The inferno of dante dante alighieri, robert pinsky. A new telling of dantes inferno, this translation is the most fluent, grippingly readable version of the famous poem yet, andwith all the consummate technical. Here i want to expand that exercise, comparing 15 different translations in a more systematic way. Mary jo bangs inferno is an astute and subtle reading of dante that brilliantly reflects the inexhaustible capaciousness of the divine comedy. Read dantes inferno translated modern english translation by dante alighieri available from rakuten kobo.
In fact the first english translation was only completed in 1802, almost 500 years after dante wrote his italian original. This translation uses the longfellow translation as a base, but replaces the obscure or antiquated verbiage with the language of modern english. A complete listing and criticism of all english translations of at least one of the three books cantiche. Dantes divine comedy has been translated maybe 1,000 times with varying success and now robert pinsky has dared to try by translating the first book, the inferno, and has produced an eminently readable and successful translation. In my last post i compared john ciardi and allen mandelbaums translation of the inferno by looking at how they handled canto xxvi, lines 112120. Dantes inferno modern english translation by dante. Most english translations of inferno are full of colorful, but meaningless language based on today s modern standards. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading dantes divine comedy in.
The inferno of dante ebook written by dante alighieri. The lack of english translations before this is due in part to dantes catholic views being distasteful, or at least uninteresting, to protestant english audiences, who viewed such a catholic theology, mixed with references to classical mythos, as heretical. Reading the inferno will let you foresaw the image of hell. The inferno is specifically about his journey through hell. We toured the palazzo vecchio on the first day, and happened on a bust of dante, and i. Virgil, dante the pilgrims guide, leads him through the 7 layers of hell. The base text for this edition has been provided by digital dante, a project sponsored by columbia university s institute for learning technologies. The lack of english translations before this is due in part to dante s catholic views being distasteful, or at least uninteresting, to protestant english audiences, who viewed such a catholic theology, mixed with references.
This translation, first published in 1909, is by henry wadsworth longfellow 18071882, american professor and poet inferno by dante alighieri is an epic allegory of the spiritual journey of man. Three large print short stories inspired by dantes inferno, linked by a book of human skin passed down through generations. I crossed out hollander because i figured i wanted a more poetic and artistic rendering of dantes work than a scholarly approach which is good for critical analysis but i couldnt see myself reading the 2600 page hollander version where 70% of the text is notes. The divine comedy is dantes record of his visionary journey through the triple realms of hell, purgatory and. But most of these translations are in verse, and the intellectual. Henry wadsworth longfellow 18071882, himself a poet. Describing dante s descent into hell with virgil as a guide, inferno depicts a cruel underworld in which desperate figures are condemned to eternal damnation for committing one or more of seven deadly sins.
The inferno is a story of dantes journey in hell with the company of virgil. Dantes inferno the divine comedy, volume 1, hell, book. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading dantes inferno translated. Ive heard pinskys translation of the inferno is really good. Mary jo bangs 2012 translation of the inferno in colloquial american english. Matthew pearl is the author of the dante club, a literary thriller about a group of 19thcentury harvard scholars secretly working on a translation of the divine comedy who are forced out of. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the inferno of dante. Dantes divine comedy in plain and simple english translated kindle edition by dante alighieri, bookcaps. Side by side translations of the inferno dantes inferno. Before me things create were none, save things eternal, and eternal i endure. Buy inferno translation, bilingual by dante, hollander, robert, hollander, jean isbn. Also here are some links of my favorite artistic representations of dantes inferno, which. The edge of the book that covers the binding has a snake engraved on it between the title and the illustrated by dore. Fifteen translations of dante compared boisterous beholding.
Dantes divine comedy in plain and simple english translated. Dantes great poem has everything in it, and mary jos inferno does too. Dantes inferno as interpreted by acclaimed artist sandow birk and writer marcus sanders is a journey through a hell that. The inferno tells the journey of dante through hell, guided by the ancient roman poet virgil. Eliot called such poetry the most beautiful ever writtenand yet so few of us have ever read it. Dantes inferno new edition by dante alighieri, 1885.
The divine comedy, finished by dante alighieri in 20, is one of the most. Different versions of the inferno as interpreted by different translators the divine comedy is regarded as the foundation of modern literary italian. So many versions of the divine comedy exist in english that a new one might well seem needless. But ever as barbariccia near them came, thus underneath the boiling they withdrew. Description of the book dantes inferno in modern english. New introductions commissioned from todays top writers and scholars. Depicting one mans horrifying journey into the depths of hell, inferno, the first part of dantes divine comedy, is a soaring spiritual epic that continues to echo through the centuries with its moving portrayal of human sin and the tragedy of those condemned to eternal damnation. Dantes inferno translated by dante alighieri bookshop. Samuel beckett, whom we would do well to emulate, was once asked what ambitions he had. Dante s great poem has everything in it, and mary jo s inferno does too. Dante s divine comedy in plain and simple english translated kindle edition by dante alighieri, bookcaps.
Side by side translations of dantes inferno canto longfellow translation inferno. How to create your personal hell in dantes inferno clips on the contemporariness of dantes inferno karlomongaya. Most english translations of inferno are full of colorful, but meaningless language based on todays modern standards. Eliot called such poetry the most beautiful ever writtenand yet. This translation of the inferno, the first canticle of dante alighieris divine comedy, by robert and jean hollander, is one of the best that ive read. It was one of the first major works of literature written in the italian language, rather than latin which was until then still the language of the scholars and poets.
This penguin classics edition is translated and edited with an introduction and notes by robin kirkpatrick. This edition of the inferno revives the famous henry wadsworth longfellow translation, which first introduced dantes literary genius to a broad american audience. The poem is the narrative of a journey down through hell, up the mountain of purgatory, and. The other 2 are his journey through purgatory, and then his journey through heaven. Canto i the poem begins on the night of maundy thursday on march 24 or april 7, ad 0, shortly before dawn of good friday. Inferno by dante alighieri penguin books australia. Page 365 charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living god, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. Its poetic, has notes, its cheaper and is contained in a single volume. Not foliage green, but of a dusky colour, not branches smooth, but gnarled and intertangled, not appletrees were there. These breathtaking lines conclude dantes divine comedy, a 14,000line epic written in 21 on the state of the soul after death.
Questia read the fulltext online edition of dante s inferno 1885. To rear me was the task of power divine, supremest wisdom, and primeval love. The binding has heavy thread and the pages have gold sides on all three sides when the book is closed. Mary jo bang s inferno is an astute and subtle reading of dante that brilliantly reflects the inexhaustible capaciousness of the divine comedy. The writer, having lost his way in a gloomy forest, and being hindered by certain wild beasts from ascending a mountain, is met by virgil, who promises to show him the punishments of hell, and afterwards of purgatory. As mentioned, im in florence, italy with my daughter for a speaking gig. In the poem, hell is depicted as nine concentric circles of torment located within the earth. The project gutenberg ebook of divine comedy, longfellows translation, hell.
Dantes inferno modern english translation by dante alighieri. How to read dante in the 21st century the american scholar. Dantes inferno the divine comedy, volume 1, hell, book by. Italian for hell is the first part of italian writer dante alighieris 14thcentury epic poem divine comedy. Inferno is the first part of dantes epic poem the divine comedy, revealing the eternal punishment reserved for such sins as greed, selfdeception, political doubledealing and treachery. Dantes divine comedy offensive and should be banned. A new complete downloadable english translation with comprehensive index and notes. Some translations are so elaborate that they are as difficult to read as the original italian version. A new telling of dante s inferno, this translation is the most fluent, grippingly readable version of the famous poem yet, andwith all the consummate technical skill that is the hallmark of sean obrien s own poetrymanages the nearimpossible task of preserving the subtle power and lyric nuance of the italian original, while seeking out an entirely natural english music.
Nov 12, 2004 the inferno of dante alighieri, translated by ciaran carson granta. The dante in the story is the same name of dante alighieri which is the author of the book. Inferno is the first part of dante s epic poem the divine comedy, revealing the eternal punishment reserved for such sins as greed, selfdeception, political doubledealing and treachery. The inferno by dante alighieri translated by ciaran. The original text is also presented in the book, along with a comparable version of smashwords dantes divine comedy in plain and simple english translated a book by bookcaps page 1. The nook book ebook of the dantes inferno translated. Divine comedy inferno dante alighieri wyoming catholic college.
The inferno is the first of three parts of dantes epic poem, the divine comedy, which depicts an imaginary journey through hell, purgatory, and paradise. Thorntons very readable and accurate verse translation of the inferno captures. Read some translations though and see what you think. Dante is the hero, who loses his way in the dark woods and journeys to nine regions arranged around the wall of a huge funnel in nine concentric circles representing hell. This book includes the italian version at the end of the book, notes on textual. Every new translation of the divine comedy, though in itself a fresh tribute, however. Feb 07, 2010 fifteen translations of dante compared in my last post i compared john ciardi and allen mandelbaums translation of the inferno by looking at how they handled canto xxvi, lines 112120. The present translation, which is the result of over twenty years work with large classes in dante in english at brown university, was undertaken and continued with the object of meeting a need, which did not seem adequately met by the well known translations of cary, longfellow, norton, or others more recent.
This translation includes an overview of the inferno, purgatory, and paradise, and more. What is the value of dantes inferno book, translated by the. Play fulllength songs from dantes inferno modern english translation by dante alighieri on your phone, computer and home audio system with napster. Jun 19, 2003 buy inferno translation, bilingual by dante, hollander, robert, hollander, jean isbn. The divine comedy by dante aligheri was translated into french and spanish and other. The divine comedy changed my life, and it may do the same to you.
Inferno is a fourteenthcentury epic poem by dante alighieri in which the poet and pilgrim dante embarks on a spiritual journey at the poems beginning, dante is lost. The word had no dramatic implication at that time, though it did involve a happy ending. Discover dante s original inferno in this modern and acclaimed penguin translation. What is the value of dantes inferno book, translated by. Throughout the book, the main character is led by virgil, through each of the secen levels of hell, each one representing a different sin. Previous part 2 next part 4 the frogs stand only with their muzzles out, so that they hide their feet and other bulk. About his company virgil a roman poet he is kind of a consciousness of dante. English translations of dantes divine comedy wikipedia. It is believed that the divine comedy was written somewhere between 8. A new telling of dantes inferno, this translation is the most fluent, grippingly readable version of the famous poem yet, andwith all the consummate technical skill that is the hallmark of sean obriens own poetrymanages the nearimpossible task of preserving the subtle power and lyric nuance of the italian original, while seeking out an entirely natural english music. I crossed out hollander because i figured i wanted a more poetic and artistic rendering of dante s work than a scholarly approach which is good for critical analysis but i couldnt see myself reading the 2600 page hollander version where 70% of the text is notes. A translation of dantes inferno purgatorio, paradiso by d. Describing dantes descent into hell midway through his life with virgil as a guide, inferno depicts.
Thorntons new translation of dantes inferno immediately joins ranks with the very best available in english. I have a shelf devoted to dante, but as of today, i give the nod to jean and robert hollander for their rather recent translations. Which is the best englishlanguage translation of dante. Modern english translation kindle edition by dante alighieri. Their english version of the comedy is fast and straightforward, sticking close to the original text but adding vigor to what can sometimes be very bland in english. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. This book is a modern translation with a fresh spin. Henry francis cary december 6, 1772 august 14, 1844,an english author and translator.
The narrator, dante himself, is thirtyfive years old, and thus midway in the journey of our life nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita half of the biblical lifespan of seventy psalm 89. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading dante s divine comedy in plain and simple english translated. Her accurate, deeply pondered translation translates carries over. Canto xiii not yet had nessus reached the other side, when we had put ourselves within a wood, that was not marked by any path whatever. Dantes divine comedy has been translated maybe 1,000 times with varying success and now robert pinsky has dared to try by translating the first book, the.
Kindle, 238 kb, this is an ebook formatted for amazon kindle devices. Discover dantes original inferno in this modern and acclaimed penguin translation. Traveling through a dark wood, dante alighieri has lost his path and now wanders fearfully through the. Whats the best way to read the divine comedy if you dont know. But ever as barbariccia near them came, thus underneath the. The 15 translations are those of ciaran carson, john ciardi, anthony esolen, robert and jean hollander, robin kirkpatrick, stanley lombardo, henry. Opening the book we stand face to face with the poet, wrote william dean howells of longfellows dante, and when his voice ceases we may marvel if he has not sung to us. Opting for unrhymed blank verse, the translator succeeds in capturing the poets firstperson narrative voice with unusual accuracy, spontaneity, and vividness, rendering the otherworld journey with vigor and a flair for the dramatic without ever sounding either strained or. Her accurate, deeply pondered translation translates carries over dante into her own world, and ours. Smashwords dantes divine comedy in plain and simple. Dante s inferno new edition by dante alighieri, 1885 online research library. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Of dantes many translators, three stand out as the best.
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