Reading Dante’s Purgatorio with Teodolinda Barolini

Since 1978, Professor Teodolinda Barolini has taught her famous “Dante in a Year” course, reading The Divine Comedy with students across a full academic year. Take the leap beyond Inferno with one of the world’s eminent scholars of Dante and Italian literature as she becomes the Virgil to your Dante, leading students and members of the public up the mountain of Purgatory.

This series of five sessions will meet across the fall semester of 2026, anticipating its continuation in spring 2027 with the rest of Purgatorio. Each discussion will cover approximately 3–4 canti from the poem, and dinner will be provided. Consistent attendance and reading is encouraged, as Dante’s narrative expands out as one delves in deeply.

Bilingual editions by Robert Durling and Ron Martinez (Oxford) or Robert Hollander (Random House) are recommended for their accuracy, style, and the detail of their notes. Participants can also reference the online text accompanied by Professor Barolini’s commentary on Digital Dante.

This fall, join Teodolinda Barolini, the Lorenzo da Ponte Professor of Italian at Columbia University, as we journey up the terraces of Purgatorio across five sessions. Please RSVP for the entire series using the link below, or visit individual pages if you are unable to commit to the entire series.

Schedule (Fall 2026)

Wednesday, September 16 at 6:00 PM | Purgatorio I–III

For this session, we read canti one through three of Purgatorio.

Wednesday, September 30 at 6:00 PM | Purgatorio IV–VI

For this session, we read canti four through six of Purgatorio.

Wednesday, October 21 at 6:00 PM | Purgatorio VII–X

For this session, we read canti seven through ten of Purgatorio.

Wednesday, November 4 at 6:00 PM | Purgatorio XI–XIII

For this session, we read canti eleven through thirteen of Purgatorio.

Wednesday, November 18 at 6:00 PM | Purgatorio XIV–XVII

For this session, we read canti fourteen through seventeen of Purgatorio.