Ari Shapiro, “Mary Jo Bang Reaches the End of her 20-Year Journey Through Dante’s Divine Comedy
“Poet Mary Jo Bang has spent the last two decades translating the three parts of Dante’s Divine Comedy. Paradiso is the final installment and continues her style of lively, lyrical translation.
“What makes a poem more than 700 years old feel relevant today? The poet Mary Jo Bang is uniquely qualified to answer that question because she has spent the last 20 years translating Dante’s Divine Comedy, that famous trilogy of Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso. These new translations are lively, contemporary and casual. Langston Hughes and Elton John make appearances. She references The Simpsons and Edward Snowden.” —NPR (July 10, 2025)
Listen to the whole interview with Mary Jo Bang on here.
Sighting Citation:
“Ari Shapiro, “Mary Jo Bang Reaches the End of her 20-Year Journey Through Dante’s Divine Comedy.” Dante Today: Citings and Sightings of Dante’s Works in Contemporary Culture. Elizabeth Coggeshall and Arielle Saiber, eds. July 18, 2025. https://www.dantetoday.org/sightings/ari-shapiro-mary-jo-bang-reaches-the-end-of-her-20-year-journey-through-dantes-divine-comedy/.Related Sighting
Mary Jo Bang’s translation of Purgatorio