It was written in Italian in the 14th century. It's a vast poem about someone who goes to the underworld after death and meets people in Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. It takes over 19 hours to get through it. These facts alone might make it impossibly daunting. Yet for the last 700 years or so it has fascinated readers of all sorts and backgrounds and nationalities. And it's a screenbook, not just an audiobook! But the fact is most people view stuff on their smartphones - having the words roll by (accompanied by some remarkable images by Blake and Botticelli) you'll probably find makes it a lot easier to take - to follow....but you can just listen if you want. It's been translated many times - in verse and prose. Here it is in verse by an English poet - Laurence Binyon. (early 20th century) Dante wrote in verse - a very constraining verse form called terza rima - three lines of regular beats with the first and last rhyming. What could be tougher than that? Poetry does not deal with facts so much as feelings and this is how it comes over. It is written in the religious framework of Dante's time. He is not for or against it. It's just the way it is. After a while the 700 years or so just fade away. We are there. The past becomes the present. I spent the first lockdown doing it. I hope you enjoy the journey.

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