Publisher, Naxos Audiobooks (February 2005)

Listen to an audio clip

UNABRIDGED in a new translation by Benedict Flynn. Originally released on 3 CDs in abridged form. Now available on 4 CDs unabridged.

“Now of that second kingdom I shall sing where human souls are purified of sin and made worthy to ascend to Heaven.”

Purgatory is the second part of Dante’s The Divine Comedy. We find the Poet, with his guide Virgil, ascending the terraces of the Mount of Purgatory inhabited by those doing penance to expiate their sins on earth. There are the proud – forced to circle their terrace for aeons bent double in humility; the slothful – running around crying out examples of zeal and sloth; while the lustful are purged by fire.

Though less well-known than Inferno, Purgatory has inspired many writers including, in our century, Samuel Beckett, and has played a key role in literature.

Heathcote Williams, poet, playwright, and actor, has made a significant contribution to many fields. He is best known for his extended poems on environmental subjects: Whale Nation, Falling for a Dolphin, Sacred Elephant and Autogeddon. His plays have also won acclaim, notably AC/DC and Hancock's Last Half Hour. He has taken memorable roles in Orlando, Wish You Were Here, and Derek Jarman's The Tempest, in which he played Prospero.