The Divine Comedy, I. Inferno, Vol. I. Part 1: Text

By Dante Alighieri

Book Overview

Charles S. Singleton's edition of the Divine Comedy, of which this is the first part, provides the English-speaking reader with everything he needs to read and understand Dante's great masterpiece.

The Italian text here is in the edition of Giorgio Petrocchi, the leading Italian editor of Dante. Professor Singleton's prose translation, facing the Italian in a line-for-line arrangement on each page, is smooth and literate. The companion volume, the Commentary, marshals every point of information the reader may require: vocabulary; grammar; identification of Dante's characters; historical sources of some of the incidents and, where pertinent, excerpts from those sources in their original languages and in translation; profound clear analysis of the Divine Comedy's basic allegory. There is a complete bibliography of every aspect of Dante studies.

This first part of the Divine Comedy which is illustrated with maps of Italy and the region Dante knew especially, diagrams of the circles of Hell, and plates showing some of the historic sites mentioned by Dante in his poem.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0691018960
• ISBN13: 9780691018966
• Release Date: February 1990
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Length: 392 Pages
• Weight: 0.91 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.1" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Difficult to read.

It's written in old English and I wonder how accurate it is because the notes in the back don't jive with the text. Even Longfellow said in the beginning it doesn't translate into English well. "More beautiful in Italian." I'm a amature theologian and I have to say it's amazing this poem was turned into a belief system.

Classics

So many classics on my list, but ever since I watched the animated film and heard about this book in middle school I’ve always wanted to read it!

it came fast and it looks brand new!!

love it

Audacious journey

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 dashOf the pen write "o" or "i" so swift as heTook 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.

Ciardi's the Best

There's no doubt about it...Ciardi's is the best translation of the haunting and powerful poem about the medieval view of God's divine plan. Ciardi dumps archaisms and goes for the throat of Dante's poetry and meaning. You'll never touch another translation after you read this!