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This book is a psychological reading, emphasizing Dante’s universality. The Jungian concept of the “night journey,” the descent into the darkest areas of the self and of human nature, which is the precondition for spiritual growth, informs Dante’s journey through the three realms of the afterlife. Personal testimony about despair and recovery stands side by side with detailed close readings of much-discussed passages.
“Alan Williamson, a notable poet, has an unparalleled feel for Dante’s great work. His book is an adventure—a marvelous and learned guide for the descent into shadowed places and for the gradual ascent from despair into illumination. Through his own deep sympathy and excellent writing, Williamson is marvelous company on that celebrated road. His work deepened my understanding of Dante and of my own life.” – John Tarrant, Director, Pacific Zen Institute, and the author of The Light Inside the Dark and Bring Me the Rhinoceros
Alan Williamson is the author of numerous books of poetry, literary criticism, and translation. He is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Davis, and teaches in the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers.
Preface; The Night Journey; Love; Anger; Ambition; The Tremulousness of Recovery; Identity in Paradise