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“Dante’s conversations with his mentor Virgil and the doomed shades are by turns assertive and abashed, irritated and pitying and inquisitive, and Anthony Esolen’s new translation renders them so sensitively that they seem to take place in the same room with us. It follows Dante through all his spectacular range, commanding where he is commanding, wrestling, as he does, with the density and darkness in language and in the soul. This Inferno gives us Dante’s vivid drama and his verbal inventiveness. It is living writing.” —James Richardson, Princeton University
“Professor Esolen’s translation of Dante’s Inferno is the best one I have seen, for two reasons. His decision to use unrhymed blank verse allows him to come nearly as close to the meaning of the original as any prose reading could do, and allows him also to avoid the harrowing sacrifices that the demand for rhyme imposes on any translator. And his endnotes and other additions provoke answers to almost any question that could arise about the work.” —A. Kent Hieatt, professor emeritus, University of Western Ontario
“Esolen’s brilliant translation captures the power and the spirit of a poem that does not easily give up its secrets. The notes and appendices provide exactly the kind of help that most readers will need.” —Robert Royal, president, Faith and Reason Institute
From the Hardcover edition.
“Professor Esolen’s translation of Dante’s Inferno is the best one I have seen, for two reasons. His decision to use unrhymed blank verse allows him to come nearly as close to the meaning of the original as any prose reading could do, and allows him also to avoid the harrowing sacrifices that the demand for rhyme imposes on any translator. And his endnotes and other additions provoke answers to almost any question that could arise about the work.” —A. Kent Hieatt, professor emeritus, University of Western Ontario
“Esolen’s brilliant translation captures the power and the spirit of a poem that does not easily give up its secrets. The notes and appendices provide exactly the kind of help that most readers will need.” —Robert Royal, president, Faith and Reason Institute
From the Hardcover edition.
About the Author
The Modern Library has played a significant role in American cultural life for the better part of a century. The series was founded in 1917 by the publishers Boni and Liveright and eight years later acquired by Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer. It provided the foundation for their next publishing venture, Random House. The Modern Library has been a staple of the American book trade, providing readers with affordable hardbound editions of important works of literature and thought. For the Modern Library's seventy-fifth anniversary, Random House redesigned the series, restoring as its emblem the running torch-bearer created by Lucian Bernhard in 1925 and refurbishing jackets, bindings, and type, as well as inaugurating a new program of selecting titles. The Modern Library continues to provide the world's best books, at the best prices.
From the Hardcover edition.
From the Hardcover edition.
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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.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Phenomenal book, phenomenal translation!,
By
This review is from: Inferno (Modern Library Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)
This is the best translation of a great book that I have seen in a long time.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing Translation!!!,
This review is from: Inferno (Modern Library Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)
This translation brought Dante to life!!! The Inferno is amazing - deeply Catholic, deeply poetic. Translating this imposing piece of literature was beautifully, intelligently and seemlessly done by Dr. Esolen. Comparing exerpts from other translations show Esolen's translation to be more authentic to Dante's intent to write about the average man for the average man. We fought over it in our home and couldn't wait to purchase and read Purgatorio and Paradiso. Esolen's other translations are equally brilliant and represent some of the best contributions to classical literature.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Phenomenal translation,
This review is from: Inferno (Modern Library Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)
This is not only a wonderful translation, but it also has a multitude of helpful endnotes that enable readers to understand the humor of Dante, and, more imporantly, his political allusions. I hear that some people are offended by the condemnation of homosexuality (as well as adultery), but since Dante himself defined the exact purposes of every ring of hell, it is impossible for a good translation not to criticize homosexuality. Also, Dr. Esolen's translations of "Purgatory" and "Paradise" equal the quality of the "Inferno".
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Inside This Book
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
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duca mio Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Canto Twenty, Canto Thirty, Canto Nine, Canto Sixteen, Canto Two, Canto Three, Canto Eight, Canto Twelve, Count Ugolino, Canto Eleven, Vanni Fucci, Michel Zanche, Canto Four, Filippo Argenti, Canto Thirteen, Canto One, Canto Ten, Mountain of Purgatory Purg, Inferno They, Mount Aetna, Canto Seventeen Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Surprise Me!
duca mio Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Canto Twenty, Canto Thirty, Canto Nine, Canto Sixteen, Canto Two, Canto Three, Canto Eight, Canto Twelve, Count Ugolino, Canto Eleven, Vanni Fucci, Michel Zanche, Canto Four, Filippo Argenti, Canto Thirteen, Canto One, Canto Ten, Mountain of Purgatory Purg, Inferno They, Mount Aetna, Canto Seventeen Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Surprise Me!
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