Sunday, May 2, 2010

Ten of the best visions of heaven in literature

For the Guardian, John Mullan named ten of the best visions of heaven in literature.

One book on the list:
Paradiso by Dante

After his tours of Hell and Purgatory, the poet has earned his trip upstairs. Guided by Beatrice, he ascends to the abode of angels, from where he can see the whole celestial mechanism of the nine heavenly spheres. Reaching the Empyrean, he sees "a light flowing like a river / Glowing with amber waves between two banks / Brilliantly painted by spellbinding spring".
Read about the other books on the list.

Dante is one of Angus Clarke's favorite religious poets.

The Divine Comedy also appears on Mullan's list of ten of the best visions of hell in literature. It is one of George Weigel's five essential books for understanding Christianity.

--Marshal Zeringue