In 1867 Dante Alighieri's THE DIVINE COMEDY was almost banned in
Boston.

History tells us that Harvard College's academic community worked
feverishly to prevent the publication of Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow's first American translation of THE DIVINE COMEDY. The
powerful Brahmins considered the book to be a blasphemous and
insidiously dangerous work --- a scandalous tome that would corrupt
readers and lead them into perdition. Matthew Pearl uses this
historical event as his canvas to flesh out his tale of murder,
madness, fear and friendship in his first novel, THE DANTE
CLUB.

Juxtaposed against this heady, contentious background, Pearl
delivers an amazing tale about the real life Dante Club, whose
respected members were Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the poets Dr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes (father of the great jurist) and James
Russell Lowell, historian George W. Greene and their publisher, J.
T. Fields. The mission of the club was to help Longfellow, their
friend and colleague, bring THE DIVINE COMEDY into America's
growing literary canon. Their weekly meetings also served as a
forum for them to discuss their own work, each other's work and
worldly issues. But the lofty pursuits of these men are interrupted
when a spate of grisly murders plague Boston --- and so the fiction
begins!

"What kind of madman would be recreating the gruesome deaths
depicted in Alighieri's INFERNO?" That is the question that haunts
the members of the Dante Club, for it is they who recognize the
demonic twist in the murderer's modus operandi. They are quite
shocked when they realize the murderer is acting out the foul
"punishments" Dante wrote about. "How could this be?" they ask each
other, because as far as anyone knows, nobody in America has even
seen the Italian tome. After long deliberation, they decide that
it's in their best interest not to go to the police with their
observations ... lest they be charged with the atrocious crimes.
Thus, with good intentions, they set about to solve the murders
themselves. Their efforts are laudable and Dr. Holmes takes charge
while J. T. Fields remains grounded in common sense whenever things
get out of hand.

But, my fellow bibliophiles and devoted readers, let's backtrack
for a moment to examine the physicality of the book. First, the
jacket is splattered with blood spots. Second, when you open to the
title page you will find a horrific depiction of Hell that will
both repel and draw you in. And, when you finally turn the page to
begin your journey, you are greeted by "CAUTION TO THE READER ... A
PREFACE ..." and at the end of his comments he closes with this
sentence, "If you continue [to read this book] remember first that
words can bleed." Chilling perhaps, but clever devices nonetheless;
they serve to set the mood of this imaginative and wholly enjoyable
novel. Mr. Pearl is an award winning Dante scholar who, at the age
of twenty-six, has delivered a witty, ironic, sardonic,
interesting, entertaining, gruesome, ingenious, well plotted and
unconventional novel in the spirit of E. L. Doctorow's best
"fiction." His characters, both real and fictional, make for a
community of folks who are unforgettable in their respective
roles.

Now and then, a new writer appears on the horizon with a smash hit,
only to disappear when the sun goes down. Matthew Pearl is not a
"one novel wonder." He has the ability and intellectual dexterity
to bring forth the kinds of large fictions nineteenth century
readers were accustomed to --- books in which an individual could
immerse her/himself and come away stimulated with new ideas. And so
it is with THE DANTE CLUB, a very important book. It works on many
levels and has the sparkle needed to inspire readers to recommend
it to their friends. Maybe it will even prompt you to explore
INFERNO. And, if not, that's okay too. Fortunately, you don't have
to be a Dante scholar to realize that this work will be discussed
and analyzed and read with relish. Enjoy THE DANTE CLUB!