Božská komedie – Alighieri Dante (2024)

Dante's Divine Comedy (the epithet "Divine" was added later by Boccaccio) is one of the foundational literary works of world history, which has inspired many artists for centuries and remains a source of captivating reading adventure for anyone who allows themselves to be guided by the mesmerizing rhythm of the endless series of tercets. Dante's journey through the afterlife is primarily a symbolic representation of human life, the search for the true path, and the urgency of the task to work on valuing one's own life is felt by people today just as it was in the Middle Ages and at any other time in history. Dante, who according to his own words lost his way at the threshold of maturity, is guided on his journey through hell and purgatory by the Roman poet Virgil, and at the threshold of paradise, the poet's guide becomes his beloved Beatrice, the embodiment of ideal, absolute love. It cannot be otherwise, for love is the highest value. The Divine Comedy has been known in the Czech literary environment since the time of Charles IV. Since the 19th century, when modern Czech literature was forming, it has become a challenge for the best Czech translators (Jaroslav Vrchlický, O. F. Babler, and others), most recently joined by Vladimír Mikeš, whose translation is now being published in its second edition.