Dear Editor

When I submitted my article in response to 'For Heaven's Sake in 2009 Winter edition of 'The Author' the editor advised me that all the articles in this magazine are commisioned so I reduced my response to the following letter:

Dear Editor,

I was surprised that Michael Arditti’s ‘For Heaven’s Sake’ made no reference at all to Dante Alighieri.

Although Dante hails from way back in the 13th century (1265-1322), how can any discussion on heaven omit to acknowledge Parisdiso in the final part of the Divine Comedy? Major Scholars have conducted life-long research into his masterful works of this philosopher, Sommo Poeta (supreme poet) and father of the Italian language. In Dante's vision of heaven he is guided by ideal woman, Beatrice and Paradise is depicted as concentric spheres surrounding the earth, consisting of the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn the fixed Stars, the Primum Mobile and the Empyrean.

You may wonder if there are further reason why I am so disappointed that Michael Arditti omitted mentioning Dante in his article ‘For Heaven’s sake.

Well yes….. my surname is Dante and…because for the 33 years I spent as a nun, Heaven was my goal! I was motivated to put up with any sacrifice, problem or difficulty here on earth so that I would be rewarded eternally and blissfully happy in paradise. Moreover, as a Salesian nun I was a paid up member of what most have been the greatest insurance policy around! The founder of our Order promised us and we firmly believed that if we persevered in our vocation not only would our place in Heaven be assured but that of our relatives to the third generation.

Marion Dante author of ‘Dropping The Habit’ ISBN:978-184223-297-2