Dante in Love by A. N. Wilson

Goodreads: Dantein Love

Series: None

Published: 2011

Source: Purchased

Summary: Wilson provides an account of the social and cultural forces that shaped Dante’s world while also exploring Dante’s concept of love and how it inspired his Divine Comedy.

Review: By summarizing the cultural, political, and religious forces at work in Renaissance Italy, Wilson works to expel some of the fear that approaching Dante’s Divine Comedy may inspire in his readers.  The work is so rife with allusions to the events and people of Dante’s day that readers can find themselves feeling as lost as Dante in that dark wood.  Do they need to understand all the allusions?  Are they missing out on some of complex layers of the work if they merely follow the main plot?  Wilson takes these concerns and, in answer, writes the book that just about every Dante novice wishes they had.

Wilson’s explanation of the confusion he felt when reading the Divine Comedy should make readers feel immediately at ease with him as their guide through Dante’s world.  He knows personally the difficulties readers will encounter and does not suggest these difficulties are the fault of the readers.  Rather, he notes that the Divine Comedy is a complex work—but an approachable one, if readers have the right tools.  He thus jumps right in to explaining the pertinent background information, and does not bog down his readers with more facts than he thinks necessary.

Despite Wilson’s desire to make an extremely complex subject simpler, however, he sometimes seems to impede his own efforts.  The book does not progress in a strictly chronological manner, but jumps around so the author can explain the effect events will have in the future or note the differences between works written by Dante at different times.  Wilson also interjects his historical account with a small amount of literary criticism, occasionally diverging from the subject at hand to expound upon some facet of the nature of love.  I would not have minded these digressions if I felt that Wilson ever truly clarified where he wanted to go with them. 

Wilson also intersperses his book with some personal references.  Some of these are fruitful, such as the ones where he explains his own journey through Dante and thus encourages his readers to take the plunge and experience their own transformative reading.  Others are mere asides about his personal opinions on the current state of society and the Catholic Church.  These are really the weakest points of the book.  It is easy for Wilson to criticize the Church for such things as the opposition to artificial birth control, but he provides no arguments for his beliefs, and they are unlikely to resonate with anyone familiar with the lengthy, nuanced answer of the Church as explained in Pope John Paul II’s theology of the body.  Since this is a book about Dante and not a forum to discuss the merits of birth control, such commentary seems out of place.

Despite its flaws, Wilson’s book is an invaluable guide to the world of Dante and his Divine Comedy.  If it does nothing more than let readers know that they are not alone in feeling intimidated by Dante, it will have done good.  I firmly recommend this book to anyone about to read the Divine Comedy.    

The Scarlet and the Black by J. P. Gallagher

Goodreads: The Scarlet and the Black
Series: None

Publication Date: 1967 (as Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican), 2009

Source: Purchased

Summary:  During World War II, Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, an Irish priest stationed in Rome, earned the flattering nickname “Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican.”  Aided by a secret network of priests, seminarians, military POWs, and lay civilians, O’Flaherty helped countless POWs and refugees who sought sanctuary in and around neutral Vatican territory.  This non-fiction account of O’Flaherty’s story was written by a journalist who met the monsignor and several of his acquaintances.

Review: For the first few chapters, Gallagher’s book feels a bit like required reading for a college course. It is a quality work that is both true and important, but somehow feels more like something you should read than something you want to.  Eventually, however, some of the book’s numerous characters become familiar, the dangerous reality of the setting becomes more present, and the stolen moments of humor at the enemy’s expense are marked with a quick laugh and a guarded smile, betraying fear that next time the heroes might not be so lucky.

One of the most powerful aspects of the book, highlighted especially at the end, is O’Flaherty’s indiscriminate compassion.  Though he was very anti-English in his youth, he later put himself at great risk to protect the escaped Allied POWs.  Even later, he became a friend to the war-time enemies who wanted him dead and was the only person who would visit one particular man in prison.  Along with O’Flaherty’s kindness, the book portrays the courage of the men and women in the monsignor’s secret network.  Whole families offered their homes, their money, their time, and the possibility of their lives for the sake of assisting whatever individuals came to O’Flaherty for aid.  The cunning and creativity of these people, along with their bravery, is truly inspiring.

This book tells a fascinating story, but it only tells a part of it.  For example, the back cover notes the large number of Jews who were saved through O’Flaherty’s efforts.  The work seldom mentions Jews, however, and tends to focus on British and American POWs.  Gallagher’s work is a solid introduction to a powerful piece of history.  This reader definitely intends to learn more of the story.