CONTENTS
Abbreviations, xv
Introduction, 2
PARADISO
CANTO 1
Notes to Canto 1
CANTO 2
Notes to Canto 2
CANTO 3
Notes to Canto 3
CANTO 4
Notes to Canto 4
CANTO 5
Notes to Canto 5
CANTO 6
Notes to Canto 6
CANTO 7
Notes to Canto 7
CANTO 8
Notes to Canto 8
CANTO 9
Notes to Canto 9
CANTO 10
Notes to Canto 10
CANTO 11
Notes to Canto 11
CANTO 12
Notes to Canto 12
CANTO 13
Notes to Canto 13
CANTO 14
Notes to Canto 14
CANTO 15
Notes to Canto 15
CANTO 16
Notes to Canto 16
CANTO 17
Notes to Canto 17
CANTO 18
Notes to Canto 18
CANTO 19
Notes to Canto 19
CANTO 20
Notes to Canto 20
CANTO 21
Notes to Canto 21
CANTO 22
Notes to Canto 22
CANTO 23
Notes to Canto 23
CANTO 24
Notes to Canto 24
CANTO 25
Notes to Canto 25
CANTO 26
Notes to Canto 26
CANTO 27
Notes to Canto 27
CANTO 28
Notes to Canto 28
CANTO 29
Notes to Canto 29
CANTO 30
Notes to Canto 30
CANTO 31
Notes to Canto 31
CANTO 32
Notes to Canto 32
CANTO 33
Notes to Canto 33
THE NICENE CREED
BOETHIUS' O QUI PERPETUA MUNDUM RATIONE GUBERNAS
Notes to "O qui perpetua'
ADDITIONAL NOTES
1. The Figure of Beatrice (After Canto 2)
2. The Paradiso and the Monarchia
3.The Primacy of the Intellect, the Sun, and the Circling Theologians (After Canto 14)
4. Dante and the Liturgy (After Canto 15)
5. The Religious Orders in the Paradiso
6. The Threshold Cantos in the Comedy
7. The Fate of Phaethon in the Comedy
8. Circle-Cross-Eagle-Scales: Images in the Paradiso
9. The Final Image
10. The Neoplatonic Background
11. Dante and Neoplatonism
12. Dante's Astrology
13. The Heavens and the Sciences: Convivio 2
14. The Paradiso as Alpha and Omega
Textual Variants
Bibliography
Index of Italian, Latin, and Other Foreign Words Discussed in the Notes
Index of Passages Cited in the Notes
Index of Proper Names in the Notes
Index of Proper Names in the Text and Translation

This first volume of Robert Durling's new translation of The Divine Comedy brings a new power and accuracy to the rendering of Dante's extraordinary vision of Hell, with all its terror, pathos, and humor. Remarkably true to both the letter and spirit of this central work of Western literature, Durling's is a prose translation (the first to appear in twenty-five years), and is thus free of the exigencies of meter and rhyme that hamper recent verse translations. As Durling notes, "the closely literal style is a conscious effort to convey in part the nature of Dante's Italian, notoriously craggy and difficult even for Italians." Rigorously accurate as to meaning, it is both clear and supple, while preserving to an unparalleled degree the order and emphases of Dante's complex syntax.
The Durling-Martinez Inferno is also user-friendly. The Italian text, newly edited, is printed on each verso page; the English mirrors it in such a way that readers can easily find themselves in relation to the original terza rima. Designed with the first-time reader of Dante in mind, the volume includes comprehensive notes and textual commentary by Martinez and Durling: both are life-long students of Dante and other medieval writers (their Purgatorio and Paradiso will appear next year). Their introduction is a small masterpiece of its kind in presenting lucidly and concisely the historical and conceptual background of the poem. Sixteen short essays are provided that offer new inquiry into such topics as the autobiographical nature of the poem, Dante's views on homosexuality, and the recurrent, problematic body analogy (Hell has a structure parallel to that of the human body). The extensive notes, containing much new material, explain the historical, literary, and doctrinal references, present what is known about the damned souls Dante meets --from the lovers who spend eternity in the whirlwind of their passion, to Count Ugolino, who perpetually gnaws at his enemy's skull--disentangle the vexed party politics of Guelfs and Ghibellines, illuminate difficult and disputed passages, and shed light on some of Dante's unresolved conflicts.
Robert Turner's illustrations include detailed maps of Italy and several of its regions, clearly labeled diagrams of the cosmos and the structure of Hell, and eight line drawings illustrating objects and places mentioned in the poem. With its exceptionally high standard of typography and design, the Durling-Martinez Inferno offers readers a solid cornerstone for any home library. It will set the standard for years to come.

Robert M. Durling is Professor Emeritus of Italian and English Literature at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His translation of Petrarch's Lyric Poetry (1976) has been widely acclaimed.
Ronald L. Martinez is Associate Professor of Italian at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. He is the author of articles on Dante, Boccaccio, Machiavelli, and Ariosto.
Robert Turner has been a professional illustrator since 1979; he is employed as a graphic artist in archaeology at the Museum of New Mexico in Santa Fe.