The Divine Comedy Trilogy: The Inferno/Purgatory/Paradise [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Dante Alighieri (Author), Benedict Flynn (Author, Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2001

Dante's vision, "The Divine Comedy", has profoundly affected every generation since it first appeared in the early 14th century. This box set contains the trilogy of "The Inferno", "Purgatory" and "Paradise", plus a biography of Dante - "A Life of Dante" - which puts his poetry into perspective.

Editorial Reviews

From AudioFile

Dante wanted everyone to read his great work and share his vision, not just the clergy; so he wrote it, not in Latin, but in the Italian of his Florentine home. As a result, it became the defining work for the late Middle Ages and Renaissance. Dante would be pleased, then, with Naxos's production of his epic masterpiece. They have taken an impressive new translation by Benedict Flynn; enlisted a skilled actor--Heathcote Williams--to narrate; punctuated each canto with hauntingly beautiful medieval chants; added a short but vital biography of Dante, narrated by John Shrapnel; and, finally, provided written notes that are crucial to any intelligent understanding of the text. Though an abridgment, it is a package the author would be most happy with, for it makes the rich poetry of his Comedy, not just readable, but accessible and relevant to the madness of our time. Both readers are accomplished actors and acutely sensitive to the power of their text: For Shrapnel it is the touching pathos of Dante, exiled from his home in Florence; for Williams it is the magnificent imagery that creates the pity of the Inferno, the hope of the Purgatorio, and the bliss of Paradise. P.E.F. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Naxos Audiobooks; Abridged edition (August 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9626342242
• ISBN-13: 978-9626342244
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.5 x 3.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,370,757 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Bad recording of a Great Book, May 10, 2004

By 

Richard Scott "Croyd" (Fremont, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Divine Comedy Trilogy: The Inferno/Purgatory/Paradise (Audio CD)

While the actor, Heathecote Williams, clearly can read, either he was a poor choice for this task, or the producers of this audio version had no experience with audio books. The production quality of this recording is terrible. I purchase a lot of audio books, but seldom have I had such a horrible listening experience.
The actor speaks in a droning monitone and then starts to yell in a high-pitched and squeaky voice.
I would suggest that you read this book rather than listen to this badly produced set of discs.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Divine Comedy, July 20, 2005

By 

Rocco R. Santomenno (NJ - USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Divine Comedy Trilogy: The Inferno/Purgatory/Paradise (Audio CD)

I found the cd very close to the book but abriged. I recommended even if you can't get thought the book which is difficult

5 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The need for Quality Assurance ???, July 29, 2004

By 

The Dying Nurse "Adam" (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Divine Comedy Trilogy: The Inferno/Purgatory/Paradise (Audio CD)

Dante stands alongside Shakespeare, Milton, & T.S Eliot et al. as one of the most profound minds and thinkers of our shared culture and history. Whilst the recording does not capture the tone and poetic sensibilities of Dante, It is tragic to say the least that anyone can publish a review - in particular those who can not even read (See Annie Feng's review). I think there is a need for some form of Quality Assurance to ensure that those who can appreciate art (regardless of their religious or philosophical stance) can read reviews that are of a genuine critical nature that understand something of the historical and literary context of a particular work rather than just bigoted condemnations !!! A good way of doing this would be to note the number of people who find a particular review helpful -

It is important to note that 0 out of 3 found Annie Fengs review of help !!! (good to see Annie gave the Angel DVD series 5 stars - i think this speaks for itself).

Could Annie and people like her please stick to the Angel series or at least learn to read - are u really over 13 years of age Annie ???