-
Dante's Purgatory
- A Study on Part II of the Divine Comedy
- Narrated by: Anthony Esolen PhD
- Length: 4 hrs and 20 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $15.56
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's summary
We know what happens in Hell.... But what about Purgatory?
Dante's Inferno revealed some titillating details about the punishments inflicted on sinners - but in a way, we already knew what happens to people in Hell. What we don't know is what happens to people who end up in Purgatory. In this second part of The Divine Comedy, Dante probes the mysteries of that strange and often misunderstood place between Earth and Heaven.
Climb the Mount
Purgatory is a place to work through - no one gets stuck there forever. The souls in Dante's Purgatory must climb up seven terraces on Mount Purgatory before they can reach Heaven. On these terraces, Dante and Virgil find:
• The prideful, who are forced into humility by heavy loads of stones on their backs
• The envious, whose eyes are sewn shut to prevent them from seeing the goods of others
• The wrathful, who climb through choking smoke that represents the blinding nature of anger
• The slothful, who engage in ceaseless activity to overcome their former laziness
• The covetous, who must lie face down on the ground for their attachment to earthly goods
• The gluttonous, who must starve in sight of unreachable fruit hanging from trees above them
• The lustful, who are purified by running through a wall of flame which represents God's pure love
Along the way, they are cleansed from the stains of sin by punishments which are like, and yet unlike, those suffered by the sinners in Hell. Here, the suffering souls glorify God and rejoice in their suffering, because they know it prepares them for the eternal bliss of Heaven.
A Real Place
Virgil and Dante discover the astonishing spiritual reality of Purgatory as they climb through the terraces on Mount Purgatory. Dante created a poetic vision which might be the best imaginative representation of Purgatory ever written. While his poem might not reflect the actual nature of Purgatory, his insights can help us understand it better.
Your Expert Guide
A celebrated translator and teacher of Dante, Professor Esolen interprets and describes the rich theological insights discovered by Dante on his journey up the mountain. Join Dante, Virgil, and Professor Esolen to continue the journey begun in the Inferno which will culminate in the ineffable beauty of Paradise.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Roots of Western Civilization
- The Ancient World From Gilgamesh to Augustine
- By: Anthony Esolen Ph.D.
- Narrated by: Anthony Esolen Ph.D.
- Length: 4 hrs and 16 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this course, Prof. Anthony Esolen will examine ancient Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome and Israel, seeing the disappointment and Messianic longing in the pagan Roman poet Virgil, and the fulfilled Messianic longing among the prophets and the inspired authors of the Old Testament. You will discover the ways in which the fulfillment of the person of Jesus Christ never ceases to surprise mankind, because it never ceases to contradict what fallen man accepts as great.
-
-
Great content but...
- By C.J. Destefani on 02-06-20
-
The Divine Comedy
- By: Clive James - translator, Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Renowned poet and critic Clive James presents the crowning achievement of his career: a monumental translation into English verse of Dante’s The Divine Comedy. The Divine Comedy is the precursor of modern literature, and this translation - decades in the making - gives us the entire epic as a single, coherent and compulsively listenable lyric poem. Written in the early 14th century and completed in 1321, the year of Dante’s death, The Divine Comedy is perhaps the greatest work of epic poetry ever composed.
-
-
Brilliant!
- By Tad Davis on 10-18-13
By: Clive James - translator, and others
-
Inferno
- The Divine Comedy, Book 1
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Joe Carlson
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Have you ever heard the sounds of Hell? Felt the darkness and the ice? Tasted the burnt air on your tongue? Dante’s Inferno will give you a flavor of the wretchedness of sin that you will never forget. The images and action that bring you down into the very center of judgment and consequence, into that eternal realm of woe, will stick to the ribcages of your mind, and change the way you see the world, the devil, and your own flesh.
By: Dante Alighieri
-
No Apologies
- Why Civilization Depends on the Strength of Men
- By: Anthony Esolen
- Narrated by: John McLain
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s time to end the apology tour for traditional masculinity. A generation of young men and boys are being raised in self-loathing, taught that the core of their identity as men is not only abhorrent but the fountainhead of humanity’s ills. In No Apologies, veteran author and professor Anthony Esolen issues a powerful defense of the virtues of masculine strength.
-
-
Most Important Book of 2022!
- By Daniel on 11-22-22
By: Anthony Esolen
-
The Inferno
- By: Dante, Robert Hollander - translator, Jean Hollander - translator
- Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
- Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The epic grandeur of Dante's masterpiece has inspired readers and listeners for 700 years and has entered the human imagination. But the further we move from the late medieval world of Dante, the more a rich understanding and enjoyment of the poem depends on knowledgeable guidance.
-
-
Into Hell
- By Adam on 10-25-19
By: Dante, and others
-
Nostalgia
- Going Home in a Homeless World
- By: Anthony Esolen
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alone among the creatures of the world, man suffers a pang both bitter and sweet. It is an ache for the homecoming. The Greeks called it nostalgia. Post-modern man, homeless almost by definition, cannot understand nostalgia. If he is a progressive, dreaming of a utopia to come, he dismisses it contemptuously, eager to bury a past he despises. If he is a reactionary, he sentimentalizes it, dreaming of a lost golden age. In this profound reflection, Anthony Esolen explores the true meaning of nostalgia and its place in the human heart.
-
-
Deep and thought provoking.
- By Holly Stockley on 04-24-19
By: Anthony Esolen
-
The Roots of Western Civilization
- The Ancient World From Gilgamesh to Augustine
- By: Anthony Esolen Ph.D.
- Narrated by: Anthony Esolen Ph.D.
- Length: 4 hrs and 16 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this course, Prof. Anthony Esolen will examine ancient Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome and Israel, seeing the disappointment and Messianic longing in the pagan Roman poet Virgil, and the fulfilled Messianic longing among the prophets and the inspired authors of the Old Testament. You will discover the ways in which the fulfillment of the person of Jesus Christ never ceases to surprise mankind, because it never ceases to contradict what fallen man accepts as great.
-
-
Great content but...
- By C.J. Destefani on 02-06-20
-
The Divine Comedy
- By: Clive James - translator, Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Renowned poet and critic Clive James presents the crowning achievement of his career: a monumental translation into English verse of Dante’s The Divine Comedy. The Divine Comedy is the precursor of modern literature, and this translation - decades in the making - gives us the entire epic as a single, coherent and compulsively listenable lyric poem. Written in the early 14th century and completed in 1321, the year of Dante’s death, The Divine Comedy is perhaps the greatest work of epic poetry ever composed.
-
-
Brilliant!
- By Tad Davis on 10-18-13
By: Clive James - translator, and others
-
Inferno
- The Divine Comedy, Book 1
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Joe Carlson
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Have you ever heard the sounds of Hell? Felt the darkness and the ice? Tasted the burnt air on your tongue? Dante’s Inferno will give you a flavor of the wretchedness of sin that you will never forget. The images and action that bring you down into the very center of judgment and consequence, into that eternal realm of woe, will stick to the ribcages of your mind, and change the way you see the world, the devil, and your own flesh.
By: Dante Alighieri
-
No Apologies
- Why Civilization Depends on the Strength of Men
- By: Anthony Esolen
- Narrated by: John McLain
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s time to end the apology tour for traditional masculinity. A generation of young men and boys are being raised in self-loathing, taught that the core of their identity as men is not only abhorrent but the fountainhead of humanity’s ills. In No Apologies, veteran author and professor Anthony Esolen issues a powerful defense of the virtues of masculine strength.
-
-
Most Important Book of 2022!
- By Daniel on 11-22-22
By: Anthony Esolen
-
The Inferno
- By: Dante, Robert Hollander - translator, Jean Hollander - translator
- Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
- Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The epic grandeur of Dante's masterpiece has inspired readers and listeners for 700 years and has entered the human imagination. But the further we move from the late medieval world of Dante, the more a rich understanding and enjoyment of the poem depends on knowledgeable guidance.
-
-
Into Hell
- By Adam on 10-25-19
By: Dante, and others
-
Nostalgia
- Going Home in a Homeless World
- By: Anthony Esolen
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alone among the creatures of the world, man suffers a pang both bitter and sweet. It is an ache for the homecoming. The Greeks called it nostalgia. Post-modern man, homeless almost by definition, cannot understand nostalgia. If he is a progressive, dreaming of a utopia to come, he dismisses it contemptuously, eager to bury a past he despises. If he is a reactionary, he sentimentalizes it, dreaming of a lost golden age. In this profound reflection, Anthony Esolen explores the true meaning of nostalgia and its place in the human heart.
-
-
Deep and thought provoking.
- By Holly Stockley on 04-24-19
By: Anthony Esolen
-
Paradise: From The Divine Comedy
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Heathcote Williams
- Length: 4 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Led by his guide, Beatrice, Dante leaves the Earth behind and soars through the heavenly spheres of Paradise. In this third and final part of The Divine Comedy, he encounters the just rulers and holy saints of the Church. The horrors of Inferno and the trials of Purgatory are left far behind. Ultimately, in Paradise, Dante is granted a vision of God’s Heavenly court: the angels, the Blessed Virgin, and God Himself.
-
-
Outstanding
- By Brad on 09-05-11
By: Dante Alighieri
-
The Divine Comedy
- Inferno; Purgatorio; Paradiso
- By: Dante Alighieri, Stephen Wyatt
- Narrated by: Blake Ritson, John Hurt, David Warner, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 50 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Revisiting the land of the dead
- By Adeliese Baumann on 10-21-16
By: Dante Alighieri, and others
-
Inferno
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Charles Armstrong
- Length: 4 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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 dark woods, 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.
-
-
epic poem
- By Amazon Customer on 09-23-22
By: Dante Alighieri
-
The Divine Comedy
- Penguin Classics
- By: Robin Kirkpatrick - translator, Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Jot Davies, Robin Kirkpatrick, Kristin Atherton
- Length: 17 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Divine Comedy describes Dante's descent into Hell with Virgil as a guide, his ascent of Mount Purgatory and his 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 is published here for the first time in a single volume.
-
-
Solid, read with gusto
- By Tad Davis on 11-15-20
By: Robin Kirkpatrick - translator, and others
-
The Medieval Mind of C.S. Lewis
- How Great Books Shaped a Great Mind
- By: Jason M Baxter
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 5 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
C. S. Lewis had one of the great minds of the 20th century. Many know Lewis as an author of fiction and fantasy literature, including the Chronicles of Narnia and the Space Trilogy. Others know him for his books in apologetics, including Mere Christianity and The Problem of Pain. But few know him for his scholarly work as a professor of medieval and Renaissance literature. What shaped the mind of this great thinker?
-
-
Excellent
- By andrew wilson smith on 03-08-22
By: Jason M Baxter
-
Paradise Lost
- By: John Milton
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Milton's Paradise Lost is one of the greatest epic poems in the English language. It tells the story of the Fall of Man, a tale of immense drama and excitement, of rebellion and treachery, of innocence pitted against corruption, in which God and Satan fight a bitter battle for control of mankind's destiny.
-
-
The most accessible reading of Paradise Lost
- By Tony McClung on 02-21-10
By: John Milton
-
The Iliad of Homer
- By: Elizabeth Vandiver, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Vandiver
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For thousands of years, Homer's ancient epic poem the
Iliad has enchanted readers from around the world. When you join Professor Vandiver for this lecture series on the Iliad, you'll come to understand what has enthralled and gripped so many people. Her compelling 12-lecture look at this literary masterpiece -whether it's the work of many authors or the "vision" of a single blind poet - makes it vividly clear why, after almost 3,000 years, the
Iliad remains not only among the greatest adventure stories ever told but also one of the most compelling meditations on the human condition ever written.
-
-
Vandiver never disappoints
- By Machteacher on 07-23-13
By: Elizabeth Vandiver, and others
-
Tending the Heart of Virtue
- How Classic Stories Awaken a Child's Moral Imagination, 2nd edition
- By: Vigen Guroian
- Narrated by: Daniel Thomas May
- Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Tending the Heart of Virtue, Vigen Guroian illuminates the power of classic tales and their impact on the moral imagination. He demonstrates how these stories teach the virtues through vivid depictions of the struggle between good and evil, while he also unveils components of the good, the true, and the beautiful in plot and character. With clarity and elegance, Guroian reads deeply into the classic stories.
-
-
So many wonderful suggestions for parents
- By Adrienne p on 11-08-23
By: Vigen Guroian
-
Dante's Divine Comedy
- A Guide for the Spiritual Journey
- By: Mark Vernon
- Narrated by: Mark Vernon
- Length: 17 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dante Alighieri was early in recognizing that our age has a problem. His hometown, Florence, was at the epicenter of the move from the medieval world to the modern. The Divine Comedy was born in a time of troubling transition, which is why it still speaks today. In this narrative retelling and guide, from the gates of hell, up the mountain of purgatory, to the empyrean of paradise, Mark Vernon offers a vivid introduction and interpretation of a book that, 700 years on, continues to open minds and change lives.
-
-
An Inversion of Dante
- By A.B.D. on 09-24-22
By: Mark Vernon
-
The Knowledge of the Holy
- By: A. W. Tozer
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 5 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What is the nature of God? How can we recapture a real sense of God's majesty and truly live in the Spirit? This beloved book, a modern classic of Christian testimony and devotion, addresses these and other vital questions, showing us how we can rejuvenate our prayer life, meditate more reverently, understand God more deeply, and experience God's presence in our daily lives.
-
-
Once again, Tozer's Message...
- By Douglas on 04-21-13
By: A. W. Tozer
-
The Consolation of Philosophy
- By: Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius
- Narrated by: David Rintoul
- Length: 4 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Consolation of Philosophy is one of the key works in the rich tradition of Western philosophy, partly because of the circumstances in which it was written. Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius (c480-c524) was of aristocratic Roman birth and became consul and then master of offices at Ravenna, one of the highest posts under the Ostrogothic Roman ruler Theodoric. But Boethius was unjustly charged with treason in 524, and this led to house arrest, then torture and execution.
-
-
A Self-Help Bestseller since 524 AD
- By John on 01-25-17
-
Planet Narnia
- The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C. S. Lewis
- By: Michael Ward
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For over half a century, scholars have labored to show that C. S. Lewis' famed but apparently disorganized Chronicles of Narnia have an underlying symbolic coherence, pointing to such possible unifying themes as the seven sacraments, the seven deadly sins, and the seven books of Spenser's Faerie Queene. None of these explanations has won general acceptance, and the structure of Narnia's symbolism has remained a mystery.
-
-
Fascinating
- By Charles on 07-29-19
By: Michael Ward
Related to this topic
-
The Inferno of Dante
- A New Verse Translation by Robert Pinsky
- By: Dante Alighieri, Robert Pinsky - translator
- Narrated by: Seamus Heaney, Frank Bidart, Louise Glück, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This critically acclaimed translation was awarded the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Poetry and the Harold Morton Landon Translation Award given by the Academy of American Poets. Well versed, rapid, and various in style, the Inferno is narrated by Pinsky and three other leading poets: Seamus Heaney, Frank Bidart, and Louise Glück.
-
-
A great translation of the epic.
- By craig on 09-14-15
By: Dante Alighieri, and others
-
Primitive Mythology
- The Masks of God Series, Volume I
- By: Joseph Campbell, David Kudler - editor
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 19 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The author of such acclaimed books as The Hero With a Thousand Faces and The Power of Myth discusses the primitive roots of mythology, examining them in light of the most recent discoveries in archaeology, anthropology, and psychology.
-
-
Epic speculation into the origins of our mythic consciousness
- By BGZ on 01-10-19
By: Joseph Campbell, and others
-
Paradise: From The Divine Comedy
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Heathcote Williams
- Length: 4 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Led by his guide, Beatrice, Dante leaves the Earth behind and soars through the heavenly spheres of Paradise. In this third and final part of The Divine Comedy, he encounters the just rulers and holy saints of the Church. The horrors of Inferno and the trials of Purgatory are left far behind. Ultimately, in Paradise, Dante is granted a vision of God’s Heavenly court: the angels, the Blessed Virgin, and God Himself.
-
-
Outstanding
- By Brad on 09-05-11
By: Dante Alighieri
-
The Confessions
- The Works of Saint Augustine: A Translation for the 21st Century
- By: St. Augustine
- Narrated by: Various
- Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Confessions by Saint Augustine is considered an all-time number one Christian classic. Augustine undertook his greatest piece of writing with the conviction that God wanted him to make this confession. The Confessions is, in fact, an extended poetic, passionate, intimate prayer.
-
-
Reading is by 13 Consecutive Amateurs
- By Horkstow Grange on 01-16-21
By: St. Augustine
-
Dante's Divine Comedy
- A Guide for the Spiritual Journey
- By: Mark Vernon
- Narrated by: Mark Vernon
- Length: 17 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dante Alighieri was early in recognizing that our age has a problem. His hometown, Florence, was at the epicenter of the move from the medieval world to the modern. The Divine Comedy was born in a time of troubling transition, which is why it still speaks today. In this narrative retelling and guide, from the gates of hell, up the mountain of purgatory, to the empyrean of paradise, Mark Vernon offers a vivid introduction and interpretation of a book that, 700 years on, continues to open minds and change lives.
-
-
An Inversion of Dante
- By A.B.D. on 09-24-22
By: Mark Vernon
-
The Greek Way
- By: Edith Hamilton
- Narrated by: Nadia May
- Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Based on a thorough study of Greek life and civilization, of Greek literature, philosophy, and art, The Greek Way interprets their meaning and brings a realization of the refuge and strength the past can be to us in the troubled present. Miss Hamilton's book must take its place with the few interpretative volumes which are permanently rooted and profoundly alive in our literature.
-
-
...Not as Good as The Echo of Greece
- By The Masked Reviewer on 11-04-16
By: Edith Hamilton
-
The Inferno of Dante
- A New Verse Translation by Robert Pinsky
- By: Dante Alighieri, Robert Pinsky - translator
- Narrated by: Seamus Heaney, Frank Bidart, Louise Glück, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This critically acclaimed translation was awarded the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Poetry and the Harold Morton Landon Translation Award given by the Academy of American Poets. Well versed, rapid, and various in style, the Inferno is narrated by Pinsky and three other leading poets: Seamus Heaney, Frank Bidart, and Louise Glück.
-
-
A great translation of the epic.
- By craig on 09-14-15
By: Dante Alighieri, and others
-
Primitive Mythology
- The Masks of God Series, Volume I
- By: Joseph Campbell, David Kudler - editor
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 19 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The author of such acclaimed books as The Hero With a Thousand Faces and The Power of Myth discusses the primitive roots of mythology, examining them in light of the most recent discoveries in archaeology, anthropology, and psychology.
-
-
Epic speculation into the origins of our mythic consciousness
- By BGZ on 01-10-19
By: Joseph Campbell, and others
-
Paradise: From The Divine Comedy
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Heathcote Williams
- Length: 4 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Led by his guide, Beatrice, Dante leaves the Earth behind and soars through the heavenly spheres of Paradise. In this third and final part of The Divine Comedy, he encounters the just rulers and holy saints of the Church. The horrors of Inferno and the trials of Purgatory are left far behind. Ultimately, in Paradise, Dante is granted a vision of God’s Heavenly court: the angels, the Blessed Virgin, and God Himself.
-
-
Outstanding
- By Brad on 09-05-11
By: Dante Alighieri
-
The Confessions
- The Works of Saint Augustine: A Translation for the 21st Century
- By: St. Augustine
- Narrated by: Various
- Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Confessions by Saint Augustine is considered an all-time number one Christian classic. Augustine undertook his greatest piece of writing with the conviction that God wanted him to make this confession. The Confessions is, in fact, an extended poetic, passionate, intimate prayer.
-
-
Reading is by 13 Consecutive Amateurs
- By Horkstow Grange on 01-16-21
By: St. Augustine
-
Dante's Divine Comedy
- A Guide for the Spiritual Journey
- By: Mark Vernon
- Narrated by: Mark Vernon
- Length: 17 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dante Alighieri was early in recognizing that our age has a problem. His hometown, Florence, was at the epicenter of the move from the medieval world to the modern. The Divine Comedy was born in a time of troubling transition, which is why it still speaks today. In this narrative retelling and guide, from the gates of hell, up the mountain of purgatory, to the empyrean of paradise, Mark Vernon offers a vivid introduction and interpretation of a book that, 700 years on, continues to open minds and change lives.
-
-
An Inversion of Dante
- By A.B.D. on 09-24-22
By: Mark Vernon
-
The Greek Way
- By: Edith Hamilton
- Narrated by: Nadia May
- Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Based on a thorough study of Greek life and civilization, of Greek literature, philosophy, and art, The Greek Way interprets their meaning and brings a realization of the refuge and strength the past can be to us in the troubled present. Miss Hamilton's book must take its place with the few interpretative volumes which are permanently rooted and profoundly alive in our literature.
-
-
...Not as Good as The Echo of Greece
- By The Masked Reviewer on 11-04-16
By: Edith Hamilton
-
Paradise Lost
- By: John Milton
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Milton's Paradise Lost is one of the greatest epic poems in the English language. It tells the story of the Fall of Man, a tale of immense drama and excitement, of rebellion and treachery, of innocence pitted against corruption, in which God and Satan fight a bitter battle for control of mankind's destiny.
-
-
The most accessible reading of Paradise Lost
- By Tony McClung on 02-21-10
By: John Milton
-
Nature
- By: Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Narrated by: Phil Paonessa
- Length: 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This version of Nature is an 1843 revision to the popular essay written and published in 1836. In the original essay, Emerson put forth the foundation of transcendentalism and suggested that reality can be understood by studying nature. Within the essay, Emerson divides nature into four usages: commodity, beauty, language and discipline. These distinctions define how humans use nature for their basic needs, their desire for delight, their communication with one another, and their understanding of the world.
-
-
Beautiful Classic, rushed reading
- By Chris C. on 01-07-21
-
The God Who Weeps
- How Mormonism Makes Sense of Life
- By: Terryl Givens, Fiona Givens
- Narrated by: Fiona Givens
- Length: 6 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"Whether by design or by chance," Terryl and Fiona Givens write, "we find ourselves in a universe filled with mystery. We encounter appealing arguments for a Divinity that is a childish projection, for prophets as scheming or deluded imposters, and for scripture as so much fabulous fiction. But there is also compelling evidence that a glorious Divinity presides over the cosmos, that His angels are strangers we have entertained unawares, and that His word and will are made manifest through a sacred canon that is never definitively closed."
-
-
So engaging that I listened to it twice
- By Douglas on 01-02-14
By: Terryl Givens, and others
-
Asian Journals
- India and Japan (The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell)
- By: Joseph Campbell
- Narrated by: Fred Stella
- Length: 26 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the beginning of his career, Joseph Campbell developed a lasting fascination with the cultures of the Far East, and explorations of Buddhist and Hindu philosophy later became recurring motifs in his vast body of work. However, Campbell had to wait until middle age to visit the lands that inspired him so deeply. In 1954, he took a sabbatical from his teaching position and embarked on a year-long voyage through India, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and finally Japan.
-
-
What a journey!
- By Anonymous User on 08-11-18
By: Joseph Campbell
-
The Renaissance
- Studies in Art and Poetry
- By: Walter Pater
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Published to great acclaim in 1873, Walter Pater’s compendium of idiosyncratic, impressionistic essays on the Renaissance gained him a reputation as a daring modern philosopher. Oscar Wilde called it the “holy writ of beauty.” It was Pater’s cry of “art for art’s sake” that became the manifesto for the aesthetic movement. He believed that art should be sensual and that beauty should rank as the highest ideal. Marked by elegant fluency, Pater’s essays discuss Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and other artists who, for him, embodied the spirit of the Renaissance.
-
-
Wanda McCaddon and Pater = 😍
- By Tyler on 02-01-21
By: Walter Pater
-
Nostalgia
- Going Home in a Homeless World
- By: Anthony Esolen
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alone among the creatures of the world, man suffers a pang both bitter and sweet. It is an ache for the homecoming. The Greeks called it nostalgia. Post-modern man, homeless almost by definition, cannot understand nostalgia. If he is a progressive, dreaming of a utopia to come, he dismisses it contemptuously, eager to bury a past he despises. If he is a reactionary, he sentimentalizes it, dreaming of a lost golden age. In this profound reflection, Anthony Esolen explores the true meaning of nostalgia and its place in the human heart.
-
-
Deep and thought provoking.
- By Holly Stockley on 04-24-19
By: Anthony Esolen
-
When Poets Pray
- By: Marilyn McEntyre
- Narrated by: Tanya Eby
- Length: 3 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two dozen select prayer poems to learn from and live with. Poetry and prayer are closely related. We often look to poets to give language to our deepest hopes, fears, losses - and prayers. Poets slow us down. They teach us to stop and go in before we go on. They play at the edges of mystery, holding a tension between line and sentence, between sense and reason, between the transcendent, and the deeply, comfortingly familiar. When Poets Pray contains thoughtful meditations by Marilyn McEntyre on choice poems/prayers and poems about prayer.
-
-
Enjoyed greatly!
- By Marsh Family on 04-01-20
By: Marilyn McEntyre
-
De Profundis
- By: Oscar Wilde
- Narrated by: David McCallion
- Length: 1 hr and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At its heart, De Profundis is a love letter and is better known as the De Profundis papers. Written in 1897, while Oscar Wilde was imprisoned in Reading Gaol, De Profundis would become one of his best-known works. The papers include Wilde's account of living a lavish lifestyle and his relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas, both of which he credited for his eventual downfall and imprisonment. The second half of the papers is Wilde's account of prison life and his spiritual awakening.
-
-
This Work Really Is Wilde Going Off...
- By James E. Lytle on 05-16-21
By: Oscar Wilde
-
Nature
- By: Sam Torode - foreword, Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Narrated by: Sam Torode
- Length: 1 hr and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Nature" is perhaps the greatest original work of philosophy written by an American. This specially-prepared edition includes a foreword on the origin and significance the book.
By: Sam Torode - foreword, and others
-
The Pursuit of God
- By: A. W. Tozer
- Narrated by: Mark Moseley
- Length: 3 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
During a train trip from Chicago to Texas in the late 1940s, A.W. Tozer began to write The Pursuit of God. He wrote all night, and when the train arrived at his destination, the rough draft was done. The depth of this book has made it an enduring favorite.
-
-
A Mature Theology
- By Douglas on 04-18-13
By: A. W. Tozer
-
Fear and Trembling
- By: Søren Kierkegaard
- Narrated by: Mark Meadows
- Length: 4 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the perspective of an unbeliever, Fear and Trembling explores the paradox of faith, the nature of Christianity, and the complexity of human emotion. Kierkegaard examines the biblical story of Abraham, who was instructed to sacrifice his son Isaac, and forces us to consider Abraham's state of mind. What drove Abraham, and what made him carry out such an absurd and extreme request from God? Kierkegaard argues that Abraham's agreement to sacrifice Isaac, and his suspension of reason, elevated him to the highest level of faith.
-
-
Great book and Formidable Narration
- By MFC on 03-06-20
-
Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea
- Why the Greeks Matter
- By: Thomas Cahill
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best selling history writer Thomas Cahill continues his series on the roots of Western civilization with this volume about the contributions of ancient Greece to the development of contemporary culture. Tracing the origin of Greek culture in the migrations of armed Indo-European horsemen into Attica and the Peloponnesian peninsula, he follows their progress into the creation of the Greek city-states, the refinement of their machinery of war, and the flowering of intellectual and artistic culture.
-
-
Super super
- By Richard on 12-28-03
By: Thomas Cahill
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Dante's Inferno
- A Study on Part I of The Divine Comedy
- By: Anthony Esolen PhD
- Narrated by: Anthony Esolen PhD
- Length: 4 hrs and 38 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With Professor Esolen you will enter the terrible gates of Hell and progress level by infernal level to its diabolical depths. Professor Esolen places a special emphasis on the drama of the poem, leading you through each canto in succession. Professor Esolen will more than satisfy your curiosity about Hell and the fate of the damned. He will reveal in all its starkness the horror of sin and awaken in your heart a longing for divine love.
-
-
THIS IS A LECTURER
- By Amazon Customer on 05-22-21
-
The Divine Comedy
- Penguin Classics
- By: Robin Kirkpatrick - translator, Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Jot Davies, Robin Kirkpatrick, Kristin Atherton
- Length: 17 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Divine Comedy describes Dante's descent into Hell with Virgil as a guide, his ascent of Mount Purgatory and his 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 is published here for the first time in a single volume.
-
-
Solid, read with gusto
- By Tad Davis on 11-15-20
By: Robin Kirkpatrick - translator, and others
-
The Inferno
- By: Dante, Robert Hollander - translator, Jean Hollander - translator
- Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
- Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The epic grandeur of Dante's masterpiece has inspired readers and listeners for 700 years and has entered the human imagination. But the further we move from the late medieval world of Dante, the more a rich understanding and enjoyment of the poem depends on knowledgeable guidance.
-
-
Into Hell
- By Adam on 10-25-19
By: Dante, and others
-
The Divine Comedy
- Inferno; Purgatorio; Paradiso
- By: Dante Alighieri, Stephen Wyatt
- Narrated by: Blake Ritson, John Hurt, David Warner, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 50 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Revisiting the land of the dead
- By Adeliese Baumann on 10-21-16
By: Dante Alighieri, and others
-
The Iliad of Homer
- By: Elizabeth Vandiver, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Vandiver
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For thousands of years, Homer's ancient epic poem the
Iliad has enchanted readers from around the world. When you join Professor Vandiver for this lecture series on the Iliad, you'll come to understand what has enthralled and gripped so many people. Her compelling 12-lecture look at this literary masterpiece -whether it's the work of many authors or the "vision" of a single blind poet - makes it vividly clear why, after almost 3,000 years, the
Iliad remains not only among the greatest adventure stories ever told but also one of the most compelling meditations on the human condition ever written.
-
-
Vandiver never disappoints
- By Machteacher on 07-23-13
By: Elizabeth Vandiver, and others
-
The Divine Comedy
- By: Clive James - translator, Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Renowned poet and critic Clive James presents the crowning achievement of his career: a monumental translation into English verse of Dante’s The Divine Comedy. The Divine Comedy is the precursor of modern literature, and this translation - decades in the making - gives us the entire epic as a single, coherent and compulsively listenable lyric poem. Written in the early 14th century and completed in 1321, the year of Dante’s death, The Divine Comedy is perhaps the greatest work of epic poetry ever composed.
-
-
Brilliant!
- By Tad Davis on 10-18-13
By: Clive James - translator, and others
-
Dante's Inferno
- A Study on Part I of The Divine Comedy
- By: Anthony Esolen PhD
- Narrated by: Anthony Esolen PhD
- Length: 4 hrs and 38 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With Professor Esolen you will enter the terrible gates of Hell and progress level by infernal level to its diabolical depths. Professor Esolen places a special emphasis on the drama of the poem, leading you through each canto in succession. Professor Esolen will more than satisfy your curiosity about Hell and the fate of the damned. He will reveal in all its starkness the horror of sin and awaken in your heart a longing for divine love.
-
-
THIS IS A LECTURER
- By Amazon Customer on 05-22-21
-
The Divine Comedy
- Penguin Classics
- By: Robin Kirkpatrick - translator, Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Jot Davies, Robin Kirkpatrick, Kristin Atherton
- Length: 17 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Divine Comedy describes Dante's descent into Hell with Virgil as a guide, his ascent of Mount Purgatory and his 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 is published here for the first time in a single volume.
-
-
Solid, read with gusto
- By Tad Davis on 11-15-20
By: Robin Kirkpatrick - translator, and others
-
The Inferno
- By: Dante, Robert Hollander - translator, Jean Hollander - translator
- Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
- Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The epic grandeur of Dante's masterpiece has inspired readers and listeners for 700 years and has entered the human imagination. But the further we move from the late medieval world of Dante, the more a rich understanding and enjoyment of the poem depends on knowledgeable guidance.
-
-
Into Hell
- By Adam on 10-25-19
By: Dante, and others
-
The Divine Comedy
- Inferno; Purgatorio; Paradiso
- By: Dante Alighieri, Stephen Wyatt
- Narrated by: Blake Ritson, John Hurt, David Warner, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 50 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Revisiting the land of the dead
- By Adeliese Baumann on 10-21-16
By: Dante Alighieri, and others
-
The Iliad of Homer
- By: Elizabeth Vandiver, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Vandiver
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For thousands of years, Homer's ancient epic poem the
Iliad has enchanted readers from around the world. When you join Professor Vandiver for this lecture series on the Iliad, you'll come to understand what has enthralled and gripped so many people. Her compelling 12-lecture look at this literary masterpiece -whether it's the work of many authors or the "vision" of a single blind poet - makes it vividly clear why, after almost 3,000 years, the
Iliad remains not only among the greatest adventure stories ever told but also one of the most compelling meditations on the human condition ever written.
-
-
Vandiver never disappoints
- By Machteacher on 07-23-13
By: Elizabeth Vandiver, and others
-
The Divine Comedy
- By: Clive James - translator, Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Renowned poet and critic Clive James presents the crowning achievement of his career: a monumental translation into English verse of Dante’s The Divine Comedy. The Divine Comedy is the precursor of modern literature, and this translation - decades in the making - gives us the entire epic as a single, coherent and compulsively listenable lyric poem. Written in the early 14th century and completed in 1321, the year of Dante’s death, The Divine Comedy is perhaps the greatest work of epic poetry ever composed.
-
-
Brilliant!
- By Tad Davis on 10-18-13
By: Clive James - translator, and others
What listeners say about Dante's Purgatory
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Eclectic Reader
- 05-06-19
Wonderful lectures!!!
I am a Protestant believer and after reading three different translations of The Divine Comedy (including Professor Esolen's), I was having an especially difficult time understanding and sympathizing with Dante's Purgatory. How should I approach this poem about existence in a place many Protestants believe is a mistake in theology? Professor Esolen's lectures helped tremendously.
His lectures skillfully integrate literary explication and analysis, theology, history, biography, philosophy, cultural criticism, and personal observations and insights. And he does this smoothly, clearly, and enthusiastically (I would LOVE to take his classes; these lectures, I suppose are the next best thing). You might expect this breadth of knowledge and subtle understanding from someone who has translated the Comedy, but that he can lecture about the poem so gracefully, earnestly and persuasively is amazing (think about the lectures you might have had to sit through in your college experience).
The lectures were especially valuable because Professor Esolen is able to explain how to understand Dante's spiritual journey in the light of Roman Catholic beliefs and showed me the faultiness of some ideas I had about them. But even if you have no interest in religion, Professor Esolen's lectures will help you understand the people, places, events, history and ideas in the Comedy and how they weave together in this great work.
The day I finished listening to the lectures on Purgatory (I listened to them in two days and KNOW I will be listening to them again many times--more slowly--as I reread the poem), I ordered the lectures on Inferno and Paradise.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kindle Customer
- 07-09-21
Dr Esolen is a marvelous guide
Dante is difficult. poetry is difficult for me. I love the adventure. There is zest in the telling of the story. it is us.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- rh
- 05-27-22
An otherworldly poem brought down to earth
I have difficulty reading classical poems like this. I loved it and learned a lot. Looking forward to Paradiso.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Todd Hauter
- 07-04-20
Esolen is my Virgil
So grateful these courses are on Audible. Anthony Esolen is marvelous. I've enjoyed how he unpacks Dante's beautiful work.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- GBO
- 03-27-22
Excellent and inspiring!
Dr. Esolen does a magnificent job taking a complicated work and making it truly accessible to all. Like most people, I’m most familiar with the Inferno, but give this course a listen and I’m betting that the Purgatorio will become your new favorite. The insights provided are truly inspiring — it is the “most earthly” of the canticles and the one that is most applicable to our lives today. Listen with your ears and your heart, and you’ll see how this poem can truly change your life.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mom
- 06-04-19
great course to understand Purgatory
great insight into truly understanding Purgatory...not at a merely academic level but the spiritual level which Dante was writing for...not with modern slant or sensationalism. If you've never read The Divine Comedy, this is a marvelous companion to bring it to life (unlike the more academic Great Course and my least favorite modern Scholar course).
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Curt
- 01-26-20
Remarkable.
Purgatory is another beautiful part of the Divine Comedy, and I can think of no better person to present a commentary on this amazing work than Anthony Esolen. Wonderful scholar and excellent teacher. For those pursuing the heights of human literature, this is a must listen. Everyone no matter what level of education can draw a rich reward from this. It is more than worth the time investment.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 07-20-21
Superb lecture
Tony Esolen is a terrific lecturer, particularly on Dante, as he is so familiar with the poem...
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Carlos Andres Alvarez
- 01-04-23
Passionate storytelling
The narrator gives us a deep and passionate analysis that propels you to read the text with urgency and humility.
Highly recommend
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!