In his introduction to THE INFERNO, the translator says: "I suppose that a very great majority of English-speaking people, if they were asked to name the greatest epic poet of the Christian era in Western Europe, would answer Dante." THE DIVINE COMEDY continues to be widely read today, whether for its religious inspiration or for the sheer power of its verse. In the second part of the epic, THE PURGATORIO, Dante climbs out of the pit of Hell with the guidance of the ancient Roman poet, Virgil, who then takes him on a journey up the mountain of Purgatory. Here we find the souls of those who died in sin, but whose transgressions have not placed them irredeemably beyond the saving grace of God's mercy. Sooner or later, they WILL reach Heaven. A first-rate English-language rendition of a classic of western literature.