This is a re-read but I will be honest, I didn't remember anything from when I read this in college. So, this is basically a new read for me.

"Voyager" feels like a re-telling of Date's Divine Comedy. Dante is now Kurt Waldheim and Virgil is the narrator. Book One, Two and Three are Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise respectively. It confronts Waldheim's past of erasing his involvement with the Nazis in the form of erasure poetry, which is incredibly ironic.

Book One (Inferno), the narrator points out Waldheim's sins and questions his character. The line "the dead do not cease in the grave" really makes it clear that the narrator thinks the cover up is an injustices to the dead. This book references the circles of hell, tying it closely to Inferno.

Book Two (Purgatory) the narrator talks about his motivations behind the writing of the book. He confesses that he has mixed feelings about Waldheim's actions. The erasure "carries out the bodies"/points out Waldheim's sins while also acknowledging that Waldheim was playing the alter ego that authorities wanted. That Waldheim was a puppet. The narrator doesn't come to a defined conclusion about how he should feel.

Book Three (Paradise) I really struggled with understanding. In this book Dante (Waldheim) is abandoned by Virgil (the narrator). Waldheim recounts his own story and sins. This fictionalized Waldheim says he did not like playing the alter ego role and did not want to participate in the lies, but felt that he had to. He says he wanted to show the truth but did not know how. I think he talks about the erasure helping him show the truth. In the end, Waldheim rises to the heavens like Voyager (I think?)

I enjoyed "Voyager" especially Book One, but I'm not sure I agree with the author's feels regarding Waldheim. I also think it kind of sucks that a knowledge of Waldheim is kind of required to understand this book. For me, the whole thing is very middle of the road, thought provoking and witty but nothing in this book is going to stay with me for long.