The inferno follows the wanderings of the poet dante as he strays off the rightful and straight path of moral truth and gets lost in a dark wood. The book explores the interconnections of dantes divine comedy and four modern painters. Italian for hell is the first part of italian writer dante alighieri s 14thcentury epic poem divine comedy. The inferno, part one of dantes epic poem, the divine comedy, is the most imaginative and lyrical poetry i have read so far in my life. In your third book, dante in english 2005, griffiths and reynolds present the influence of dante through other artists work. About this work the divine comedy is dante s record of his visionary journey through the triple realms of hell, purgatory and paradise. Clive james, since that was the big one out recently. This enthralling new translation of dantes inferno immediately joins ranks with the very best richard lansing. The best books on dante five books expert recommendations. Poet laureate pinsky employs slant rhyme and near rhyme to preserve dantes terza rima form without distorting the flow of english idiom.
Dante s inferno dante s inferno the divine comedy of dante alighieri translated by henry wadsworth longfellow volume 1 this is all of longfellow s dante translation of inferno minus the illustrations. The beauty of this work is that it applies to humanity as a whole. Poet laureate pinsky employs slant rhyme and near rhyme to preserve dante s terza rima form without distorting the flow of english idiom. In his translation of inferno, mark musa writes, dante invites us to read his poem as he expects us to read the bible, that is, to believe in the. Bangs thrillingly contemporary translation of the first part the juiciest part of alighieris 14thcentury poem the divine comedy is indeed epic. Professor esolens translation of dantes inferno is the best one i have seen. Her accurate, deeply pondered translation translates carries over dante into her own world, and ours. What was this forest savage, rough, and stern, which in the very thought renews the fear. Poet laureate pinsky employs slant rhyme and near rhyme to preserve dante s terza rima form. Dante s great poem has everything in it, and mary jo s inferno does too.
A very nicely formatted edition of the longfellow translation of the inferno. The dantes inferno game, which electronic arts is releasing for the xbox 360 and playstation 3 consoles on feb. Dante in translation ital 310 professor mazzotta introduces students to the general scheme and scope of the divine comedy and to the life of. Sensitive to the demands of creating poetryintranslation, mary jo bang has prepared a version of the inferno thats anything but alienating or quaint. This edition includes several nice features like a synopsis at the beginning of each canto, a collection of artworks, and a table of contents integrated into the kindle sidebar. In the inferno, the spirit of the classical poet virgil leads dante through the nine circles of hell on the initial stage of his journey toward heaven.
The inferno of dante alighieri translated by ciaran carson. The inferno, the first section of dantes threepart poem the divine comedy. The divine comedy, long narrative poem written in italian by dante circa 8 21 that. Dantes immortal vision of hell shines as it never did before in english verse edward mendelson in clive jamess new translation of inferno the most captivating part of perhaps the greatest epic poem ever written, dantes inferno still holds the power to thrill and inspire. The text is fully hyperlinked to the mythological index and vice versa. Now of that second kingdom i shall sing where human souls are purified of sin and made worthy to ascend to heaven purgatory is the second part of dantes the divine comedy ascending the terraces of the mount of purgatory inhabited by those doing penance to expiate their sins on earth. The most captivating part of perhaps the greatest epic poem ever written, dante s inferno still holds the power to thrill and inspire. 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. Belonging in the immortal company of the great works of literature, dante alighieris poetic masterpiece, the divine comedy, is a moving human drama, an unforgettable visionary journey through the infinite torment of hell, up the arduous slopes of purgatory, and on to the glorious realm. Mary jo bang s inferno is an astute and subtle reading of dante that brilliantly reflects the inexhaustible capaciousness of the divine comedy. The dorothy sayers translation for penguin, which mimicked dantes original terza rima, was famous for its badness. The divine comedy translated by henry wadsworth longfellow with an. Mary jo bangs inferno is an astute and subtle reading of dante that brilliantly reflects the inexhaustible capaciousness of the divine comedy.
Henry boyd produced one of the early englishlanguage translations of the. Her accurate, deeply pondered translation translates carries over. So many translations have been done that the goal of this book seems to me not to be to attempt another inferno of syntax thats become standardised, but to introduce dante to the world of contemporary poetry by meshing the classic with the eclectic array of poets in this book. The only good hell to be in right now is poet mary jo bangs innovative, new translation of dantes inferno, illustrated with drawings by henrik drescher. Each book is arranged in paragraphs, with each paragraph headed by the corresponding line reference in the latin text. Born in 1265 in florence, from which he was banished in. Book 3 a new complete downloadable english translation with comprehensive index, and other poetry translations including baudelaire, chinese, european. 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. Translations by 20 contemporary poets 9780880012911. Inferno, the most popular and widely studied section of the divine comedy, recounts dantes travels through the different regions of hell, led by his mentor and protector, the roman poet virgil. 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. Fifteen translations of dante compared boisterous beholding. Inferno, canto i by dante alighieri poems academy of.
Robert durlings translation brings a new power and accuracy to the rendering of dantes extraordinary vision of hell, with its terror, pathos, and sardonic humour, and its penetrating analyses of the psychology of sin and the ills that plague society. Along the way dante encounters and describes in vivid detail the various types. Dante in particular employed virgil as guide to his journey through the inferno and purgatory of the divine comedy, seeing him as a proponent of empire, a master of the poetic tradition, and a prophet of the advent of christianity. Dantes work inferno is a vivid walkthrough the depths of hell and invokes much imagery, contemplation and feeling. Dantes inferno in a new, triplerhymed translation, freshly illustrated, english and italian, footnotes, summaries, diagrams. The inferno tells the journey of dante through hell. An extraordinary new verse translation of dantes masterpiece, by poet, scholar, and lauded translator anthony esolen of the great poets, dante is one of the most elusive and therefore one of the most difficult to adequately render into english verse. It is a hard thing to speak of, how wild, harsh and impenetrable that wood was, so that thinking of it recreates the fear. Each section is 33 cantos in length, and they describe how dante and a guide travel through inferno, purgatorio, and paradiso. Jan 30, 2010 the dantes inferno game, which electronic arts is releasing for the xbox 360 and playstation 3 consoles on feb. As an alternative, the kindle ebook is available now and can be read on any device with the free kindle app.
Dante alighieri was born in florence in 1265 and belonged to a noble but impoverished family. One of the worlds transcendent literary masterpieces, the inferno tells the timeless story of dantes journey through the nine circles of hell, guided by the poet virgil, when in midlife he strays from his path in a dark wood. About the author virgil publius vergilius maro, also called vergil was born near mantua, in cisalpine gaul, in 70bc. This study of the authorial poetry book in late occitan and early italian literary culture. I havent read it, although i have read james writing on italian poetry his wife was a. As edward hirsch wrote in the new yorker, robert pinskys translation is fastpaced, idiomatic, and. When your books and teachers dont make sense, we do. And his endnotes and other additions provoke answers to almost any question that could arise about the work. Dante s immortal vision of hell shines as it never did before in english verse edward mendelson in clive james new translation of inferno. The inferno by dante alighieri translated by ciaran.
Get cozy and expand your home library with a large online selection of books at. It consists of 100 cantos, and after an introductory canto they are divided into three sections. Blake ritson, david warner, hattie morahan and john hurt star in this bbc radio 4 dramatisation of dante s epic poem. In the middle of the journey of our life, i came to myself, in a dark wood, where the direct way was lost. Im no dante expert that sounds like i dont know anything about art, but. Dantes great poem has everything in it, and mary jos inferno does too. Once you embark on this journey, you may wish to read not only all of mary jo bangs. 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. This edition includes several nice features like a synopsis at the beginning of each canto, a collection of artworks, and. Ive heard pinskys translation of the inferno is really good. Simon harris in terza rima in the middle of the journey of our life i found myself again in a dark forest, for i had lost the pathway straight and right.
The divine comedy changed my life, and it may do the same to you. Sep 03, 20 the only good hell to be in right now is poet mary jo bangs innovative, new translation of dantes inferno, illustrated with drawings by henrik drescher. The 15 translations are those of ciaran carson, john ciardi, anthony esolen, robert and jean hollander, robin kirkpatrick, stanley lombardo, henry. In many instances within the work the reader arrives at a.
Dante s inferno in a new, triplerhymed translation, freshly illustrated, english and italian, footnotes, summaries, diagrams. Midway along the journey of our life nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita i woke to find myself in a dark wood, for i had wandered off from the straight path. I was a poet, and sang of aeneas, that virtuous son of anchises, who came. In 1867, henry wadsworth longfellow completed the first american translation of inferno and thus introduced dantes literary genius to the new world. Play fulllength songs from dantes inferno modern english translation by dante alighieri on your phone, computer and home audio system with napster. Inferno, purgatorio, paradiso 3 classic unabridged. This is the first volume of a new prose translation of dantes epic the first in twentyfive years. Inferno is dantes experience in walking through hell. Allegorically, dantes story represents not only his own life but also what dante the poet perceived to be. Every new translation of the divine comedy, though in itself a fresh tribute. Divided into three major sectionsinferno, purgatorio, and paradiso the. Theyre concerned with dantes impact on the englishspeaking world, giving us a substantial sampling of translation and imitation in english poetry from the middle ages through to the present. A complete listing and criticism of all english translations of at least one of the three books cantiche. In game from electronic arts, dante abandons all poetry.
In the metamorphoses ovid retells stories from the greek myths, arranging them in roughly chronological order, from the origins of the. 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. Washington timesin this new rendition of a timeless classic, italian scholar elio zappulla captures the majesty and enduring power of the inferno, the first of the three canticles of dantes the. I have a number of translations of dantes the divine comedy in my home among them the translations of charles singleton, dorothy l. Photograph your local culture, help wikipedia and win. The power of dantes descriptive poetry should be apparent, and that is perhaps the highest compliment one can pay a translator. 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. Dantes divine comedy is considered to be not only the most important epic poem in italian literature, but also one of the greatest poems ever written. Dantes inferno new edition by dante alighieri, 1885. Inferno english by dante alighieri canto i one night, when half my life behind me lay, i wandered from the straight lost path afar. Italian poetry in translation, 4 see dante studies 111 1993, 268. Dantes inferno modern english translation by dante. A summary of cantos iiiiv in dante alighieris inferno.
David young, translator of the poetry of petrarch durling and martinez deliver paradiso in elegant english prose faithful to dantes italian. But perhaps the most neglected one is the battered volumes i found on ebay, translated by henry wadsworth longfellow. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. The longfellow translation of dantes divine comedy is still one of the best. Translation of dantes inferno, canto i and poetry by j.
Dante s immortal vision of hell shines as it never did before in english verse edward mendelson in clive james s new translation of inferno the most captivating part of perhaps the greatest epic poem ever written, dante s inferno still holds the power to thrill and inspire. Ah how hard it is to describe, this forest savage and rough and overwhelming, for to think of it renews my fear before it. In attempting to avoid anything archaic, though, some readers may believe shes gone too far to create a translation that. Dantes inferno dantes inferno the divine comedy of dante alighieri translated by henry wadsworth longfellow volume 1 this is all of longfellows dante translation of inferno minus the illustrations.
Thirtyfive year old dante finds himself in the middle of a dark wood, in extreme personal and spiritual crisis. Dantes masterwork is a 3 volume work written in italian rather than latin. 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. American dante bibliography for 1992 dante society. There are the proud forced to circle their terrace for aeons bent double in humility. English translations of dantes divine comedy wikipedia. Home english poetry classic books dantes inferno introduction. And that, folks, is just the beginning just as three wild animals threaten to attack him, dante is rescued by the ghost of virgil, a celebrated roman poet and also dantes idol.
I found myself within a forest dark, for the straightforward pathway had been lost. This, the first epic of which its author is the protagonist and his individual imaginings the content, weaves together the three threads of classical and christian history. Individual editions of robin kirkpatrick s translation inferno, purgatorio and paradiso are also available in penguin classics, and include dante s italian printed alongside the english text. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of inferno and what it means. Nov 12, 2004 the inferno of dante alighieri, translated by ciaran carson granta. Here i want to expand that exercise, comparing 15 different translations in a more systematic way. Poets like allen mandelbaum bantam and robert pinsky noonday checked in with more poetic efforts in meter, but without trying the impossible task of writing superb poetry in terza rima that also matches dantes meaning. Dantes inferno, canto i poem by dante alighieri translation by j. The inferno of dante audiobook by dante alighieri, robert. The authoritative translations of the inferno, the purgatorio, and the paradisotogether in one volume. The inferno of dante alighieri a rhymed translation by seth zimmerman illustrations by janet van fleet. As for the translation, it was done by henry wadsworth longfellow, one of the greatest poets of the 19th century.
The day was going, and the dusky air was freeing the creatures of the earth, from their labours, and i, one, alone, prepared myself to endure the inner war, of the journey and its pity, that the mind, without error. Dantes work beautifully constructs a full sensory depiction of hell and the souls he encounters along the journey. The longfellow translation of dante s divine comedy is still one of the best. The inferno tells the journey of dante through hell, guided by the ancient roman poet virgil. There have been countless translations of the inferno, but this one by poet. Samuel beckett, whom we would do well to emulate, was once asked what ambitions he had. Said by virgil, of the souls of the futile in the vestibule to hell. Dantes lyric poems italian poetry in translation paperback may 1, 1999 by dante alighieri author see all formats and editions hide other formats and editions. 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. 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. Poet laureate pinsky employs slant rhyme and near rhyme to preserve dantes terza rima form. The scholarship, as always, is graceful, comprehensive, and acute, and it surrounds a translation that is so carefully considered and fully realized as to be, at times, quite breathtaking. The day was going, and the dusky air was freeing the creatures of the earth, from their labours, and i, one, alone, prepared myself to endure the inner war, of the journey and its pity, that the mind, without error, shall recall. American dante bibliography for 2000 dante society.
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