Talia Feldman, “Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here: Adventures with Dante’s Inferno” (2025)

“’I want to read Inferno,’ I blurted, thinking of that haunting cover we’d seen in the bookstore weeks before.

“That is how it started. I wanted to read a classic this summer, but I knew that I would need someone to keep me accountable. My friend and I were on a walk around finals time and had wandered into a bookstore. As we talked about our long reading lists, I ran my hand over the cover of Inferno and sighed wistfully. Weeks later, when brainstorming what to read this summer, I remembered that moment. I called my friend and asked if she would be willing to meet with me once a week to discuss Dante’s classic. She agreed enthusiastically. [. . .]”    —The Commentator (August 24, 2025)