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The Inferno Paperback – January 8, 2002

by Dante (Author), Robert Hollander (Translator), Jean Hollander (Translator)

4.7 635 ratings

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“Probably the most finely accomplished and ... most enduring" translation (Los Angeles Times Book Review) of this essential work of world literature—from a renowned scholar and master teacher of Dante and an accomplished poet.

“The Hollanders … act as latter-day Virgils, guiding us through the Italian text that is printed on the facing page.” —The Economist

The epic grandeur of Dante’s masterpiece has inspired readers for 700 years, andhas entered the human imagination. But the further we move from the late medieval world of Dante, the more a rich understanding and enjoyment of the poem depends on knowledgeable guidance. Robert Hollander and Jean Hollander have written a beautifully accurate and clear verse translation of the first volume of Dante’s epic poem, the Divine Comedy. Featuring the original Italian text opposite the translation, this edition also offers an extensive and accessible introduction and generous commentaries that draw on centuries of scholarship as well as Robert Hollander’s own decades of teaching and research. The Hollander translation is the new standard in English of this essential work.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“The most accessible and the closest to the Italian … with ample commentary easily and unobtrusively available at the end of each Canto.” —Tim Parks, The New Yorker

“The Hollanders … act as latter-day Virgils, guiding us through the Italian text that is printed on the facing page.” —The Economist

“Probably the most finely accomplished and may well prove the most enduring…. The annotation … is crowded with useful insights and bits of information and keeps us abreast of scholarly opinion across the ages.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review

From the Inside Flap

The epic grandeur of Dante s masterpiece has inspired readers for 700 years, andhas entered the human imagination. But the further we move from the late medieval world of Dante, the more a rich understanding and enjoyment of the poem depends on knowledgeable guidance. Robert Hollander, a renowned scholar and master teacher of Dante, and Jean Hollander, an accomplished poet, have written a beautifully accurate and clear verse translation of the first volume of Dante s epic poem, the Divine Comedy. Featuring the original Italian text opposite the translation, this edition also offers an extensive and accessible introduction and generous commentaries that draw on centuries of scholarship as well as Robert Hollander s own decades of teaching and research. The Hollander translation is the new standard in English of this essential work of world literature.

From the Back Cover

The epic grandeur of Dante’s masterpiece has inspired readers for 700 years, andhas entered the human imagination. But the further we move from the late medieval world of Dante, the more a rich understanding and enjoyment of the poem depends on knowledgeable guidance. Robert Hollander, a renowned scholar and master teacher of Dante, and Jean Hollander, an accomplished poet, have written a beautifully accurate and clear verse translation of the first volume of Dante’s epic poem, the Divine Comedy. Featuring the original Italian text opposite the translation, this edition also offers an extensive and accessible introduction and generous commentaries that draw on centuries of scholarship as well as Robert Hollander’s own decades of teaching and research. The Hollander translation is the new standard in English of this essential work of world literature.

About the Author

ROBERT HOLLANDER taught Dante’s Divine Comedy to Princeton students for forty-two years, and is the author of a dozen books and more than seventy articles on Dante, Boccaccio, and other Italian authors. He is Professor in European Literature Emeritus at Princeton and the founding director of both the Dartmouth Dante Project and the Princeton Dante Project. He has received many awards, including the gold medal of the city of Florence and the gold florin of the Dante Society of America, in recognition of his work on Dante. JEAN HOLLANDER has taught literature and writing at Brooklyn College, Columbia University, Princeton University, and the College of New Jersey, where she was director of the Writers’ Conference for twenty-three years.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

INFERNO I OUTLINE 1–9 Dante, having lost his way, in a dark wood 10–21hint of dawn: the sun on a mountaintop 22–27simile: survivor of shipwreck looking back at sea 28–36journey resumed; ascending the slope; a leopard 37–43dawn and reassurance 44–54a lion renews his fear; a she-wolf drives him back 55–60simile: merchant (or gambler?) losing everything 61–66apparition (of Virgil) and Dante’s first words 67–75Virgil identifies himself 76–78his pointed question to Dante 79–90Dante’s recognition, praise of Virgil; plea for aid 91–100Virgil’s warning: power of the she-wolf 101–111Virgil’s prophecy of the hound that will defeat her 112–120Virgil will guide Dante through two realms to a third 121–129Virgil: a second guide will take him to those in bliss, since he is not allowed into that realm 130–135Dante agrees to be led through the first two realms 136the two set out

Inferno I Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita mi ritrovai per una selva oscura, 3ché la diritta via era smarrita.
Ahi quanto a dir qual era è cosa dura esta selva selvaggia e aspra e forte 6che nel pensier rinova la paura!

Tant’ è amara che poco è più morte; ma per trattar del ben ch’i’ vi trovai, 9dirò de l’altre cose ch’i’ v’ho scorte.

Io non so ben ridir com’ i’ v’intrai, tant’ era pien di sonno a quel punto 12che la verace via abbandonai.
Ma poi ch’i’ fui al piè d’un colle giunto, là dove terminava quella valle 15che m’avea di paura il cor compunto,
guardai in alto e vidi le sue spalle vestite già de’ raggi del pianeta 18che mena dritto altrui per ogne calle.
Allor fu la paura un poco queta, che nel lago del cor m’era durata 21la notte ch’i’ passai con tanta pieta.
E come quei che con lena affannata, uscito fuor del pelago a la riva, 24si volge a l’acqua perigliosa e guata,
così l’animo mio, ch’ancor fuggiva, si volse a retro a rimirar lo passo 27che non lasciò già mai persona viva.

Midway in the journey of our life I came to myself in a dark wood, 3for the straight way was lost.

Ah, how hard it is to tell the nature of that wood, savage, dense and harsh— 6the very thought of it renews my fear!

It is so bitter death is hardly more so. But to set forth the good I found 9I will recount the other things I saw.
How I came there I cannot really tell, I was so full of sleep 12when I forsook the one true way.
But when I reached the foot of a hill, there where the valley ended 15that had pierced my heart with fear,
looking up, I saw its shoulders arrayed in the first light of the planet 18that leads men straight, no matter what their road.

Then the fear that had endured in the lake of my heart, all the night 21I spent in such distress, was calmed.

And as one who, with laboring breath, has escaped from the deep to the shore 24turns and looks back at the perilous waters,so my mind, still in flight, turned back to look once more upon the pass 27no mortal being ever left alive. Poi ch’èi posato un poco il corpo lasso, ripresi via per la piaggia diserta, 30sì che ’l piè fermo sempre era ’l più basso.

Ed ecco, quasi al cominciar de l’erta, una lonza leggiera e presta molto, 33che di pel macolato era coverta;
e non mi si partia dinanzi al volto, anzi ’mpediva tanto il mio cammino, 36ch’i’ fui per ritornar più volte vòlto.
Temp’ era dal principio del mattino, e ’l sol montava ’n sù con quelle stelle 39ch’eran con lui quando l’amor divino
mosse di prima quelle cose belle; sì ch’a bene sperar m’era cagione 42di quella fiera a la gaetta pelle
l’ora del tempo e la dolce stagione; ma non sì che paura non mi desse 45la vista che m’apparve d’un leone.
Questi parea che contra me venisse con la test’ alta e con rabbiosa fame, 48sì che parea che l’aere ne tremesse.
Ed una lupa, che di tutte brame sembiava carca ne la sua magrezza, 51e molte genti fé già viver grame,
questa mi porse tanto di gravezza con la paura ch’uscia di sua vista, 54ch’io perdei la speranza de l’altezza.
E qual è quei che volontieri acquista, e giugne ’l tempo che perder lo face, 57che ’n tutti suoi pensier piange e s’attrista; After I rested my wearied flesh a while, I took my way again along the desert slope, 30my firm foot always lower than the other.

But now, near the beginning of the steep, a leopard light and swift 33and covered with a spotted pelt
refused to back away from me but so impeded, barred the way, 36that many times I turned to go back down.

It was the hour of morning, when the sun mounts with those stars 39that shone with it when God’s own love
first set in motion those fair things, so that, despite that beast with gaudy fur, 42I still could hope for good, encouragedby the hour of the day and the sweet season, only to be struck by fear 45when I beheld a lion in my way.

He seemed about to pounce— his head held high and furious with hunger— 48so that the air appeared to tremble at him.

And then a she-wolf who, all hide and bones, seemed charged with all the appetites 51that have made many live in wretchednessso weighed my spirits down with terror, which welled up at the sight of her, 54that I lost hope of making the ascent.

And like one who rejoices in his gains but when the time comes and he loses, 57turns all his thought to sadness and lament, tal mi fece la bestia sanza pace, che, venendomi ’ncontro, a poco a poco 60mi ripigneva là dove ’l sol tace.

Mentre ch’i’ rovinava in basso loco, dinanzi a li occhi mi si fu offerto 63chi per lungo silenzio parea fioco.
Quando vidi costui nel gran diserto, “Miserere di me,” gridai a lui, 66“qual che tu sii, od ombra od omo certo!”
Rispuosemi: “Non omo, omo già fui, e li parenti miei furon lombardi, 69mantoani per patrïa ambedui.
Nacqui sub Iulio, ancor che fosse tardi, e vissi a Roma sotto ’l buono Augusto 72nel tempo de li dèi falsi e bugiardi.

Poeta fui, e cantai di quel giusto figliuol d’Anchise che venne di Troia, 75poi che ’l superbo Ilïón fu combusto.
Ma tu perché ritorni a tanta noia? perché non sali il dilettoso monte 78ch’è principio e cagion di tutta goia?”
“Or se’ tu quel Virgilio e quella fonte che spandi di parlar sì largo fiume?” 81rispuos’ io lui con vergognosa fronte.

“O de li altri poeti onore e lume, vagliami ’l lungo studio e ’l grande amore 84che m’ha fatto cercar lo tuo volume.

Tu se’ lo mio maestro e ’l mio autore, tu se’ solo colui da cu’ io tolsi 87lo bello stilo che m’ha fatto onore. such did the restless beast make me— coming against me, step by step, 60it drove me down to where the sun is silent.

While I was fleeing to a lower place, before my eyes a figure showed, 63faint, in the wide silence.

When I saw him in that vast desert, ‘Have mercy on me, whatever you are,’ 66I cried, ‘whether shade or living man!’

He answered: ‘Not a man, though once I was. My parents were from Lombardy— 69Mantua was their homeland.

‘I was born sub Julio, though late in his time, and lived at Rome, under good Augustus 72in an age of false and lying gods.

‘I was a poet and I sang the just son of Anchises come from Troy 75after proud Ilium was put to flame.

‘But you, why are you turning back to misery? Why do you not climb the peak that gives delight, 78origin and cause of every joy?’

‘Are you then Virgil, the fountainhead that pours so full a stream of speech?’ 81I answered him, my head bent low in shame.

‘O glory and light of all other poets, let my long study and great love avail 84that made me delve so deep into your volume.

‘You are my teacher and my author. You are the one from whom alone I took 87the noble style that has brought me honor. Vedi la bestia per cu’ io mi volsi; aiutami da lei, famoso saggio, 90ch’ella mi fa tremar le vene e i polsi.”

“A te convien tenere altro vïaggio,” rispuose, poi che lagrimar mi vide, 93“se vuo’ campar d’esto loco selvaggio;ché questa bestia, per la qual tu gride, non lascia altrui passar per la sua via, 96ma tanto lo ’mpedisce che l’uccide;e ha natura sì malvagia e ria, che mai non empie la bramosa voglia, 99e dopo ’l pasto ha più fame che pria.

Molti son li animali a cui s’ammoglia, e più saranno ancora, infin che ’l veltro 102verrà, che la farà morir con doglia.

Questi non ciberà terra né peltro, ma sapïenza, amore e virtute, 105e sua nazion sarà tra feltro e feltro.
Di quella umile Italia fia salute per cui morì la vergine Cammilla, 108Eurialo e Turno e Niso di ferute.
Questi la caccerà per ogne villa, fin che l’avrà rimessa ne lo ’nferno, 111là onde ’nvidia prima dipartilla.
Ond’ io per lo tuo me’ penso e discerno che tu mi segui, e io sarò tua guida, 114e trarrotti di qui per loco etterno;ove udirai le disperate strida, vedrai li antichi spiriti dolenti, 117ch’a la seconda morte ciascun grida;

‘See the beast that forced me to turn back. Save me from her, famous sage— 90she makes my veins and pulses tremble.’

‘It is another path that you must follow,’ he answered, when he saw me weeping, 93‘if you would flee this wild and savage place.

‘For the beast that moves you to cry out lets no man pass her way, 96but so besets him that she slays him.

‘Her nature is so vicious and malign her greedy appetite is never sated— 99after she feeds she is hungrier than ever.

‘Many are the creatures that she mates with, and there will yet be more, until the hound 102shall come who’ll make her die in pain.

‘He shall not feed on lands or lucre but on wisdom, love, and power. 105Between felt and felt shall be his birth.

‘He shall be the salvation of low-lying Italy, for which maiden Camilla, Euryalus, 108Turnus, and Nisus died of their wounds.

‘He shall hunt the beast through every town till he has sent her back to Hell 111whence primal envy set her loose.

‘Therefore, for your sake, I think it wise you follow me: I will be your guide, 114leading you, from here, through an eternal place‘where you shall hear despairing cries and see those ancient souls in pain 117as they bewail their second death. e vederai color che son contenti nel foco, perché speran di venire 120quando che sia a le beate genti.

A le quai poi se tu vorrai salire, anima fia a ciò più di me degna: 123con lei ti lascerò nel mio partire;
ché quello imperador che là sù regna, perch’ i’ fu’ ribellante a la sua legge, 126non vuol che ’n sua città per me si vegna.

In tutte parti impera e quivi regge; quivi è la sua città e l’alto seggio: 129oh felice colui cu’ ivi elegge!”
E io a lui: “Poeta, io ti richeggio per quello Dio che tu non conoscesti, 132a ciò ch’io fugga questo male e peggio,che tu mi meni là dov’ or dicesti, sì ch’io veggia la porta di san Pietro e color cui tu fai cotanto mesti.” 136Allor si mosse, e io li tenni dietro.

‘Then you will see the ones who are content to burn because they hope to come, 120whenever it may be, among the blessed.

‘Should you desire to ascend to these, you’ll find a soul more fit to lead than I: 123I’ll leave you in her care when I depart.

‘For the Emperor who has his seat on high wills not, because I was a rebel to His law, 126that I should make my way into His city.

‘In every part He reigns and there He rules. There is His city and His lofty seat. 129Happy the one whom He elects to be there!’

And I answered: ‘Poet, I entreat you by the God you did not know, 132so that I may escape this harm and worse,

‘lead me to the realms you’ve just described that I may see Saint Peter’s gate and those you tell me are so sorrowful.’ 136Then he set out and I came on behind him.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage; TRA BLG edition (January 8, 2002)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 736 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0385496982
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0385496988
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1270L
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.16 x 1.21 x 7.99 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #31,215 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #5 in Italian Poetry (Books)
- #38 in Epic Poetry (Books)
- #1,127 in Classic Literature & Fiction

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Dante Alighieri

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Dante Alighieri was born in 1265 in Florence. His family, of minor nobility, was not wealthy nor especially distinguished; his mother died when he was a child, his father before 1283. At about the age of 20 he married Gemma Donati, by whom he had three children. Little is known of Dante's formal education-it is likely to have included study with the Dominicans, the Augustinians, and the Franciscans in Florence, and at the university in Bologna. In 1295 he entered Florentine politics and in the summer of 1300 he became one of the six governing Priors of Florence. In 1301, the political situation forced Dante and his party into exile. For the rest of his life he wandered through Italy, perhaps studied at Paris, while depending for refuge on the generosity of various nobles. He continued to write and at some point late in life he took asylum in Ravenna where he completed the Divine Commedia and died, much honoured, in 1321.

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Colby

Interesting Read

Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2024

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Artistic beauty and mathematical precision that encompasses everything in a poem form. Its a great insight to what was considered a divine written comedy 710 years ago.

Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2024

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The product is as it claims to be and arrived in a timely fashion.

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dmontag

Outstanding translation, scholarship and perfect as an e-book!

Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2012

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Jean and Robert Hollander's edition of Inferno is outstanding in every way. The translation is well-suited to the modern reader and seems to follow the Italian quite closely. The synopses preceding each canto are very useful and Hollander's analyses are exhaustive, interesting and complete with detailed references to earlier analytical works. The detail and extent of the analyses is remarkable. Hollander's commentary on the text is much more detailed than any other edition with which this reader is familiar, and the analyses are clear, interesting and well-referenced.

For the serious student of Dante, this e-reader edition perhaps sets the standard for its ready access to the Italian and to the commentary. The default mode for each canto is the english text with links to the left for the corresponding original Italian. To the right are links to Hollander's analyses, line by line. Click on the link and the relevant Italian or annotation appears. Having read and studied the poem both with the Hollanders' hard-copy edition, the electronic version is far more user-friendly than scrambling back and forth through twenty or more pages to find an annotation and then return to the text, only to find another annotation in the next line or tercet.

It might be of interest to also view the youtube videos of two Robert Hollander lectures at the University of Dallas. He is complete FULL of Dante. His enthusiasm and humor are infectious while transmitting a scholarly approach. Hollander says that Dante only offends two groups of people, non-believers and believers! This highlights one important aspect of this great poet, Dante's statement that Commedia is theological, not poetic allegory. This means that the narrative is claimed by Dante as to be literally true.

This e-book is a gem and a bargain.

38 people found this helpful

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bunny

Lovely language, handy to have on Kindle, format muddled for outlines of English translation

Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2021

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I always thought I should read Dante's Inferno because there are so many references to it, but was intimidated by its length what seemed like stilted translations. I really like this version. The language is easy to follow, I don't have to lug around a big book, and it's easy to go to and from footnotes. One format problem is in the short outlines before each English section - the numbers are superimposed over the words, making them hard to read, so I skipped over them. And of course there are no illustrations. One thing that surprised me is what a gossip rag the Inferno seems to be! Lots of references to politicians and other public figures getting their due. It would be easy to substitute current names and events instead, which I suppose is what makes this such a cultural touchstone.

14 people found this helpful

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John Cullom

el mezzo camnin something or other

Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2007

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I'm pretty sure this is what anyone that doesn't speak Italian wants out of an Inferno translation.

1. There's facing page Italian so you can do the Milton thing. You really can understand what the Italian is saying, and when you read it, you can get some idea of what an incredible achievement the Comedy really was. The poetry itself is astounding, but you have to read the Italian to get it - and to understand why it's untranslatable.

2. The translation is fairly literal. This time, the translation is there to tell you what the Italian actually says instead of serving as a clever solution to the poetic problems posed by translation. Nobody is going to pull off a translation into a Germanic language that conveys Dante's vowel heavy Italian rhyming. We would not translate Palestrina into Bach, please give up on this.

3. The notes are written to interpret the poem. Instead of merely providing historical background to the obscure personages, the notes provide readings across the past 700 years on difficult lines. That's one heck of a resource. I wish I had that for poets in English; I might actually read the stuff.

4. There's actually literary criticism. One of the revelations from the critical work here is how much Dante is making fun of the Virgil character. You see him get mad, plot and scheme, become boastful. It's really pretty hilarious. I never got a sense of that before, but it's pretty obvious once you start looking for it. That adds a completely different flavor to the poem. Like most great works, part of the reason it's great is because it's funny. Maybe not Milton. Screw Milton.

I've always liked the Inferno, but I feel like I must have been missing huge themes. Not even really sure why I liked it. Read this, you'll have a whole new take on the poem. I'm waiting on the next two volumes.

31 people found this helpful

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Johnny Berjikian

Good translation and great commentary

Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2018

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This is the third time I've tried to read this book and this translation made it incredibly enjoyable and profitable. The story itself is easy to understand and there is excellent commentary on almost every single line at the back of each chapter. I've started jumping to the commentary after every few lines because it gives so much information and explains simple intricacies that I easily miss. The only problem I have is that I wish I bought the hard cover version so that I can ensure it's safety for the rest of my life.

2 people found this helpful

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Jordan M. Poss

Very good translation

Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2006

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This translation of The Inferno, the first canticle of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, by Robert and Jean Hollander, is one of the best that I've read. 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. Having read the Comedy numerous times in many different translations, I didn't expect to be swept up in it again as I was. The Hollanders have done us a great favor with this translation.

The notes are copious and excellent, presenting numerous perspectives on textual, symbolic, narrative, and historical issues in the Comedy. A line-by-line breakdown of each canto is at the beginning of each, and charts detailing the layout of Dante's Hell help organize a narrative that can be infinitely confusing to the beginner.

Highly recommended for beginners and seasoned fans of Dante alike.

44 people found this helpful

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Tito Das

A treasure for all book lovers

Reviewed in India on August 24, 2021

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My review will be divided into sections, which I feel, is necessary to make a detailed discussion about this book. This edition of Dante Alighieri's Inferno is translated by Robert Hollander and Jean Hollander. I purchased it on 24 August, 2021 for ₹914.

First, a little about myself. I am a 27-year-old, professor of English, and teach undergraduates in a reputed Kolkata college.

1. Choosing the right Dante translation

There are so many translations of Dante's work available that it might seem confusing at first. I wanted to buy the whole Divine Comedy in a single volume but chose instead to go for separate books for each poem. Therefore, the logical order is to first read the Inferno, then Purgatorio, and finally Paradiso.
There are many translations of The Divine Comedy. Here's a quick sum up of the editions available in the market: Allen Mandelbaum (Everyman's Classics) ; John Ciardi (Penguin USA) ; H.W. Longfellow (Om as well as Fingerprint) ; Robin Kirkpatrick (Penguin Classics). There are other translations by Dorothy L. Sayers and Mark Musa (also available from Penguin Classics). It is to be noted that only Mark Musa has separate volumes of the texts out of all these. So as you can see, the list is long and choosing the right version for yourself can be a daunting affair.

All the aforementioned translations, except Musa's, offer Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso in a one-volume text, meaning you get all 100 cantos in the same book. You don't have to buy Purgatorio and Paradiso separately.

All the aforementioned books are also cheaper in the sense that you get three books in one volume. At the time of writing this review, the Allen Mandelbaum Everyman's Classics is ₹1267; John Ciardi's is ₹981 and the other editions are well below ₹550.

2. Why did I choose the Hollander edition?

The Hollander translation by Anchor Books publishers is, in my opinion, the most detailed version of Dante available in the world. This is a bilingual text, meaning the original Italian is printed on the left side and the English translation is on the right.

However, this edition is priceless because of the exhaustive annotations, notes and commentary by Robert Hollander, who was a Princeton University graduate and later professor; a man who taught Dante for 42 years. This is the most readable, modern translation of the Inferno.

This is the only book out of all the aforementioned books that offers the Italian version side by side. Hollander's notes at the end of each canto is immensely helpful in understanding the subtle nuances of the text. You will understand it better if I told you that this book is 736 pages in length. Do you understand what I am saying? This is just the first part of the Divine Comedy. In other editions, you get all three books within a thousand pages.

The Allen Mandelabaum edition is 960 pages; John Ciardi 928 pages; Robin Kirkpatrick 752 pages. Mark Musa's version of the Inferno is 432 pages. This tells you the enormity of notes and annotations available in the Hollander edition.

I suggest you not to go for the H.W. Longfellow edition as it is a prose-translation and Dante is best enjoyed in poetry.

3. Which edition is the best suited for you?

I personally chose the Hollander edition because it has detailed annotations and offers the most readable English translation of Dante. The poem is written in terza rima, a three-line stanza rhyme scheme which was invented by Dante himself. This edition offers the poem in terza rima and appears the closest to the Italian.

Now, when it comes to buying, choose a version that most suits your needs.

If you want to save money and have all three parts of the poem in one volume, go for either Allen Mandelabaum or John Ciardi. With the Everyman's edition of Mandelabaum, you get the book in hardcover.

Get the Ciardi edition if you want a more lyrical rendering of the poem. Out of all the above mentioned translators, only John Ciardi has Italian roots. He was a native Italian speaker who translated Dante into English.

Get the Hollander edition if a detailed understanding of the poems is your priority. In that case, you will have to buy three separate books. Right now, the Hollander edition of Purgatorio, the second book of the Divine Comedy, is priced at ₹703. So if I buy it, I already will have paid ₹1617 for the first two books. I will of course also have to buy the third part, Paradiso. But I consider it a worthwhile investment considering that it offers me a much detailed resource. It also offers me the option of quoting the original Italian text if I choose to write research papers, or savour the cadence of Dante's Italian poetry.

If you want the books separately but don't want to shell out too much cash, get Mark Musa Penguin Classics edition. You will get all three books within ₹1200. It is also a well-loved version of the poem.

If you want a prose-style translation, go for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. These editions are also the most inexpensive of all available books.

If you want to get a little archaic flavor in an English translation, go for Dorothy L. Sayers. It is also the most convoluted and difficult to read translations of the Inferno.

4. Conclusion

If you are a casual reader and want to know what the fuss with Dante is all about, go for a one-volume edition. If you want to become an expert, go for Hollander. But most importantly, read the poem in large chunks. Read 8-10 pages at a time. Better yet, try to read at least one canto in a sitting. This will help you appreciate Dante more.

Also, for added context, read the essays on Dante by Nobel Prize winning Italian poet Eugenio Montale. The research of Peter Armour, who spent all his life studying Dante, is also immensely helpful. Just don't abandon all hope when you begin reading the maestro.

8 people found this helpful

Remco

Dirty and bit damaged

Reviewed in the Netherlands on January 29, 2021

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Like you can see on the photo, the book has dirty stains on it at the front and backside. Also it looks like its secondhand due the minor damage although I bought it as new. I am in no position to return it and order a new one due the date of my classes. So far no review about the book itself.

Chicky

Dope book, shouts out to the OG D-Boy for some hq entertainment

Reviewed in Canada on March 29, 2019

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I really like the Italian on the one side and translation on the other, thats a really dope feature. Its getting pretty good, and I like how the ‘translator’ explains some of the lines after the cantos. Ive been steadily reading it, but it takes a while to read the Italian and also the english.

One person found this helpful

DanEjam

Hell of a good read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 28, 2013

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I am not a well read man, and when I say 'well read', I mean I have had not read many classical novels or poems etc. And before buying this book, these such thoughts were going through my mind:

"Oh, I've never read a poem before in my life, I probably wont understand it"
"Commentaries? Urgh, but they were such a bore in school"

Despite these thoughts, I bought this translation of the Inferno anyway, and I couldnt have chosen better.

The poem is tranlated brilliantly, because I understand it, and I can feel it. Simple as that.

The commentaries after each Canto are not dull or boring at all, because they are not only interesting, but are a humungous help. On first reading a canto on its own, I could understand it yes, but after reading the commentary with it, I understood it even more, and understood the depths behind it.

I had great fun reading this book, its entertaining for a good read and even contains some good humour, both in the poem itself and in the commentary.

All in all, if like me you're not an English literary expert. Do not worry! The poem is a joy to read (considering where its based) and the commentaries explain it so well, that it felt like I had Mr and Mrs Hollander sitting next to me explaining what it all meant as I went along.
So in a way, as I read about Dante's trip through hell with Virgil as his guide, I took a trip through hell, following behind Dante and Virgil, with Robert and Jean Hollander as my guide.

My Recommendation: Buy it!

16 people found this helpful

tosh8

伊英対訳でダンテ神曲を読む

Reviewed in Japan on April 10, 2005

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ダンテ神曲の英訳は数多くありますが、イタリア語原典と対訳形式のものはそれほど多くありません。本書は研究者の夫と詩人の妻の共同作業によるダンテ「神曲」地獄編」の伊英対訳本です。序文の後、各曲について、要約・本文・注釈が与えられています。本文は左側にイタリア語原典、右側に英訳が与えられています。英訳は一応韻文となっていますが、脚韻を踏んでいるわけではありません。そのためか英訳はわかりやすいと思います。各曲の後にすぐ注釈があるのは便利です。

6 people found this helpful

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