Mandelbaum for beauty, Hollander for notes, Esolen for arguments

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	• The Inferno (Signet Classics) Dante Alighieri Signet Classics, 2001 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 104 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Mandelbaum for beauty, Hollander for notes, Esolen for arguments

On page 167 of his translation of the Inferno, Anthony Esolen gives the following definition: "A comedy is a song written in the humble style wherein the main character begins in grief and trouble and ends in happiness."

Wonderful, isn't it? Who wouldn't wish to be scooped up in such a Commedia?

But this Esolen, though he aims to be helpful, can be both pushy and pious. I had a boyfriend once just like him. This boyfriend used to get me in the car and start playing cassettes of motivational speakers. At certain points, he'd pause the tape and say, "See? See? That's what YOU are doing WRONG."

This is exactly how Esolen uses his commentaries on Dante. Everything Dante says Esolen uses for some heavy-handed moral point he wants to make.

On the other hand, it seems very appropriate to argue over Dante, who was, after all, the world's most artful picker of fights. Not once in the one hundred cantos of his Commedia does he say "Why can't we just get along?"

There's a lot to be said for an argumentative version. So I read Mandelbaum for beauty, Hollander for the notes, and Esolen for arguments.

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Amazing Translation for the Novice

I paid an absolute fortune for this edition while studying in Perugia, Italy (apparently the dollar isn't doing so well these days, hence the price), but I would say it was worth it. My first time reading Dante (recreationally, to boot!), I was entraced by the beautiful language of the translation. In his story, Dante makes several obscure references to unknown historical figures of his age. This edition features the Italian text on the left side of the page, and english on the other. This was great to help me improve my Italian, or if I wasn't sure of the meaning of a word, I was able to work out another translation. The notes at the end of the book served to inform without dumbing it down. Don't be confused--these are not cliffnotes at the end, simply clarifications. As a Dante novice, I fell in love with this edition and quickly recommended it to all my friends. In fact, after I finished, I ran back to the Italian bookstore to purchase Purgatorio and Paradiso, each equally as expensive as Inferno. As far as the story goes, it is very highly praised. It is completely beautiful, and truly helps you grasp more Italian context, as well as to catch the many literary and pop culture references to Dante that exist today. It's just so amazing, it is quickly understandable why it is so unbelieveably popular.

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One of the Best Translations

This is an excellent translation by John Ciardi, a fine poet in his own right. But Ciardi displays admirable grace under fire (pun intended) to let Dante shine through without intruding with his (Ciardi's) own poetic intentions. My favorite translation is actually by Sandow Birk, but this is my second favorite. Brilliant notes are a highlight of this text. Everything is explained, everything!

John Ciardi has the best Dante translation to date.

I truly enjoy reading the classics. However some classics must be translated. Some translations loose meaning since you can not translate word for word. Only the meanings can be translated and with the evolving English language sometimes words can have skewed definitions. John Ciardi is the best Dante translator I have read. Signet has done a good job at this price point. The Devine comedy is a book set that will expand your understanding on many uncannonized ideas. The Inferno (Signet Classics)The Paradiso (Signet Classics)The Purgatorio (Signet Classics)

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Sets the bar high for future B&N Classics

I ended up reading this book twice. The first time, I read straight through the poem and was thoroughly unimpressed. The story, as Longfellow himself says, is "tedious" and self-congratulatory and mostly a platform for attacking his enemies. It isn't really great reading.

So what made me read it a second time? This time, Barnes & Noble seems to have found the right person to write the introduction and put together endnotes and discussion notes. The second time through, I read the poem along with each endnote, and my appreciation of the book was dramatically better.

Without the background as presented in the introduction and endnotes, the story is hobbled from the outset. You simply can't understand the story and what Dante is trying to say without a clear understanding of the history and circumstances in which he wrote it. Who are these people in Hell? Why is Hell shaped the way it is? What is the meaning of each character in Hell? The endnotes answer all these questions, and make the story interesting.

The follow-on discussion notes pose an interesting question. Can a reader read and enjoy The Inferno as a book and story, rather than as "literature"? The answer, based on the story alone is a resounding no. However, this edition by Barnes & Noble Classics turns that right around and proves that with the right supporting material, even a "tedious" book like this can be made enjoyable.

5 stars for the excellent B&N addition, but -1 for the story itself.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Considered to be one of the greatest literary works of all time- equal only to those of Shakespeare-Dante's immortal drama of a journey through Hell is the first volume of his Divine Comedy. The remaining canticles, The Purgatorio and The Paradiso, will be published this summer in quick succession.

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