Rating: 
Summary: Great Words, and Pictures too
Review: Mandlebaum's verse is beautiful: he manages to keep up an iambic 11-syllable line throughout the work just like Dante. His notes add a great deal to the text, by providing extensive references to the material Dante covers (they even point out the location of the epigraph to "Proufrock"). The Mass Market Paperback edition has the Italian on the opposite side of every page as well, so it will doubtless be useful to those lucky enough to be able to read Dante in the "linguo volgro". Plus, this edition has pictures too! How many other editions (save those with Dore's work) give you a PICTURE of Cerebrus?
Rating: 
Summary: Audacious journey
Review: This is a review of the Nicholas Kilmer 1985 translation, illustrated by Benjamin Martinez.There have been over 700 years of commentary on this classic, so I won't add anything original here. On the web search for "Dartmouth Dante Project" and you will find many. The reading is helped by added commentary, for example understanding the role of Beatrice or Francesca as heroine. The Dorothy Sayers translation offers more background information. The audaciousness of the poet to enter this realm of Biblical themes is remarkable, as his ability to garner sympathy for some of the sinners, such as Ugolino. Its fun to think where Dante would have placed some of today's public figures. Kilmer's translation is clear and straightforward, fairly modern sounding. For example contrast Kilmers(from Cantos XXiv): Quicker than I cross t, dot i,
he kindled, burned, and falling down,
was completely changed to ashes versus Sayers: Never did writer with a single dash
Of the pen write "o" or "i" so swift as he
Took fire, and burned, and crumbled way to ash. After I read the poem, I studied the dark illustrations by Benjamin Martinez and they present another view of the journey.
Rating:
Summary: Great work of art
Review: I stumbled upon Dante's Divine Comedy a couple years ago, when I was 15 I believe. While watching the movie Seven I noticed the refernce to Dante's Inferno... I had heard the name before but only now did I think to research it. I went to my local bookstore and picked up Hollander's translation for two reasons, I wanted a hardcover version, and I had read great reviews from Amazon about it. Well I got it home and began reading it immediately. From cover to cover, I thought the book was tremendous. Granted this is the only translation of Inferno that I have read, I can say that this is my favorite book of any I have read. Hollander's words are strong enough to depict a vivid picture, but not so overbearing and tedious that I wanted to put the book back on the shelf and forget about it. I highly recommend that anybody interested in reading Dante's works should pick up this book and add it to their collection. Thankfully, Purgatorio and Paradiso are in the works now and should be out this year, and by judging from the work in this book, I can confidently guess that those too will be extraordianry.
Rating: 
Summary: The Inferno
Review: This translation is great, if you're not a purist. I think it reads better in English when the lines aren't forced into rhyming. The prefaces and the notes at the end of each section really helped me keep up with the story.
I have to wonder, though, why Dante wrote this. Did people in his time really believe that he'd gone to Hell? If they thought it was just a work of fiction, then what's the purpose of the story? The punishments are strange and somewhat disgusting. There's a lot of symbolism and poetic justice in there, but it's distasteful all the same. Is this the best God could do?
The center of Hell is something of a disappointment, too. Brutus, Cassius, and Judas -- these are the worst sinners in all of history up to that point? Seriously.
Overall, this book gets three stars. If you're going to read The Inferno, Ciardi will get you through it. Unfortunately, even the best translation can't make up for a story about a woman putting Dante through Hell.
Rating:
Summary: An Unique Perspective of Christian Hell
Review: The Inferno of Dante Algihieri is part of a larger work known as the Divine Comedy, a set of three poems in which Dante describes his spiritual journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. Inferno is the first part of the trilogy; in it, Dante describes his journey through Hell, escorted by the ancient Roman poet Virgil. Hell, as Dante portrays it, is divided into nine concentric circles, each one smaller and lower than the previous, and therefore forming a funnel-like shape. In each circle, the souls of persons who have committed or lived a life of a certain sin, such as gluttony, avariciousness, or fraud, are condemned to some form of eternal punishment. For example, heretics are forever entombed in burning tombs. These nine circles are further divided into three categories: incontinence, violence, and fraud.
Perhaps Inferno, and the Divine Comedy in general, has its greatest value in Dante's literary mastery. Dante's wording and use of various literary devices make the poetry of Inferno nothing short of magnificent. I am not able to read the original Italian it was written in, but for those advanced readers the original text is provided opposite each page. Furthermore, the translation by Robert Durling, used in this edition of Inferno, does its best to retain the poetic beauty for which the Divine Comedy was so famous. Unlike many other versions, there is no attempt to rhyme the lines in English, nor does Durling try to match his own literary skill to Dante's. Instead, the book is a modern prose translation; for the most part, there is a very simple vocabulary used throughout. The lines, however, are not rearranged into a more easily comprehensible form. For many readers, this may prove a slight problem, yet, after a few chapters, the flow of the poem becomes more easily understandable.
As for the piece itself, many have claimed it to be a depressing, dark tale of Dante's trip to hell, relating it more to the horror genre than any other. On the contrary, the message Dante means to convey in the poem is much more than simply terror and dismay. I, however, find Inferno's importance in its spiritual message, for Dante gives a unique perspective of sin. Unlike the traditional Christian image of sin, Dante portrays it as more of an intellectual transgression against self, fellow man, or God rather than simply a violation of traditional moral values. The punishments are considerably brutal, but Dante only uses suffering as more of a literary device than to define the gruesome details of Hell, since the punishment is usually meant to reflect the horrors of a particular sin. The book also has a deep rooting in politics, for Dante was heavily involved in the political strife between the pro-Papal and pro-Emperor parties in Italy. Therefore, a somewhat basic background knowledge of Italian Renaissance history is needed to understand some parts of the book.
Those familiar with classical mythology may find many surprises when reading the story. The evidence of Greek and Roman influence are many, yet Dante does little to keep in line with the traditional characters. Plutus, for instance, is found as a raving, dumb guardian of the circle of the avaricious. Nevertheless, Dante's variations do little to subtract from the meaning or flow of the poem, rather it only serves to enhance its eccentricity. It is obvious throughout the story that Dante cares little of keeping his image of Hell similar to conventional Western stories. For example, the center of Hell is not brutally hot and aflame, but a frozen pit of ice. Satan himself is not a quick-witted, agile devil as is the traditional image of him is, yet a humongous beast resembling more the intellect of a robot than of a man. The symbolism of these differences is quite clear: Dante has decided to redefine the Christian belief of sin and has therefore redefined the classical/Christian image of Hell.
In short, few stories survive the test of time, however, Inferno certainly deserves its 700-year history. It is a divine dissertation on a different perspective of sin embodied in the tale of a journey through Hell. For those who enjoy literary depth and meaning, every line in Inferno could be argued to contain some type of symbolism. By combining ancient Greek mythology with Christian dogma, Dante has created a fascinating depiction of one of the tenets of religious doctrine since the times of antiquity, yet not conforming to any traditional image of Hell. Needless to say, the Inferno of Dante Algihieri is a unique story written in absolutely magnificent poetic form, setting the precedent for narrational poetry in the modern era. What is more, Robert Durling does a terrific job at keeping Dante's literary genius intact while providing sufficient notes and background reading to provide the reader with their own interpretation, void of any self-bias. Despite the difficult reading, I would recommend this book to any who wish to expand their spiritual and historical knowledge.
Rating:
Summary: best book
Review: the inferno is one of the best books i have ever read. if you like edgar allen poe you'll love dante's brilliant masterpiece the inferno. his trip through hell is wounderfully written and gives detailed information on what he thinks hell is like. if you have a queezy stomache don't read it. many punishments are disguesting.
Rating:
Summary: What the Hell?
Review: 600 years and I'm the first to review it? Okay, maybe just the first to review this paperback edition. Having read my fair share of classic literature, this is the first time I've read the poetic technique of storytelling (haven't read any Homer yet either). I gather from the translator's note and the Introduction that Ciardi's departure from the original, strict three line rhyme gave him more freedom to translate Dante's spirit and intent of the journey through Hell and make it an easier read for the typical reader (like me) than other translations. As it is, Ciardi employs the rhyming first and third line rhythm and it worked for me. I found the "prefaces" at the beginning of each chapter or "Canto" to be very useful in preparing me for what was to appear on the following pages. And not being a student of mythology, the notes at the end of each chapter tended to fill in the blanks in what I had just read. For me it was still a challenging read but the simplification helped. And while purists may find Ciardi's liberties an abomination (just a suspicion), they certainly helped me understand and enjoy the work more. If Dante's Inferno is required reading for class or personal enlightenment, this edition is likely a good choice.
Rating: 
Summary: its a great book, but ultimately disgusting
Review: I had to read this for English AP in High School. Now I found it to be a very well-written book. The poems are excellent and certainly dramatic; the setting is incredibly imaginative. Again, Dante might have been writing only symbolically throughout the book; certainly, all the tortures may be interpreted this way, if at times the interpretations are a bit forced. In the end, the book as an artistic structure is very sound. It is the author's attitude, and world-view, as revealed in this book, thats so very disturbing. I was incredibly surprised to find that 'sullenness' is considered a sin (?!?) and that sullen people are buried in marshes. What the heck?. The plight of everyone in hell is portrayed as just, but to the modern reader, comes across as pitiable and horrific, and also produces disgust at the nature of a God that would perpetrate such crimes. In fact, I was most jolted and surprised by the fact that Brutus- whom I walways considered noble, if misguided- is considered one of the three WORST sinners of all time! Dante's Hell is the reflection os an angry, wrathful and ultimately evil God. A god who sets up arbitrary rules and requires his populace to follow them, and then punishes them eternally for deviating. After reading this book, the feeling you get is that everyone is going to hell, if its all true. For not believing in God one will burn in a coffin forever. For committing suicide one will be turned into a thorny tree and suffer at the hands of harpies. For being homosexual one is forced to run across burning sands while fire falls from above. For lying to a friend one will suffer from all manner of diseases and corruptions- all of this FOREVER. Ultimately, I was disgusted by the book. I suppose one could, as an apologist for Dante, argue all these tortures are meant merely symbolically. But I don't believe that, and would rather not read a similar book again, no matter how high the artistic achievement.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent edition
Review: Dante's Inferno, the best of the three books of the Divine Comedy, is a revelation. The imagery is powerful, the language wonderful, it description of damnation almost terrifying. It is one of the most vivid religious books ever written, on par with Paradise Lost. Dante does not just recite catholic cannon, however. He has many contemporary references to Italian politics (a subject I knew little about before reading the Divine comedy), to church politics, to classical works such as Homer and Herodotus. To read it is to see the world in the middle ages, long before the reformation. Do not be intimidated by the prospect of reading a 14th century epic poem. After the first page, the style will become familiar and you will revel in the intricate detail of Dante's underworld. As for this particular edition, it is excellent. Ciardi gives a very good translation and, unlike other translators, preserves Dante's occasional scatalogical references and profanity. In addition, there are several useful maps of the Inferno as well as copious, informative (and necessary) endnotes at the finish of each Canto. The only way the edition could be better is if the notes were at the bottom of the page, but the Cantos are short enough that flipping to the end to read the endnotes is not the finger-breaking maneuver you might find in other editions.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent translation of a classic poem
Review: The Inferno, written by Dante Aligheri, and newly translated by John Cicardi is actually part of the larger epic poem, The Divine Comedy. The Inferno is centered on two of the great questions of humanity: is there an afterlife and what are the consequences of our life on earth.
Dante was a master poet, and perhaps his greatest skill was that he was able to bring together many different philosophies and connect and build upon them to construct a highly detailed and intricate story line. In The Inferno, every detail is meant to reinforce the major themes of the work, which include the eternal justice of God, the eternal glory of the Roman Catholic Church, and the eternal danger of politics. Dante achieves this artistic unity by employing many different styles, tones, and poetic devices. As the reader follows Dante through the realms of hell, the dismal and torturous eternity of the souls of the dammed is revealed.
I loved the dark, riveting, and driving style of the poem. After the conclusion of each Canto, I felt like I had actual seen the burning floor of hell. Dante's ironic wit and interesting combination of styles and language give the poem its enduring edge. Cicardi's excellent translation and linear notes helped tremendously in understanding the meanings behind the work as well as the many obscure historical references that are made. The Inferno is certainly a classic poem that is as dynamic and powerful now as it was when it was first written. Cicardi's lucid translation and helpful notes helped to make this version a superior reading experience.
|
