Customer Reviews

Inferno

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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Elio Zappulla's translation of The Inferno is, in my mind, the clearest and most effective one to date...and I've read most of them, I assure you. Others have made Dante's work a chore to read. Zappulla makes it a joy. If you buy one book this year...first of all, you're obviously not reading enough...but if you buy one book this year, make it this one. It'll make one helluva stocking stuffer. Bravo Mr. Zappulla. Continue with your important work!

Definitely the best translation of Inferno I've ever read, and one of the few books I can just read continuously.
My only criticism is that the author hasn't done the same outstanding job on the other 2 canticles, Purgatorio and Paradiso.

As mentioned above by the translator himself, Zappulla's aim in this book was to make a piece of classical literature accessible to those that are otherwise turned off by verse. This edition is one of few that summarize the canto immediately after the verse, and give a good, general explanation of the allusions and meanings behind less obvious lines (2-5 pages of notes each canto). For one inexperienced in reading Dante, I would suggest Zappulla's free verse translation, and once the semantic and logistical aspects of Inferno are understood, attempt a more stylized translation (maybe Pinsky's edition). And yes, it is well worth buying two copies of the "same" book, if you hope to have any more than a superficial understanding of the book.

Succinct, clear and artfully carved. Zappulla's translation masterfully balances beauty and simplicity. Highly recommended.

There is a new band of translators who are trying to capture the feel of original cadence and language by applying the cadence and language of modern English. Strict translation is sacrificed for readability; this, in turn, is mitigated by plenty of clear notes and commentary. Elio Zappulla's new iambic pentameter, unrhymed verse translation of "Inferno" by Dante Alighieri succeeds as such a translation. It is a joy to read. Dante's 14th century masterpiece, one of the first major works to be written in the vernacular (of Italy), is appropriately translated into the ordinary and occassionally coarse words of English. The result is anything but ordinary; sometimes reaching the extraordinary clarity afforded by the verse (over the prose). If you enjoyed Rober Fagles' translation of Homer's "Odyssey" or Everett Fox's translation of "The Five Books of Moses", then you will breeze through Zappulla's "Inferno". I hope that Zappulla is already preparing translations of "Purgatorio" and "Paradiso".

There is a new band of translators who are trying to capture the feel of original cadence and language by applying the cadence and language of modern English. Strict translation is sacrificed for readability; this, in turn, is mitigated by plenty of clear notes and commentary. Elio Zappulla's new iambic pentameter, unrhymed verse translation of "Inferno" by Dante Alighieri succeeds as such a translation. It is a joy to read. Dante's 14th century masterpiece, one of the first major works to be written in the vernacular (of Italy), is appropriately translated into the ordinary and occassionally coarse words of English. The result is anything but ordinary; sometimes reaching the extraordinary clarity afforded by the verse (over the prose). If you enjoyed Rober Fagles' translation of Homer's "Odyssey" or Everett Fox's translation of "The Five Books of Moses", then you will breeze through Zappulla's "Inferno". I hope that Zappulla is already preparing translations of "Purgatorio" and "Paradiso". --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other notes: The book is pleasantly typeset. The paintings by Gregory Gillespie are, unfortunately, an unnecessary distraction. I found the diagrams in a Carlyle-Okey-Wicksteed translation much more illuminating.