Customer Reviews

Inferno: From the Divine Comedy

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I had trouble with some of Dantes english translations of the book when I was reading them. And some parts were hard to understand. But this audio book is the absolute best I have heard. I can easily understand and the special effects of the people in hell talking and the demons are wonderful. At the begining of each canto there is a musical theme that sets the person in the mood before the canto starts. Heathcote Williams voice is a delight to hear because it is so articulate and scholastic. Wonderful audio book of The Divine Comedy who want to bring the book alive and suspensful. At times I was very emotionally effected by the certain sinners in hell and how they suffered. I myself am a Catholic(which Dante was a devout Catholic), and I could see where some people would disagree with parts of the book (In the Inferno if you are not baptized you have no chance to goto heaven according to Dante, but the unbaptized don't suffer the way worse sinners would). But it the same time it shows the importance of Baptism, which some Christians today seem to ignore and just take as a "symbol". Either way for christians and non-christians alike this audio book is wonderful.

I have the entire set of this reading of THE DIVINE COMEDY, and I am extremely impressed. I was dubious, at first, as I had never heard of the translator, Benedict Flynn, and so I compared the text to that of the Durling/Martinez volume from Oxford and the Hollander volume from Doubleday. I was impressed. This is an excellent translation, smooth and poetic. I have a slight prejudice in that I prefer British voices in poetic readings, and thus I am very pleased with Heathcote Williams' fine performance of the text. He dramatizes the text with certain vocal inflections, but he does so in a way that does not, for me, distract from the actual beauty of Dante's poetry. I like his soft and at time breathy vocal tones, which add a subtle emotionalism to much of the text.

The booklet that accompanies the discs is fabulous. An opening Note by Roger Marsh is followed by Notes discussing aspect of the text, thus:

"CANTO III
The Poets arrive at the door of Hell and pass through to the antechamber. Within are shades who achieved neither praise nor blame in life, rejected by Heaven and Hell. Charon, who ferries the souls of the damned to Hades, refuses to ferry the living souls across the Acheron. Dante falls unconscious.

good of intellect: souls who lost sight of the 'Supreme Truth' of God.
great refusal: either Pontius Pilate or Celestine V who abdicated in favour of Boniface VIII."

The booklet is infused with a gallery of the majestic Gustave Dore illustrations for THE DIVINE COMEDY.

I love this audio set and highly recommend it.

There are many positives to this product; good transitions between cantos, clear articulation, and excellent liner notes. For me though, there is one huge negative that out-weighs them. When the reader takes the role of the cast of tormented souls, he yells. The difference in volume between the narrator and these characters is so great that I have to keep adjusting the volume. And being damned creatures, the yelling is very harsh and guttural. Constant volume adjustments while driving is not enjoyable.

I have stopped listening and am looking for another version to continue.

This story is a very moving, very disturbing story. But worth hearing (or reading). The audio version is nice since you don't have to struggle with the names, etc. This rendition is good.