A story of love and grief. 'I became a widower and a father on the same day' says Joseph Luzzi. His book tells how Dante's 'The Divine Comedy' helped him to endure his grief, raise their infant daughter, and rediscover love. Where do we turn when we lose everything? In 2007, Joseph Luzzi's wife Katherine was eight-and-a-half months pregnant when she was involved in a fatal car accident. Their daughter, Isabel, was delivered by emergency C-section and somehow survived, even while her mother could not. In ...
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A story of love and grief. 'I became a widower and a father on the same day' says Joseph Luzzi. His book tells how Dante's 'The Divine Comedy' helped him to endure his grief, raise their infant daughter, and rediscover love. Where do we turn when we lose everything? In 2007, Joseph Luzzi's wife Katherine was eight-and-a-half months pregnant when she was involved in a fatal car accident. Their daughter, Isabel, was delivered by emergency C-section and somehow survived, even while her mother could not. In the days when his life changed irrevocably and the years of heartache that followed, Luzzi turned to a man who had been an unassuming part of his life since college: Dante. A memoir of grief and healing divided into three parts, the book trace's Luzzi's journey through Dante's 'The Divine Comedy' and his journey through a world without Katherine. The first part, "The Underworld," follows Luzzi's descent into grief and his examination of Dante's accounts of early exile. In the second, "Purgatorio", Luzzi explores how Dante found the will to carry on and how he himself began to find hidden opportunities in everyday life. The last part is called "Squaring the Circle," referring to Dante's metaphor for coming face-to-face with God and the mysteries of love; in it, Luzzi shares his gratitude towards family members who set aside their lives in his time of need, as well as his experience of meeting the woman who would become his wife and mother to his daughter. Luzzi tells his story of personal loss and digs deeper into Dante almost simultaneously, allowing the poet to guide his thinking and forging connections between life in the Inferno and the long life of grief. His memoir is both a personal odyssey and a reminder of the power of great literature in the darkest of times.
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Seller's Description:
New. "In the aftermath of a heartbreaking tragedy, a scholar and writer uses Dante's Divine Comedy to shepherd him through the dark wood of grief and mourning--a rich and emotionally resonant memoir of suffering, hope, love, and the power of literature to inspire and heal the most devastating loss. Where do we turn when we lose everything? Joseph Luzzi found the answer in the opening of The Divine Comedy: "In the middle of our life's journey, I found myself in a dark wood. "When Luzzi's pregnant wife was in a car accident--and died forty-five minutes after giving birth to their daughter, Isabel--he finds himself a widower and first-time father at the same moment. While he grieves and cares for his infant daughter, miraculously delivered by caesarean before his wife passed, he turns to Dante's Divine Comedy for solace. In a Dark Wood tells the story of how Dante helps the author rebuild his life. He follows the structure of The Divine Comedy, recounting the Inferno of his grief, the Purgatory of healing and raising Isabel on his own, and then Paradise of the rediscovery of love. A Dante scholar, Luzzi has devoted his life to teaching and writing about the poet. But until he turned to the epic poem to learn how to resurrect his life, he didn't realize how much the poet has given back to him. A meditation on the influence of great art and its power to give us strength in our darkest moments, In a Dark Wood opens the door into the mysteries of Dante's epic poem. Beautifully written and flawlessly balanced, Luzzi's book is a hybrid of heart-rending memoir and critical insight into one of the greatest pieces of literature in all of history. In a Dark Wood draws us into man's descent into hell and back: it is Dante's journey, Joseph Luzzi's, and our very own"--
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Seller's Description:
Condition Good: Book is used and in good condition with some wear from use. This may include stickers on cover, wear to dustcover/missing dustcover, inside cover, spine, slight curled corners, stains, and wear to the fore edge. All orders ship via UPS Mail Innovations. Shipping can take up to 14 business days from first scan to be delivered. This is a former library book/rental, stickers and markings accordingly.
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Very Good. Very Good condition. Good dust jacket. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp.
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Good. THIS IS AN EX--LIBRARY BOOK THAT IS STILL IN GOOD USABLE CONDITION! ! Former Library book. hardcover This item shows wear from consistent use but remains in good readable condition. It may have marks on or in it, and may show other signs of previous use or shelf wear. May have minor creases or signs of wear on dust jacket. Packed with care, shipped promptly.
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Acceptable. ATTN: EX-LIBRARY COPY>>>> Former Library book. hardcover The item is fairly worn but still readable. Signs of wear include aesthetic issues such as scratches, worn covers, damaged binding. The item may have identifying markings on it or show other signs of previous use. May have page creases, creased spine, bent cover or markings inside. Packed with care, shipped promptly.
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Very Good. 7 BRAND NEW AUDIO CDs. NEW CDS SEALED in the shrink wrap. Just a bit of shelf wear. Enjoy this NEW AUDIO CD performance GIFT QUALITY for your home and library.