PJ Patterson Institute to launch Lorna Goodison’s Caribbean reimagining of Dante’s Inferno

It is noted as the first full-length reimagining of the epic in the voice of a Caribbean writer.The release said Goodison departs from traditional European translations of Inferno, instead using Jamaican nation language to reinterpret the text. The adaptation incorporates elements of Caribbean history and culture, with references to slavery, reggae and local figures, while drawing on Rastafarian language and imagery.Critical response has been largely positive. The Montreal Review of Books described the translation as “a fascinating work”, while in the Literary Review of Canada, Randy Boyagoda noted that Goodison casts cultural icon Louise Bennett-Coverley, known as “Miss Lou”, in the role of Virgil, guiding the narrative through Jamaican history and culture.Goodison, born in Kingston in 1947, served as Jamaica’s poet laureate from 2017 to 2020 and is professor emerita at the University of Michigan. Her body of work includes more than a dozen poetry collections, essays and a memoir, and she has received several honours, including the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry and the Order of Distinction.The hosting of the launch by the institute aligns with its mission to promote scholarship and creative work centred on African and Caribbean identity, the release said. The institute was established under the patronage of former Prime Minister PJ Patterson.Members of the academic community, diplomatic corps, cultural sector, media and the wider public are invited to attend. Copies of the book will be available, and Goodison is expected to participate in readings, remarks and signings.