Recognized as one of the greatest mystery writers of the 20th century, she is remembered for her series of mystery novels and short stories featuring sharp, charismatic amateur detective, lord peter wimsey. Her father was at the time headmaster of christ church cathedral school, and she was born in the headmasters house. One of her most enduring works is a translation of dante alighieris divine comedy. The inferno forms the first part of the divine comedy, which is the name traditionally given to the commedia, dantes vast. She is best known for her mysteries, a series of novels and short stories set between the first and second world wars that feature english aristocrat and amateur sleuth lord peter wimsey, which remain popular to this day. American literary education absolutely mangles the divine comedy. The divine comedy by dante alighieri is an epic poem written between 8 and his death in 21. Sayers wrote novels, poetry, and translated dante for. Born to be king, which was broadcast controversially during the war years, but she considered her translation of dantes divine comedy to be her best work. Hell penguin classics alighieri, dante, sayers, dorothy l. She is best known for her mysteries, a series of novels and short stories set between the first and second world wars that feature english aristocrat and amateur sleuth lord peter wimsey, which remain popular to this. Dorothy leigh sayers june 189317 december 1957 who preferred to be referred to as dorothy l sayers, was a renowned english crime writer, poet, playwright, essayist, translator and christian humanist. See the dogma is the drama in sayers, creed or chaos. This first volume of this new divine comedy presents the italian text of the inferno and, on facing pages, a new prose translation the first in twentyfive years.
The text is small, but the translation of the content of dorothy sayers is pretty good in comparison to other authors translation which i found was very poor. Dorothy leigh sayers usually pronounced, although sayers herself preferred and encouraged the use of her middle initial to facilitate this pronunciation. In an age of skepticism, cynicism, and false freedoms, dorothy sayers 18931957 was a passionate and occasionally scathing voice of reason. Borrow ebooks, audiobooks, and videos from thousands of public libraries worldwide. Christian history interview classics and common memory. Sayers overview the first volume of dantes divine comedy guided by the poet virgil, dante plunges to the very depths of hell and embarks on his arduous journey towards god. Sayers wrote novels, poetry, and translated dante for penguin classics. Dorothy sayers christian history christianity today. Readers of the poethead blog will note that i dedicate saturday mornings to the work of women writers, editors and translators. Dorothy sayers, detective fiction, and dantes divine comedy. The divinde comedy 1 hell by dante translated by dorothy l. The divine comedy is not a comedy at all, the title commedia refers to the fact that the journey starts from hell and ends with dantes visit to heaven and meeting with god and understanding of the mystery of reincarnation. As far as her career as a novelist is concerned, dorothy l.
She was also a student of classical and modern languages. The translation, which pulls off the incredible feat of reproducing the original terza rima rhyme scheme in english, certainly has its charms, but in many places it strikes me more as an interpretation of dante than a. I still dont know how he does it christian history magazine. Heron publisher first published in 1948 the bulk of this speech appeared as an article in the hibbert journal. Sayers was also noted for her translation of dantes the divine comedy, and wrote a miscellany of other nonfiction works. Dorothy l sayers edition and translation of dantes divine comedy runs to 3 volumes and over. There were at least 50 english translations of the inferno in the 20th century alone, and now we have another, by. Hell paperback january 1, 1964 by dante author, dorothy l.
In 1944 british writer dorothy sayers 18931957, already famous as the author of lord peter wimsey detective novels, holed up in an air raid shelter with dantes divine comedy. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. The second volume of dantes epic, printed with the original italian and robin kirkpatricks sublime translation climbing out of hell, dante in the purgatorio reaches an island set in the southern ocean. Sayerss unnatural death for your kindle, tablet, ipad, pc or mobile. For those who only have heard of dorothy sayers, this volume is a wonderful introduction to her broad range of writings, and her acute thinking about theology and art. Sayers, francesca da rimini, great books of the western world.
Pdf the divine comedy from a psychosynthesis perspective. Purgatory mass market paperback january 1, 1959 by dante author, dorothy l. Dorothy was born on june 1893 in oxford, united kingdom and died on 17 december 1957 at the age of 64 in witham, essex, united kingdom. Eliot, and charles williams, sayers was a brilliant christian thinker, an anglocatholic who took doctrine seriously and bristled at the growth of fads, schisms, heresies, and antichrist within the. I 2 copies see enclosure file presentn copy to ivy sayers library 9 author title signd ant sayers, dorothy l. She was highly religious and even became a church warden in 1952. He worked on the divine comedy from 8 until near the time of his death in ravenna in 21.
Books, images, historic newspapers, maps, archives and more. Dorothy leigh sayers was born at oxford on th june 1893, the only child of the rev. Sayers translation of the divine comedy by dante alighieri readers of the poethead blog will note that i dedicate saturday mornings to the work of women writers, editors and translators. Sayers introductory papers on dante with a preface hy barbara reynolds l,ctur,r in italian in th, u niv,rsity of cambridge poiche di riguardar pasciuro fui, tutto m offersi pronto al suo servigio, con i affermar cl,e fa credere altrui. Sayers, the just vengeance in four sacred plays london. However, according to her, the translation of divine comedy by dante is her best work of her career. Sayers had done a translation of the divine comedy. Banished from his hometown, dante became lonely, bitter, and inspired. Dorothy sayers was a wellknown english crime writer, playwright, poet, translator, and christian humanist. Sayers best known for writing her mystery novel series, which were a series of thriller novels and short stories set. Midway this way of life were bound upon, i woke to find myself in a dark wood, where the right road was wholly lost and gone. Sayers and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The poems imaginative vision of the afterlife is representative of the.
Dantes use of real characters, according to dorothy sayers in her. Sayers wrote novels, poetry, and translated dante for the penguin classics. Dorothy l sayers edition and translation of dantes divine comedy runs to 3 volumes and over pages, and im nowhere near halfway through it yet. At age 51, she picked up dantes divine comedy for the first time, and she became mesmerized. Divine comedy project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Ive been making my way through dantes comedy for my third time this time in dorothy l. Apart from writing novels and short stories, dorothy also used to visit plays and literary shows. The divine comedy was to be the channel and the beneficiary of her zeal. Publication date 1949 topics allama collection digitallibraryindia.
In a move that makes her stand out from other translators of the original latin, sayers focused on preserving the rhyme and rhythm, eschewing the popular and nearly universally accepted abandon. Dorothy leigh sayers usually stylised as dorothy l. This is mount purgatory, where he encounters the penitents who heroically endure their sufferings and speak of their time on earth. It is widely considered to be the preeminent work in italian literature and one of the greatest works of world literature. It is widely considered the preeminent work of italian literature, 1 and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature. The divine comedy by dante alighieri free pdf ebook.
The dorothy l sayers society was founded in 1976 to promote the study of the life, works and thoughts of this great scholar and writer, to encourage the performance of her plays and the publication of books by and about her, to preserve original material for posterity and to provide assistance for researchers. Dorothy used to love studying modern and classical languages during her growing years. Divina commedia is an epic poem written by dante alighieri between c. Herein follows an incomplete list of booklinks related to dorothy l. It is odd that a woman so in love with poetry should have had so little exposure to perhaps the greatest poet of europe, but until a 1944 air raid forced her underground with the first book that came to hand. The lost tools of learning paper read at a vacation course in education oxford, 1947 by dorothy l. Sayers translation of the divine comedy by dante alighieri.
Divine comedy project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks read. The reason i had purchased these books in the first place was i read that dorothy l. The translation of the divine comedy undertaken by dorothy l. The divine comedyseries overdrive rakuten overdrive. The divine comedy, translated by dorothy l sayers vulpes. The inkling who wasnt theredoroty l sayers represents a unique overlap in the venn diagrams of the era, the only writer of that period who was a christian and a woman and a mother and a scholar of broad experience and a popular writer and an independent operator.
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