Read this when
Inferno (The Divine Comedy, Part I)
Midway through life, lost in a dark wood, no idea how you got here? Dante too. Step one: find a guide. Step last: see the stars again. ✨
Who it's for
The famous opening, finding oneself in a dark wood midway through life with the straight way lost, gives a name to midlife disorientation that many readers instantly recognise.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Inferno is the first part of Dante Alighieri's medieval Italian narrative poem the Divine Comedy, told in 34 cantos. Midway through life, Dante finds himself lost in a dark wood with his way blocked by a leopard, a lion and a she-wolf, and the Roman poet Virgil appears to guide him, sent by Beatrice.
Where to find it
Public domain in older translations (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's, H. F. Cary's), free on Project Gutenberg. Pinsky's, Bang's and the Hollanders' translations are in print and in libraries (Libby/Hoop.
Before you start
Heads up: Those who died by suicide condemned.
Age: Ages 16+
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere's Fan, Act 3
