Thomas William Parsons
Encyclopedia
Thomas William Parsons was an American
dentist and poet.
Parsons was educated at the Boston Latin School
, and visited Italy
to study Italian literature
in 1836-7. His translation of Dante
's Divine Comedy, which eventually comprised all the Inferno, two-thirds of the Purgatorio and fragments of the Paradiso, began to appear in 1843. After practicing dentistry in Boston, he lived for several years in England
before returning to Boston in 1872. He was a contributor to The Galaxy and The Atlantic Monthly
.In 1857 he married Anna (or Hannah) M. Allen (1821-1881).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
dentist and poet.
Parsons was educated at the Boston Latin School
Boston Latin School
The Boston Latin School is a public exam school founded on April 23, 1635, in Boston, Massachusetts. It is both the first public school and oldest existing school in the United States....
, and visited Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
to study Italian literature
Italian literature
Italian literature is literature written in the Italian language, particularly within Italy. It may also refer to literature written by Italians or in Italy in other languages spoken in Italy, often languages that are closely related to modern Italian....
in 1836-7. His translation of Dante
DANTE
Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe is a not-for-profit organisation that plans, builds and operates the international networks that interconnect the various national research and education networks in Europe and surrounding regions...
's Divine Comedy, which eventually comprised all the Inferno, two-thirds of the Purgatorio and fragments of the Paradiso, began to appear in 1843. After practicing dentistry in Boston, he lived for several years in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
before returning to Boston in 1872. He was a contributor to The Galaxy and The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic is an American magazine founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1857. It was created as a literary and cultural commentary magazine. It quickly achieved a national reputation, which it held for more than a century. It was important for recognizing and publishing new writers and poets,...
.In 1857 he married Anna (or Hannah) M. Allen (1821-1881).
Works
- The First Ten Cantos of the Inferno of Dante, 1843
- Poems, 1854
- (ed. C. E. Norton), The Divine Comedy of Dante Aligheri, 1893