The Inferno of Dante

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Summary: Pinsky brings Dante into the 20th century
Review: Dante is finally easy to read and not only that, but exciting, scary, and powerfully moving. Pinsky's translation places you at Dante's side as he travels through the dark abyss. This is such a sensual, earthy translation that at times I felt suffocated by the dark air of hell, cringed at the fate of a sinner, and nearly swooned at the harsh justice being played out before me. The action and excitement of the story occasionally sent shivers down my spine. The scene where Dante and Virgil are escorted through one of hell's circles by a pack of vicious demons, then must flee those demons had me on the edge of my seat! This book is for anyone who found Dante difficult or never understood what all the fuss was about. Pinsky does a great job of making the poem come alive. I found it read more like a movie than a book. Take a chance and read this book. It will be an experience you won't easily forget. As you leave hell with Dante, you will hear the screams of agony fading into the distance, feel the cool night breeze caress your face, and, once again, you will see the stars

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Summary: A masterfully translated classic ...
Review: Dante's Inferno, by far the most interesting volume of Dante's Divine Comedy, is a must for any reader who wishes to cultivate their knowledge of the classics. Reading it would aid a reader in understanding later, highly allusive works, such as those of Joyce, or Eliot, since both writers allude to Dante in abundance.

Pinsky's translation is erudite and a credit to his own poetic ability. Steering away from pure rhyme and instead using blank verse, he has avoided limiting himself, and the freedom he has gained has created a far more convincing and authoritative translation than others have achieved.

An essential read, and a timeless work.

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Summary: Good translation of a great classic
Review: I first read the Inferno in high school and after several years, wanted to read it again and I am glad I did. Pinsky's translation is very well executed and he does a wonderful job at bringing the terza rima into English. (His introduction explains just how difficult this is when translating from Italian into English)

A great, dark classic, with a singular pathos that I have yet to see any literary (or cinematic) work surpass.

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Summary: A most readable Dante.
Review: It goes without saying that The Inferno is one of the great masterpieces of Western culture. That being the case, Pinksy, not Dante, is the focus of my review. This was the third translation of The Inferno that I have read (Mandelbaum and Ciardi being the others), and it is by far the most graceful of the group. I was particularly impressed with his handling of that ever present problem: the rhyme scheme. His solution to the problem is fluid and faithful to the original text (something Mandelbaum's rhyme-free translation lacks), without being distracting (as I found Ciardi's to be). But, what is truly amazing is that he is able to maintain this scheme without ever sounding forced or contrived. This allows Pinsky's tranlsation to remain first and foremost, a poem, which is so crucial in realizing the true genious of Dante's work. I was also pleased with Pinsky's decision to put a line of white space between each triplet. This really helped to accentuate the pacing and structure that make terza rima so important. The inclusion of the Italian text is also a nice touch. Finally, the notes are concise and informative. While Mandelbaum's notes seemed to me a little too thorough, often glossing the obvious, these give pertinent information without ever condescending to the reader. My only complaint would be that Pinksy stopped at the Inferno. I firmly believe that one must experience a work of art in its entirety in order to fully experience its brilliance. This is very true of the Divine Comedy. While there are certainly plenty of Purgatorios and Paradisos out there, I would very much have liked to have been able to maintain the continuity of a single translator. While there is a long list of translators who provide this option, I regret that Pinksy is not among them.

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Summary: Do not abandon hope all ye...
Review: The Inferno is by far the most interesting of the three books which make up Dante's Divine Comedy, and Robert Pinsky's translation is by far the best I've ever read.

The Inferno is the story of Dante's journey through hell on the night before Good Friday in 1300. He moves through the nine circles, until he meets Satan in the middle. Each circle holds souls who committed various sins, each catagorised by their sins and punishments. All of Dante's sinners receive retribution, ironically based on their respective sins. He also fills hell with famous sinners, making it easier to determine what sins belong to which circle of hell. The nine circles are also catagorised by regions: the first five are the sins of incontinence, the next three are the sins of violence, the next is the sins of fraud, and the last and most terrible circle is the sins of betrayal.

One of the most notable things about The Inferno is that Dante's theme is not that of Christian forgiveness, but instead it is justice. All sinners in hell deserve their punishments, and they will suffer them forever. This is illustrated by the case of the sinful love of Francesca da Rimini.

Pinsky's gift to the readers of this version of The Inferno is twofold: the first is his ability to write so well in English, and the second is the way he chose to present the English with regard to the Italian. The Inferno is written in terza rima, which Dante invented for the Divine Comedy. This involves a rhyming scheme, and many translators restrict themselves to it when publishing The Inferno. However, Pinsky keeps the three line stanzas of terza rima while writing in plain verse instead of rhymed, letting him mirror Dante's phrasing and flow without restriction.

Pinsky's version of The Inferno is also bilingual - Italian on the left page and English on the right. This allows even the most casual Italian scholar to follow the translation, and see the logic of it, which is a thoughtful and useful bonus. The notes on each canto are superb, and necessary to catch all of Dante's in-jokes.

This version of The Inferno is perfect for anybody who really wants to read and understand Dante's classic. I recommend it as a gift, to others and to yourself.