Customer Reviews

Inferno (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Bantam Classics (Pb))

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The Circles of hell come to life in this verse translation by Allen Mendelbaum. Mendelbaum won a National Book Award for his translation of "The Aeneid of Virgil", and his translation of Dante's Inferno is equally superb.

The format of the book is italian and english, with translated pages on the opposite of the italian verses. There are some great illustrations throughout the book, but it is the imagery created in your head that makes this such a great read.

Highly recommended. I have read other translated versions of Inferno, and this is by far the best I have read so far. An excellent book.

I've read a couple of editions of Dante's "The Divine Comedy," but as far as the "Inferno/Hell" part of the trilogy is concerned, this is the only one I've read for the last half decade.

Alex Mandelbaum, then of the City University of New York, has given us a translation in English that is modern, yet retains the structure that lends the regal, somewhat alien feel of Alighieri's poetry. He sets the stage nicely in his introduction in which he reviews the person of Dante Alighieri and the work about to be presented. Next, Mandelbaum provides us the Cantos from "Inferno" with Alighieri's Italian on the left and his translation on the right. The text is annotated with references to endnotes for those interested. The haunting artwork of Barry Moser accompanies us, along with Dante and Virgil, on our trip through the rings of hell.

At the end of the translation are two articles, "Dante in His Age," a sort of contextual biography, and a critical article entitled "Dante as Ancient and Modern." Finally, there is the endnote material with useful expository information for those inclined to understand Dante's "Inferno" better.

Dante's Inferno is a truly magnificent piece of art that is deserving of an equally magnificent translation. For those of us who are unable to translate on our own, Allen Mandelbaum does a superb job of it on his own. Having both languages set side by side gives the reader a unique perspective and allows the reader to get a better feel for the flow of the poem.

The notes and asides that are provided are helpful but the essays at the end of each chapter leave something to be desired. If you are simply reading The Inferno for the pleasure of it then this is the version to get. If you are a scholar who is attempting to get a better understanding of Dante and his works than you may be better off finding a different version.

Let's get to the meat of this book, first: Dante's epic tale of a man's journey through the levels of hell. Mandelbaum's translation is brisk and entertaining--he keeps the translation simple, making this book perfect for students and teachers alike. The great translation helps keep readers in suspense and enthralled.

I was a bit disappointed by the essays, though. I am not an academic--if you are, then good for you. I'm sure you'll make more sense out of Mandelbaum's writing than I did. Me, I'm a student, and I'm looking at this through a student's perspective. The essays were unreadable. Putting it in layman's terms would've been made this book a great asset to have--not only would we have the translated tale, but we'd also have some information on Dante himself, and a couple dissections of his work. Instead, we have the translation, and three other pieces of writing that we can't decipher.

That makes this edition of Dante's "Inferno" a hit-and-miss. If you're in it for the entertainment factor, or want to do your own analysis of his work, then this is for you. If you want to read what Mandelbaum thought about it...then, unless you have the patience and vocabulary of a Foreign Literature professor, you're out of luck.

I have been put off reading The Divine Comedy for a long while before I finally picked it up off my shelf. I wish that I did not wait so long to take up this work.

The true beauty of the Inferno is the fact that it is both entertaining and intellectually fulfilling. The text has a history of mythology, history, and theology behind it that gives it such depth that the mind is entranced by the thought provoked by its words. Even though such weighty material lies behind Dante's work, it is also very much so entertaining, as it is ultimately an epic which tells a great tale. Because of both of these, the reader is engrossed in a tale which is truly edifying. It is difficult to put the work down because it is such a grand epic, and yet it is also very difficult to read it with out reflecting upon the nature of man.

For those who like me aren't as well versed in history and mythology as a translator like Mandelbaum, the endnotes are especially helpful. Armed with these, the reader is able to embark on a trip which is most fulfilling. I suggest this text to all.

Mandlebaum's verse is beautiful: he manages to keep up an iambic 11-syllable line throughout the work--just like Dante. If you can bear his comically pedantic and effete introduction, his notes are very thorough(they even point out the location of the epigraph to "Proufrock"). This edition has the Italian on the opposite side of every page as well, so it will doubtless be useful to those lucky enough to be able to read Dante in the "linguo volgro". Plus, this edition has pictures too! How many other editions (save those with Dore's work) give you a PICTURE of Cerebrus?

I had first read this work in my high school English class. I fell in love with the images and the concept of hell being in giant rings. I wanted a copy of it for myself.

I looked at a couple of copies of the book until I found this copy. Each page had both the Italian and the English translation which was wonderful to see the original language next to the translation. There are pictures too but I prefered to let the words of Dante paint the pictures in my mind.

This translation stays true to the way that Dante had written it. Mandelbaum's translation is very easy to read and will let people take the journey through hell with Dante and Virgil.

What a wonderful Divine Comedy! I think many readers who inevitably stay away from "high" literature would enjoy this ever-deepening apex of literary art. The translated imagery, metaphors, similes especially capture Dante's genius. But significant problems with notes, which, though often detailed and helpful, are very, very weak on the religious aspects of this RELIGIOUS epic. Doesn't even attempt explanations of allegories (This is per se an allegorical poem). For contrast see notes in Dorothy Sayers's translation that ventures explanations of allegory for modern reader. Mandelbaum's translation is superior to Sayers, but her notes are not just helpful, but essential for every reader. One surmises that translator is uncomfortable with allegorical truths of poem. IN ANY CASE, this translation is great--highly recommended-- unbelievably beautiful, entertaining, edifying and imaginatively/spiritually transcendent poem. Read it.