Rating: 
Summary: You must read it
Review: This is an amazing work of literature. This poem takes you to places that are imaginable only to such genius as Dante, and is written in absolute perfection. I enjoyed every single Canto and recomend it to anyone who enjoys reading.
Rating:
Summary: WOW
Review: This is by far the best and most moving work of literature that I have ever read
Rating: 
Summary: One of the Finest Translations of the Divine Comedy
Review: This is one of the best and most approachable translations of the Divine Comedy available. It is easily read by those of most any educational background and can be understood in many different levels. If you are looking for a reliable,and accurate translation of "The Divine Comedy" , this volume would serve you well. The notes and explanations are a great plus as well.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Finest Translations of the Divine Comedy
Review: This is one of the best and most approachable translations of the Divine Comedy available. It is easily read by those of most any educational background and can be understood in many different levels. If you are looking for a reliable,and accurate translation of "The Divine Comedy" , this volume would serve you well. The notes and explanations are a great plus as well.
Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest works of literature ever written
Review: This is, by far, the best work of literature that I have ever read. Dante offers a superb view of what lies beyond death. It is simply wonderful.
Rating:
Summary: John Ciardi's uniquely enjoyable translation
Review: This review is of the John Ciardi translation - apparently Amazon links it in to all versions? Different translations will suit different tastes. This classic translation of Dante's trilogy remains one of the best. It nicely preserves the musicality of the original by retaining the "terza rima" rhyme scheme throughout. This may seem like a narrow point but it makes this a satisfying read for one who enjoys rhyme. Terza rima is an ABA, BCB, CDC... arrangement of triplets where the first and third lines rhyme and the middle line's rhyme becomes the first of the next triplet - simple but not sing-song. Over a poem of this length it helps to weave an amazing fabric of rhyme and story. In the original Italian, a language with only a handful of primary word endings, such an approach was not the central challenge of a poetic work - Dante gets credit for the vision and scope. The challenge for translators is whether to preserve the content or the rhyme more closely; the English language is not comfortably suited for such relentless rhyming. Ciardi has, nevertheless, done a wonderful job of this. As to the other element, I've been told that the "story" is a tad "creative" at times. Perhaps Dante would object a few times if he reread this translation, but I found Ciardi's telling well crafted. This edition combines all three parts of the "Comedy" in a nice, clothbound package. You might end up owning other translations of Dante (I have three), but you should certainly own this one.
Rating:
Summary: Divine..
Review: This version of the Divine Comedy contains all three sections, Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso. This poem is a masterpiece to be savored and surprisingly it's not as difficult to read as one might think. Ample notes and diagrams are provided throughout all three sections, and before each Canto (Chapter) a synopsis is provided detailing what just happened and what is going to happen next. A very nice addition that will help in comprehension of the poem. The descriptions of Dante's Hell, Purgatory and later Heaven are breathtaking. Each section can be read seperately and enjoyed as is but combined they provide a brilliantly realized journey.
Rating:
Summary: Very Humurous and Poignant at the Same Time
Review: This work by Dante truly is a Divine Comedy. There are all sorts of tongue in cheek jabs at his contemporaries as well as interesting discussions of past heroes and villians. I still find it interesting to this day that he places Brutus in the Ninth Circle, on the basis that he betrayed Caesar the earthly representation of the Supreme Being. And that's just one of the many interesting statements that Dante makes about the world through his placement of various historical figures in various levels of Paradise, the Inferno and Purgatory. Of course, I like The Inferno the best it seems to provide the most unique view of Hell that has ever been presented in fiction, and is wonderfully colored with descriptions of the territories that Dante passes through. That being said the descriptions of Paradise and Purgatory are very vivid as well. Though it helps to have something of an understanding of Dante's Italy as well as Historical Italy and Rome it is not absolutely neccessary. Overall a highly reccomended book for anyone interested in a classical education.
Rating:
Summary: Superb and accessable translation of Dante's masterpiece
Review: Those of us not fortunate enough to be able to read Italian and thus savor Dante's masterpiece in its original language have the next best thing--the comprehensively noted translation by another great poet, the late John Ciardi. This superb and handsome hardbound edition of Ciardi's translation of Dante's Divine Comedy is not simply the collected, earlier translations of The Inferno, The Purgatorio, and The Paradiso, which in past years appeared in separate paperback editions: This edition is the final Ciardi translation from earlier forms which were "a work in progress." In this magnificent final translation, the non-Italian-speaking reader can savor Dante's extrodinary fusion of morality with the metaphorical architecture of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, explored with pathos and sympathy for the human condition which, in the mind of Dante, constantly yearns for The All in All. A volume that should be required reading for anyone who aspires to understand man's place in the universe.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent in composition and translation!
Review: Well of course the work is incredible... it is one of the top works of epic poetry ever, with vivid imagery, deft technique, deep symbolism, and some scenes both harrowing and uplifting. In addition, it is one of the absolutely crucial works in the historical development of serious writing in colloquial language (italian in this case of course), the important mixing of pagan and Christian doctrines, and just plain fun to read. However, the point here is also to judge the translation. In short, there is none better than John Ciardi's! Ciardi manages to keep the terza rima, the meter, and best yet.. the actual power of the words in his brilliant translation. There are other good ones, like the old Carlyle-Okey-Wicksteed translation, but with "thees" and "thous" everywhere, it doesn't quite capture the feel of modern day colloquial rendering, one of the points of the work, but worth checking out nevertheless. Want to compare, just read the first page of several translations and you will see how great Ciardi's is!
| 
