On 14 September 700 years ago the Supreme Poet passed away and in his honor, among many other initiatives, Corradini started this new publishing project to make Dante Alighieri known even to the little ones
Inferno, Purgatory e Paradiso, written by Federico Corradini with illustrations by Silvia Baroncelli, and adapted for children aged 6 and up for the publishing house founded by Corradini himself, Prometeica. An innovative and fun way to tell Dante Alighieri to those who do not know him.
The story | Dante Alighieri told to children | The divine Comedy
Year 1300: Dante leaves for a journey, the one in the world of the dead. He does so by deciding to tell what he sees using the “vulgar” language, that is the language understandable to all, no longer Latin.
Dante walks in a “dark forest”, bewildered, until he glimpses a hill and a man, Virgilio, which urges him to begin the journey in the three realms of the dead: hell, purgatory and heaven.
Arrived at the gates of paradise he is accompanied by the pure soul of Beatrice that will carry him through the skies until he reaches the empyrean.
Dante for children | Dante Alighieri told to children | The divine Comedy
At school we all studied, some a little more and some a little less, The Divine Comedy. The version in question, however, is very particular because it starts from the intention to tell it to a different audience, not able to understand it so easily (because let’s face it, we adults also found it difficult): children.
It tells a complicated plot and language in a simple and understandable way. In fact, each story is two pages long: one to describe the characters and the other to tell their story and curiosity. At the end, then, a drawing is added to cut out and color.
Inferno
They are retraced in thirty three stories the best known characters of the three canticles: Charon, Minos, Count Ugolino, Paolo and Francesca. The illustrated tables at the end of each story make each character and place narrated understandable and fascinating.
The design of theInferno it is well detailed, as well as the characteristic rounds.
Purgatory
Here too, as in Hell, the main places and characters are told: Cato, Manfredi, Giulio Cesare. At the end of each story, two pages long as in the previous book, there are illustrations and drawings to color.
The shape of the Purgatory, opposite to that shown for Hell, and all the steps that compose it.
Paradiso
Here Beatrice is shown, his love and source of perennial inspiration, the only one worthy of accompanying him to Eden. Together with her are also shown Costanza d’Altavilla, Carlo Martello, San Francesco etc …
The Paradiso it is a mountain, made up of nine concentric skies, up to the Virgin and the empyrean.
Federico Corradini
Semiologist and advertiser, known for having self-produced Stories of Mythological Women for Mythical Girls.
This is the first series of his publishing house, Prometheus.
