The Divine Comedy

This year I had the unique pleasure of reading the Divine Comedy with a group of prisoners from a nearby maximum-security prison. We talked about justice, truth, vices and virtues, literature and poetry. We had some lively debates about who belongs where in hell or purgatory—and most heatedly, in paradise. And we had poignant discussions about responsibility, penance, grace, and forgiveness. 

I was delighted to see their full, un-ironic engagement with the text, the hard work they put in to reading it, and the striking insights and questions they brought to the discussions. We finished off the group by performing skits of our favorite cantos, and while I expected it to be like pulling teeth to get these guys up in front of everyone pretending to be Virgil or the wolf who personifies avarice, I instead saw Dante’s words come alive in energetic and well thought-out dramatic scenes. Some of these guys have some real acting ability—far better than mine! 

Dante is profound and relevant still today, and, regardless of your religious views, if you want to get a group of people talking about the nature of truth and justice, goodness, hope, heaven and hell, and other ultimate things, have them read Dante together. He is provoking, insightful, nuanced, and deeply human. And he proves a worthy guide through the most difficult and important topics that we can discuss together.