Dante: Inferno [Paperback]

Dante Alighieri (Author), Tom Simone (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 25, 2007

Table of Contents: Preface General Introduction Inferno Suggested Reading on Dante Glossary

Editorial Reviews

Review

Tom Simone s translation is simply superb. Of all the translations with which I am familiar, this is the one that is the most faithful to what s there in the Italian: no frills, no poetic sallies, no choosing a word because it brings the line closer to iambic pentameter -- just unadulterated Dante with good old Anglo-Saxon words and in highly readable prose. --Peter Kalkavage, St. John's College

From the Back Cover

English translation of the complete Inferno. Illustrated, with notes and an introductory essay. Designed for use in courses in Italian literature, comparative lit, epic literature (in translation) and great books programs.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Focus Publishing/R. Pullins Co. (April 25, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585101133
• ISBN-13: 978-1585101139
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #343,265 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dante's Comedy, December 9, 2007

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dante: Inferno (Paperback)

The translations of Dante remain as popular as ever with the general reading public, Simone's rendition, titled INFERNO, joins other noted scholars. The eclectic ingredients of the different forms of narratives, background, allusion, and also the peculiar text offer intuitive rewards to readers.

Dante tells about the journey, of an endangered pilgrim, through the known cosmos, the realms of Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise. He allows him to see the spectrum of human reality and the glory of divine origins that lead to salvation. Dante makes the pilgrim a version of himself and creates two major voices: the voice of the pilgrim experiencing the journey for the first time, and the voice of the narrator shaping and retelling the journey. The poem begins in high drama with the pilgrim's life hanging in the balance. Dante's comedy offers readers many points of interest that cannot be divined without the aid, at a minimum, of a basic glossing and crafted commentary. His work is a central poem in world literature, and also a historical text. It is full of references to the world of late medieval Italy, and the broad history of the culture and thoughts of that era. There are many Italian, religious, and classical references.

Simone's translation is founded on his desire to assist in providing the beginning student, of Dante, an informal first reading of INFERNO. He attempts to stay as close as possible to the literal meaning of Dante's Italian text, while still suggesting that the work is a poem. This edition of Dante's masterpiece includes an in-depth introduction, extensive notes, and appendixes that reproduce Dante's key sources and influences. This is a vigorous translation of Dante's drama, which captures and intensifies his range.

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of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Translation for Students, February 1, 2009

By 

Nathan Eikenberry (Scranton, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dante: Inferno (Paperback)

As a graduate student studying this text, I found Simone's translation to be the most helpful among the versions that I sampled. The footnotes were much easier to use than the endnotes common in other editions. In addition, the introduction and glossary were excellent in their scholarly-yet-readable anaylsis of the text. Simone's translation puts the text in front but adds the necessary comments and background to help understand Dante's amazing work.