Rating: 
Summary: Journey to deep down under
Review: Don't read Dante for his fame, don't judge The Inferno for its subject. Instead, savor Dante's overpowering language that is cleverly winded around one of life's most daunting matter-Hell. Pervaded with vivid and often gruesome imageries, Inferno captures the very essence of suffering through Dante's unqiue understanding of religion with a blend of paganism and christianity. Also it's a thrilling ride down the underworld to be met by history's greatest souls. The notes before every Canto is crucially helpful in helping readers keeping up with ancient historical references. And feeling yourself penetrating the Nine Circles of Hell in the company of Dante and Vergil, you will surely catch a rare taste of the living value as Vergil guides curious eyes down a path where judgment befalls every single flaw of human nature. Perhaps, just perhaps you will attain a better sense of your existence once matched against the standards of Nine Circles designed for different sins. I call that a gripping journey.
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Summary: An Unforgettable Journey Through the Torment of Hell
Review: =====>The "Inferno" is the first of three volumes of poet Dante Alighieri's (1265-1321) "Divine Comedy" (the other two volumes are Purgatory and Paradise). This volume (composed of thirty-four episodes) describes Hell and the suffering of the damned. There is a historical introduction by Archibald MacAllister of Princeton. It's imperative to have a good understanding of Dante in order to understand his poetic masterpiece and MacAllister does a good job of detailing Dante and his times. The late John Ciardi, former poet and professor at Harvard and Rutgers, translated (or more precisely transposed) this poem from its original 1300's Italian into English. He retains Dante's three line stanzas and there is still much rhyming. He not only relied on his own knowledge but leaned heavily on the knowledge of other scholars for his translation. Dante's "Inferno" is a journey through the nooks and crannies of hell. Dante takes this incredible journey with his master and guide, Virgil. Along the way, Dante, Virgil, and the reader encounter such things as mythical creatures and people, legends, people of Dante's time, biblical figures, and human victims. It is a narrative poem whose greatest strength lies in the fact that it does not so much narrate as dramatize its episodes. It is a visual work that sparks your imagination. This poem combines the five senses with fear, pity, horror, and other emotions to involve the reader. The result: the reader actually experiences Dante's situation and just does not read about them. Ciardi's introductions in italics before each episode gives a brief summary of what to expect. His notes at the end of each episode highlight our understanding of key passages within each. For me, Ciardi's introductions and notes that accompany each episode are the cornerstone to understanding what Dante was attempting to convey. Finally, there are illustrations in this book. These illustrations as a whole detail the nine circles (of ledges) of Hell. They further increased my understanding, and, as well, added another visual dimension to this poem. In conclusion, if you want to experience Hell as seen through the eyes of a gifted poet, then read this book. Further, by reading this book, you will discover why this poem has endured popularity for seven centuries. <=====>
Rating:
Summary: great translation, great notes
Review: The Durling-Martinez edition is the one used in my college Dante class. Together with their translation of Purgatorio (their edition of Paradiso apparently still in progress), the two works have great endnotes for every canto of the poem, good appendices and Purgatorio has a series of 'intercantica' notes which refer the reader to all the parallels between the two works, so you don't have to remember that the Gates of Hell and the Gates of Purgatory are found in Canto 9 of their respective works. I wrote this review because the top reviews for this edition were all in fact for other editions, and this one definately deserves its due. It may be more expensive than Mandelbaum's paperback, but its worth it. The print is larger, the language clearer, the notes more useful. Try it out.
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Summary: Mandelbaum's beautiful, faithful (inexpensive!) translation
Review: Though I have a limited (several years of formal study) knowledge of Italian, I confidently recommend poet and scholar Mandelbaum's (facing page) translation of The Divine Comedy. This free-verse work captures the tone of the original more than several other translations I've read. The charts/notes for the mass market paperbacks are very good and are probably more than adequate for the average reader or student, though quite brief in comparison to Charles S. Singleton's highly praised work. If you find you're becoming a Dante groupie, buy Robert Durling's Inferno and Purgatorio translations (with excellent, brief notes and cool cover art; also inexpensive!) and/or Singleton's scholarly translation/notes for the Inferno/Purgatory/Paradise (expensive). At this time I have not yet read the recent translations by the Hollanders, which are said to be fantastic. If you're looking for an attempt at capturing the terza rima of the Italian original, try Dorothy Sayers or Laurence Binyon. N.B.: Mandelbaum's complete translation of the Divine Comedy is also available in a single-volume, hardcover edition.
Rating: 
Summary: Zappulla's "Inferno" is a joy to read.
Review: There is a new band of translators who are trying to capture the feel of original cadence and language by applying the cadence and language of modern English. Strict translation is sacrificed for readability; this, in turn, is mitigated by plenty of clear notes and commentary. Elio Zappulla's new iambic pentameter, unrhymed verse translation of "Inferno" by Dante Alighieri succeeds as such a translation. It is a joy to read. Dante's 14th century masterpiece, one of the first major works to be written in the vernacular (of Italy), is appropriately translated into the ordinary and occassionally coarse words of English. The result is anything but ordinary; sometimes reaching the extraordinary clarity afforded by the verse (over the prose). If you enjoyed Rober Fagles' translation of Homer's "Odyssey" or Everett Fox's translation of "The Five Books of Moses", then you will breeze through Zappulla's "Inferno". I hope that Zappulla is already preparing translations of "Purgatorio" and "Paradiso".
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Summary: Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here...
Review: "Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here" reads an inscription above Hell's Gate. May be true for xians, but horror-loving Satanists will find this literature most stimulating, with the graphic descriptions of mutilated souls, perverse debaucheries, morbid environments, & imaginative demonic monsters. Many great great suggestions for the torture chambre as well! Throughout the Gothic & Renaissance perionds, daemons of the Imagination creeped forth from the shadows of The Darkside of the mind like never before, thus producing some of the most compelling & attractive monsterpieces the world had ever had the misfortune or fortune to see, hear, & read. It was this written work that really ingrained the standards for the popular depictions of Hades, as well as paintings by artists like Jon Von Eyck, Heironymous Bosch, Peter Breughel, & Albrecht Durer. In the musickal genre, Bach, Wagner, Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, & Chopin, to name but a few, were realeasing tempestuous, monolithic, & eerie symphonies into the ether, which are now universally employed to set an eerie embiance. In THE INFERNO, Dante Alighieri, an Italian poet, meets with a mysterious & etheric host named Virgil, who takes him down to witness the terrors of The Great Abyss, so it may be recorded, & that mankind may wish not to go there. Heavy-duty guilt-trip. Throughout the sick, gnarled, blood-soaked, & freezing crevasses of Dante's brain, there are brief, but memorable encounters with the damned souls. There are seven {sic} circles in the first section of Hell, each populated by a different class of "sinners". On the way, we take a ride upon the back of a winged beast named Geryon, around a waterfall {nice to know there's water in Hell!}. The Ninth {of course} Circle is where Satan Himself is entrenched in the frozen lake Cocytus. The only escape from this abode of lost souls is by climbing down the devil's leg hairs {that's got to hurt}, which then leads to Purgatory. Obviously, this work was written at the height of the catholic church's oppression. There have been rumours, that Dante was secretly commissioned by church papacy to write the book, to better gain control of the peasants, who were taken to revolting quite often. Dante, being a starving poet at the time, could not refuse the offer. Cleverly, Dante was at first reviled by the church, & threatened with ex-communication, but was vindicated when he demonstrated his loyalty to the church by writing 'El Paradiso', which deals with Dante's journeys in the wonderful mystical world of Heavenland. This clever technique has been used over & over again to enslave minds, turning the unwary catholic & xian zombies, who blindly give their rations away to church & state {which at the time, were one in the same}. By first guilt manipulating someone into fear, you render them vulnerable, & they seek salvation wherever they can get it. Conveniently, 'El Purgatorio' & 'El Paradiso' were published not too far apart from The Inferno, attaining an essential balance, that their distribution may keep the populace in line. Needless to say, these three opuses caused the simpletons to flock back to church in record numbers. The pope became very fat, very fast. What I found most interesting about this abysmal field-trip, is that Dante's Hell is icey cold, instead of the typical scorching. That in itself makes it all less threatening. Dante's Inferno is one of the most colorful books I have ever read. It is filled with such wonderfully elaborate words that manifest magnificently morbid spectacles of diabolic delight. Use your own filtration wisdom as far as any foolosophy is concerned.
Rating:
Summary: Two thumbs up
Review: "The Inferno" as translated by John Ciardi was wonderful for a first time reader of the work. The introduction did a good job of setting up the background information of Dante's life, which played a big role in his writing of "The Inferno." The summaries before each canto also did an excellent job of preparing the reader for what each canto was about. What I especially liked were the notes at the end of each canto which were very helpful in clarifying some confusing terms or other historical references Dante made. "The Inferno" is already so well written, the notes by Ciardi just allow the reader to have a more informed reading of the book, which leads to a much fuller experience overall.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific way to read the Inferno
Review: This parallel-text edition gives the Italian alongside Sinclair's translation, which is prose but gives you a close understanding of the Italian. The footnotes are helpful without overburdening the reader, and each canto ends with some good expatiatory commentary on each canto. This makes for a very nice reading of the piece for the general reader.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I have taken a class with Robert Hollander over this work; this book shows great skill with Italian and a overall care and concern with finding and keeping the original intent. The footnotes in this edition are amazing - very helpful. I certainly recommend this book in any of its forms to all readers.
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down!
Review: I can't say how many times I read Esolen's truly exceptional translation of "Inferno" as some parts I read over and over and over again. The cantos flow with such grace and ease that you do not feel as though you are reading a "translation". What better compliment can one give then that?
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