Leaving Hell and Mount Purgatory far behind, Dante in the Paradiso ascends to Heaven and crosses the planetary spheres that circle the Earth, now guided by his beloved Beatrice. Here Dante encounters spirits, from Thomas Aquinas to Saint Peter, who engage him in passionate conversation about history, politics and Christian doctrine. Ascending finally to a sphere beyond space and time, Dante miraculously sees the faces of human beings with greater clarity than ever before and prepares to contemplate the face of God. The Paradiso is an account of the order, harmony and beauty of the universe, in which Dante offers a deeply personal and unfailingly inventive exploration of divine truth and human goodness.<BR>Robin Kirkpatrick's new translation captures the sublime imaginative power of the final sequence of the Commedia and the vigour of the original Italian, which is printed on facing pages. This edition includes an introduction, a map of Dante's Italy and a plan of Paradise. Commentaries on each canto explain the work's ethical, theological and political subtexts.