Yan’ Dargent (Illustrations of the Divine Comedy)
Yan’ Dargent Hell presents the illustrations by Yan’ Dargent produced for an edition of the Divine Comedy translated into French by Artaud de Montor and published by Garnier in 1879.
Jean-Édouard Dargent, after an initial career in public administration and in the railways, devoted himself exclusively to artistic activity from 1850 onwards.
The front page of the original book of 1879
The aim of this volume is to present only the illustrations from the original 1879 Garnier edition of Divine Comedy, each accompanied by the tercets in Dante’s original language illustrating the specific scene. Dante’s verses are accompanied by Lamennais and De Montor’s French translations and finally by an English rendering of the latter.
The final result is a kind of anthology, bringing together the most significant moments from each canto of the Hell in a trilingual version. This should allow readers with little or no knowledge of Italian to appreciate at the same time both the musicality of the original verses and their literal meaning, alongside the illustrations. For the moment, the work is limited to the first cantica, Hell.
The other books
In this section of the website you will find an overview of the other books I have published. Very different titles, diversi tra loro, yet united by a common thread: the desire to present science and thought with clarity, depth, and an original perspective.
From scientific popularization to philosofical reflection, from narrative fiction to detective stories, each book addresses complex themes using accessible language, offering tools to navigate the contemporary world.
