idea what Dante’s Purgatory looked like, though, so had a good degree of initial intrigue which sustained me for the first half or so.
But it became clear that it was really a retread of Inferno, with penitent souls purging the same sins we’d read about those suffering for. It’s no surprise to me that this is generally considered the weakest third of The Divine Comedy. There‘s also little room for Gray-ism, so it ultimately feels like a tight translation of a less extraordinary work.
"Glasgow is a magnificent city," said McAlpin. "Why do we hardly ever notice that?"
“Because nobody imagines living here… think of Florence, Paris, London, New York. Nobody visiting them for the first time is a stranger because he's already visited them in paintings, novels, history books and films.”
Although I hadn’t read Inferno prior to this translation, I was no stranger to Dante’s Hell. I had no idea what Dante’s Purgatory looked like, though, so had a good degree of initial intrigue which sustained me for the first half or so.
But it became clear that it was really a retread of Inferno, with penitent souls purging the same sins we’d read about those suffering for. It’s no surprise to me that this is generally considered the weakest third of The Divine Comedy. There‘s also little room for Gray-ism, so it ultimately feels like a tight translation of a less extraordinary work.