George Ferzoco of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies staged a marathon reading of Dante’s Inferno with students from his upper-year seminar classes in the Catholic Chaplaincy last month.

Mr Ferzoco, a research fellow in medieval religious culture, put into practice his conviction that Dante’s Inferno should be read out loud by calling on those taking his Inferno seminars to sign up for a marathon reading of the great poem in all its parts over six hours.

Mr Ferzoco said: ‘Dante’s great poem is based on a journey, as the marathon reading made clear. Rather than scanning words on a page with reference to textbooks and various interpretations, the students embarked on a joint journey to read and hear the poem as it should be proclaimed.’

Father Robert King, Roman Catholic Chaplain to the University, attended the event in the busy chaplaincy bar and spoke with Mr Ferzoco and some of the participants. You can listen to their podcast online.