Anthony M. Esolen
| Anthony M. Esolen | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater |
Princeton University University of North Carolina |
| Occupation | Academic, author |
| Employer | Providence College |
| Title | Professor of English |
Anthony M. Esolen is a professor of English at Providence College and translator of classic works, as well as writer for publications including the Claremont Review of Books "Magnificat", "Crisis Magazine", "The Catholic Thing" and Touchstone Magazine, of which he is a senior editor. He has translated Dante's Divine Comedy, Lucretius' On the Nature of Things, and Torquato Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered. He used to write a column for the Inside Catholic website.
Esolen graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University in 1981. He pursued graduate work from the University of North Carolina, receiving his M.A. in 1981 and his Ph.D. in 1987. His dissertation was titled "A Rhetoric of Spenserian Irony" and was directed by S.K. Heninger.
He taught at the University of North Carolina from 1985 to 1988 and then at Furman University from 1988 to 1990. He began teaching at Providence College in 1990, becoming a full professor in 1995.
Along with teaching, Esolen has published articles and books on a regular basis. He has also served as an editor with Touchstone Magazine.
On 18 September 2009, Esolen was the keynote speaker for Massachusetts Citizens for Life. He argues that the middle ages were actually an enlightened time, so that the term "Dark Ages" is a misnomer.
Esolen studies languages, and reads several, including Italian, Latin, Anglo-Saxon, German, Spanish, and Welsh.
Esolen's translation of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy was published by Modern Library. His translation of the Inferno appeared in 2002, the Purgatory in 2003, and the Paradise in 2005. In his translations, Esolen chose not to attempt a "preservation of Dante's rhyme in any systematic form". In lieu of Dante's famous terza rima, Esolen's Inferno depends on the use of blank verse. Esolen writes that the use of blank verse allows him to retain both the "meaning [and the] music" of Dante's original. The works also feature, alongside the English translation, the original Italian text. Esolen notes that this text "is based on the editions of Giorgio Petrocchi (1965) and Umberto Bosco and Giovanni Reggio" (1979)". Finally, the translations include Esolen's notes and commentary on the text, as well as illustrations by Gustave Doré.
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