The Inferno

Jean and Robert Hollander's edition of Inferno is outstanding in every way. The translation is well-suited to the modern reader and seems to follow the Italian quite closely. The synopses preceding each canto are very useful and Hollander's analyses are exhaustive, interesting and complete with detailed references to earlier analytical works. The detail and extent of the analyses is remarkable. Hollander's commentary on the text is much more detailed than any other edition with which this reader is familiar, and the analyses are clear, interesting and well-referenced. For the serious student of Dante, this e-reader edition perhaps sets the standard for its ready access to the Italian and to the commentary. The default mode for each canto is the english text with links to the left for the corresponding original Italian. To the right are links to Hollander's analyses, line by line. Click on the link and the relevant Italian or annotation appears. Having read and studied the poem both with the Hollanders' hard-copy edition, the electronic version is far more user-friendly than scrambling back and forth through twenty or more pages to find an annotation and then return to the text, only to find another annotation in the next line or tercet. It might be of interest to also view the youtube videos of two Robert Hollander lectures at the University of Dallas. He is complete FULL of Dante. His enthusiasm and humor are infectious while transmitting a scholarly approach. Hollander says that Dante only offends two groups of people, non-believers and believers! This highlights one important aspect of this great poet, Dante's statement that Commedia is theological, not poetic allegory. This means that the narrative is claimed by Dante as to be literally true. This e-book is a gem and a bargain.

This translation of The Inferno, the first canticle of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, by Robert and Jean Hollander, is one of the best that I've read. Their English version of the Comedy is fast and straightforward, sticking close to the original text but adding vigor to what can sometimes be very bland in English. Having read the Comedy numerous times in many different translations, I didn't expect to be swept up in it again as I was. The Hollanders have done us a great favor with this translation. The notes are copious and excellent, presenting numerous perspectives on textual, symbolic, narrative, and historical issues in the Comedy. A line-by-line breakdown of each canto is at the beginning of each, and charts detailing the layout of Dante's Hell help organize a narrative that can be infinitely confusing to the beginner. Highly recommended for beginners and seasoned fans of Dante alike.

I have 6 different translated versions of Dante's Inferno and in my opinion,....this was the BEST version. No regrets at all. I would highly recommend.

I'm pretty sure this is what anyone that doesn't speak Italian wants out of an Inferno translation. 1. There's facing page Italian so you can do the Milton thing. You really can understand what the Italian is saying, and when you read it, you can get some idea of what an incredible achievement the Comedy really was. The poetry itself is astounding, but you have to read the Italian to get it - and to understand why it's untranslatable. 2. The translation is fairly literal. This time, the translation is there to tell you what the Italian actually says instead of serving as a clever solution to the poetic problems posed by translation. Nobody is going to pull off a translation into a Germanic language that conveys Dante's vowel heavy Italian rhyming. We would not translate Palestrina into Bach, please give up on this. 3. The notes are written to interpret the poem. Instead of merely providing historical background to the obscure personages, the notes provide readings across the past 700 years on difficult lines. That's one heck of a resource. I wish I had that for poets in English; I might actually read the stuff. 4. There's actually literary criticism. One of the revelations from the critical work here is how much Dante is making fun of the Virgil character. You see him get mad, plot and scheme, become boastful. It's really pretty hilarious. I never got a sense of that before, but it's pretty obvious once you start looking for it. That adds a completely different flavor to the poem. Like most great works, part of the reason it's great is because it's funny. Maybe not Milton. Screw Milton. I've always liked the Inferno, but I feel like I must have been missing huge themes. Not even really sure why I liked it. Read this, you'll have a whole new take on the poem. I'm waiting on the next two volumes.

I read this book through a class online from Georgetown on EdX.org. It is an excellent translation. It has almost the exact same words as the italian. When I first considered reading this, it was Longfellow's translation only. Ye Thou Shallt learn all about this dark hued cavern. (go see what's in the dark cave) The book itself is a bit much if you are not a Christian. It is decent poetry, but I feel stupid reading poetry in translation, since the sounds are not going to be included. Since I read Spanish, I could understand the Italian text to see that it was very similar. The book is full of catholic symbolism, the number nine appears everywhere to symbolize the trinity squared, allegedly. The book is Dante's journey through Hell, led by Virgil, when Dante happens to lose the "straight way" and is lost in a dark forest. Everything is dark down there, pretty much. there are lots of fun Greek Gods and characters from Rome and others; references to Aristotle, Homer, Euclid, and other famous authors he had read. If you are good at interpreting poetry, and interested in religious allegory and imagery, enjoy. If not, you might want to get some help like a class or a Cliff's notes.

This is a very satisfying translation. It does not attempt rhyme so it can reproduce the rhythms of the original without distorting the meaning for the sake of English rhymes. The notes are breathtaking in their scope and thoroughness. It would probably be a good idea for readers new to Inferno to go through it once without the notes soas to be carried along by the poem, and then a second time reading the notes to examine closely the building blocks of Dante's genius. For all its scholarship, this book is pleasant to deal with physically -- nice typeface, well laid-out pages, not too heavy in the hand. You can actually read it in bed without crushing your abdomen.

This is the third time I've tried to read this book and this translation made it incredibly enjoyable and profitable. The story itself is easy to understand and there is excellent commentary on almost every single line at the back of each chapter. I've started jumping to the commentary after every few lines because it gives so much information and explains simple intricacies that I easily miss. The only problem I have is that I wish I bought the hard cover version so that I can ensure it's safety for the rest of my life.

I've read three translations of the Inferno, and this one is by far the best. It's very accurate to the original text but also very readable. I found that as well as flowing better than the other translations, this one is also the most interesting. As well as being the best translation, I also think it has the best notes. The notes and chapter outlines are helpful without being overbearing, and really help through the story. The edition is also beautiful. It's a high quality paperback with excellent art. Simply put, if you want to read The Inferno, get this version.