Even though I'm not very big on religion, this is one of my favorite trilogies. I love the descriptions he gives of hell and heaven. They're very believable and made me picture them in a different way. ( )

The most popular of the poetic trilogy for its long list unnatural exemplars. One of the first serious works written in Italian. The philosophical and literary sophistication of the opening cantos, dealing with description of who the pilgrim is, are unparalleled with the exception of the Bible. ( )

This famous book is really a poem, a really long poem. Our narrator is the author himself and the year 1300. Guided by Virgil, Dante travels through the nine circles of hell and describes what he sees in each one. Here's a rundown of what sin imprisoned the individuals in each of the nine circles.

First Circle - Limbo
Second Circle - Lust
Third Circle - Gluttony
Fourth Circle - Avarice and Prodigality
Fifth Circle - Wrath and Sullenness
Sixth Circle - Heresy
Seventh Circle - Violence
Eighth Circle - Fraud
Ninth Circle - Betrayal

One thing that surprised me was the order of the sins. I would have expected violence to be considered worse than fraud. I also would have expected lust to be worse than gluttony. It was interesting to see how Dante ranked them in his version of hell. The "active" sins, like intentional betraying someone, were considered much worse than "passive" sins, like sullenness. The premise being, if you're intentional doing something to hurt or take advantage of someone else than you are more evil than someone who just lets life happen or focuses on the wrong things. It makes sense and I still wouldn't want to suffer the punishments for the passive sins.

I thought it was interesting to read about all the different people he runs into in hell. There are historical figures, like Cleopatra, literary legends like Medusa and people like Cain, from the Biblical. It was such a diverse group representing each of the circles of sinners.

The thing that was the most fascinating to me was the method of pain and torture inflicted in each circle. The crime definitely fits the punishment and is described in disturbing detail. In a section of the 8th circle flatterers are covered in human excrement, which represents the words they spewed on others during their life. How fitting is that! The souls in hell are trapped in a perpetual cycle of torment that they have selected by their choices in life.

The writing and descriptions in The Inferno are intense and often hard to follow. I found myself re-reading many sections to make sure I understood everything. It's absolutely worth reading, but it's heavy material and I can't say it was exactly enjoyable.

Here's an example of one of the beautiful sections of the Inferno...

CANTO XVII
For flames I saw, and wailings smote mine ear:
So that all trembling close I crouch'd my limbs,
And then distinguish'd, unperceiv'd before,
By the dread torments that on every side
Drew nearer, how our downward course we wound. ( )

Without understanding who all these people are and why Dante wanted to see them suffer, this books is a very painful, difficult read. It really requires a companion book to make sense of the scenes. ( )

It is easier to read than Shakespeare although it is an old classic book. If you are interested in the idea of life after death and hell you might like it

Weergaloos, zowel qua constructie, stijl als inzichten. Bijna elke zang bevat adembenemende inzichten en landschappen en vooral veel tragedie, zonder hier en daar het komische uit het oog te verliezen. De menselijke figuur komt er zowel groots als banaal uit. En dan uiteraard de poëtische taal die ondanks 7 eeuwen nog goed leesbaar is ( )

This review refers to the Penguin Books (2000) edition of the translation by Dorothy L. Sayers. I compare here this translation with translations by Robert & Jean Hollander and Mark Musa.
For once, Penguin designed a cover that deserves 5 stars: the stark black-and-white symbolic image of Hell is not weakened by being framed or broken up by text-bands as done for more recent translations and editions and, above all, no annoying text of praise which no English-language paperback is able to escape from these days (– no surprise really: the idea that books are nothing but a consumable commodity as any other was pioneered in the US after all). Only the barcode label is a blemish to the unity of back and front covers.
Sayers preserved the ‘terza rima’ (aba – bcb - …) of the original, made difficult, as she explains, because Italian posses only 7 vowel sounds, all ‘pure’, whereas English has fifty or more, most of them diphthongs, shading into one another that produce ‘impure’ rhymes. It can force her at times to slightly awkward word-choice, e.g. the inscription to the gate of Hell (III, 7-9):
NOTHING ERE I WAS MADE TO BE
SAVE THINGS ETERNE, AND I ETERNE ABIDE;
LAY DOWN ALL HOPE, YOU THAT GO IN BY ME.

Hollander:
BEFORE ME NOTHING WAS BUT THINGS ETERNAL,
AND ETERNAL I ENDURE
ABANDON ALL HOPE, YOU WHO ENTER HERE.

Mark Musa:
BEFORE ME NOTHING BUT ETERNAL THINGS
WERE MADE, AND I SHALL LAST ETERNALLY.
ABANDON EVERY HOPE, ALL YOU WHO ENTER.

In this instance, I like best lines 7-8 of Musa, and line 9 of Hollander.

Here an example where the rhyme of Sayers rendering shows its strength (XXV, 121-123):
One of them rose erect and one dropped down,
Yet never shifting the fixed, evil stare
Wherein each made the other’s face his own.

Hollander:
One of them rose to his feet, the other fell,
But neither turned aside his baleful glare
Under which each muzzle changed its shape.

Musa:
The one rose up, the other sank, but neither
dissolved the bond between their evil stares,
fixed eye to eye, exchanging face for face;

And another example: Charon calls out to Dante using the familiar form of address which Sayers keeps (III, 91-93):
‘Away with thee! for by another road
And other ferries thou shalt make the shore,
Not here; a lighter skiff must bear thy load.’

Hollander:
he said: 'By another way, another port,
not here, you'll come to shore and cross.
A lighter ship must carry you.'

Musa:
he said: ’Another way, by other ports,
not here, shall you pass to reach the other shore;
a lighter skiff than this must carry you.’

I like this ancient familiar address that is still in use in some parts of Yorkshire, although other ancient forms Sayers uses may not always please me; for example here (III, 85-87), perhaps imposed by finding a rhyme:
Never you hope to look on Heaven – behold!
I come to ferry you hence across the tide
To endless night, fierce fires and shramming cold.

which Musa renders beautifully:
Give up all hope of ever seeing Heaven:
I come to lead you to the other shore,
into eternal darkness, ice, and fire.

All these three translations have their strengths and weaknesses. (V-10)

This review refers to the translation by Robert and Jean Hollander (ISBN: 0-385-49697-4)

A bilingual (original Italian – new English verse transl.) edition with introduction, extensive annotations, index of names and a list of works cited.
This Doubleday hard-back edition is designed and produced with great care and beautifully printed in the Bembo typeface that was cut by Francesco Griffo and first used by the Venetian printer Aldus Manutius in 1495.
The texts and commentaries are available on-line as part of the extensive and authoritative Princeton Dante Project (http://etcweb.princeton.edu/dante/ind...); here one can also listen to the poem in Italian: even not understanding much, it is well worth it for the beauty of the language. Recital of selected cantos by the great Italian actors Roberto Benigni and Vittorio Gassman are on YouTube.
I have not rated any of the translations because, at present, LT would take this as rating Dante’s poem itself. This would be presumptuous.
For further comments see my review of Sayers translation of Dante's Inferno.
(IV-10)

I was led to this book by Chaucer, who led me to Boccaccio, who led me to Dante. After Boccaccio's delightful and titillating "The Decameron", Dante's Inferno is a heavy slog. It struck me that Dante was using the Inferno as a way of getting payback for the factions that had exiled him from Florence; that is, The Inferno really boils down to a 14th century political hackjob. As he descends through the various levels of hell, Dante and his guide (Virgil, for some odd reason) encounter, in every instance where sinners are being punished in various sadomasochistic ways, it turns out that Dante just happens to know the guy, or know of him for some betrayal that happened back home in Florence. One would think from reading this that hell is entirely populated with Florentines.

I don't doubt Dante's skill with terza rima. This bilingual edition allows the non-Italian reader to appreciate how skillfully Dante maintained his rhyming patterns, but Pinsky also points out that Italian is relatively rhyme-rich, whereas English is rhyme-poor. I think Pinsky made the right choice in not attempting to emulate the rhyming patterns. I felt more confident that I was getting the true meaning Dante conveyed in his poetry as a result.

Overall, I'd say this is a must read to help set the context for the early Renaissance, but I wasn't overly impressed with the work.

Fantastic. I am not a christian, but this book is just so incredibly well written, vivid, and poetic. Though I do commend the author notes the most, as without those I would have had no idea what was going on for a lot of the time. Dante is somewhat of a name dropper. Favorite part (not a commentary on who's right, I am referencing more the lyrical aspect and resultant imagery here) is the description of the punishment of Mohammed. ( )

Det är alltför väl att vissa verk han ges ut innan den moderna förläggarbranschen kom igång; hade någon idag gått in på ett förlag och meddelat att han ville ge ut sin berättelse om hur han gick igenom helvetet i sällskap med en antik skald och på vägen såg diverse figurer ur klassisk historia samt några nyligen avlidna landsmän plågas, så skulle personen nog snart visats på utgången. Detta drabbade som väl var icke Dante, som med sin Den gudomliga komedin, och i synnerhet Inferno, skapade ett av endast ett fåtal medeltida verk som fortfarande läses med nöje. Handlingen är inte mycket att orda om: Dante går vilse i en skog, räddas från vilddjur av Vergilius, och meddelas att han skall få sig en rundtur i de mer esoteriska delarna av skapelsen, varefter de nedstiger i helvetet (och ovanskriften till trots så ges faktiskt en hel del hopp åtminstone åt Dante trots att han dän gått in).

Själva upplägget med helvetet som en tratt där den värsta slaggen samlas i botten torde vara välbekant: överst rättfärdiga hedningar och liknande (intressant nog finns här förutom diverse antika filosofer även Saladin), sedan vällustingar, frossare, gnidare och slösare, vredsinta och så vidare, över våldsverkarna och de opålitliga (vilka uppdelas i olika sorter med var sina specialhelveten för) ner till förrädarnas iskalla yttersta tillvaro. Alla dessa sorters syndare får en eller två egna terzinbaserade sånger, vari skildras de plågor de har att utstå samt ges exempel på antingen samtida italienare eller figurer ur den klassiska historien som drabbats därav: i helvetet vistas således bland annat vällustingen sköna Helena, simoniten Nikolaus III och den opålitlige Odysseus, liksom naturligtvis Judas, Brutus och Cassius, som Satan själv plågar genom att ständigt tugga på dem.

Ibland tycker man väl att straffskalan är märkligt inrättad: oredliga ämbetsmän frambringar tiden i kokande beck, med en hoper demoner i närheten redo att stöta ner dem om de söker sig mot ytan, medan de tydligen av synd värre anlupna (emedan de skildras i en senare sång) skrymtarna får gå omkring med en blymantel. Ofta visar Dantemedlidande och intresse för syndarna, trots att det är han själv som dömt en större del av dem dit (de klassiska – förkristna – figurerna är väl inte mycket att orda om, men de samtida italienarna hade i alla fall en teoretisk chans till frälsning).

Översättningen av Aline Pipping verkar någorlunda lyckad: att få till både rimmen och berättelsen är krävande, och mycket utrymme lämnas inte för några vidare poetiska utflykter – ibland måste rentav meningarna knycklas ihop till halv oläslighet. För det mesta flyter det dock på i en jämn lunk, utan att man varken störs eller imponeras över versen.

På det hela taget är Inferno magnifik, medryckande och skrämmande läsning; ett verk vi i sanning vore fattigare utan. ( )

(Review is of the Penguin Classics translation by Mark Musa, and applies to all three volumes, Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradisio)

I would not think to quibble with reviewing Dante himself - Dante is a master, and doesn't need my endorsement. I will say, however, that Musa's translation is an exceptionally sensitive one, and his comprehensive notes are an invaluable aid to the reader less familiar with Dante's broad spheres of reference. Musa is clearly a devoted scholar of Dante, and his concern for Dante's original meaning and tone is evident. This is one of the best translations of The Comedia available. ( )

I am sorry, I just couldn't read it! I restarted the book 4 times and each time I had no idea of what I had read. A good friend of mine told me that it would be easier to read if one had studied the bible since there is so much reference made to the biblical stories. ( )

Excellent piece of literature, descriptive writing at its best. The author has a wild imagination. ( )

I'd never read this, though references to it abound in countless books, movies, etc. I found the translation (having not even the slightest knowledge of Italian) very readable/accessible/beautiful in parts. Recommendation: if you want to find out the source of most of what we think about hell, go to hell...with Dante. ( )

Admittedly, I got rather annoyed with Dante while reading this. He was so self righteous, especially towards the end. At one point he gets mad at someone who tells him not to step on his face. I definitely got the impression that there were a lot of political messages and that Dante was using this as a tool to complain about people. It gets points for having an interesting concept, but I disagreed with a lot of his punishments. The worst one, in my opinion, was the people who were stuck being itchy all the time. That would be awful. For the most part though, the torments were physical and could have been worse. I was also slightly disturbed that liars were worse than murders- um, I've gotta disagree with that one. ( )

Sayers Meets Dante: Interpreting the Poet's Voice...: This review relates to the volume 1 of Dante Alighieri's
-The Divine Comedy-, Hell; Translated by Dorothy L. Sayers,
Penguin Classics, 1949. 346 pp.
Other reviewers have spoken to the perceived weaknesses
and problems with this particular translation and
volume, with Ms. Sayers' "Introduction" and "Notes."
Perhaps one should be warned before entering its portals,
as constructed by Ms. Sayers, that this is not an "easy"
Hell to assimilate.
Yet, at the beginning of her "Introduction," she presents
the offering in an inviting fashion: "The ideal way of
reading -The Divine Comedy- would be to start at the first
line and go straight through to the end, surrendering to
the vigour of the story-telling and the swift movement
of the verse, and not bothering about any historical
allusions or theological explanatios which do not occur
in the text itself. That is how Dante himself tackles
his subject."
Some readers may not find Ms. Sayers' translation to be
one that lends itself to "swift movement of the verse."
The value here, however, is the wealth of information
provided in both the "Introduction", the Notes, and
in the map drawings which clearly help the mind's eye
understand the "lay-out" of Hell as depicted by Dante.
The value of Ms. Sayer's "Introduction" is its clear
presentation of HER view of Dante, his work, his value,
his meaning, and his emphases.
She concentrates on the Images of Hell and on the Christian
doctrine implicit in the work. This translation is in
keeping with that emphasis, for it is structured,
somewhat restricted, and presents "Dante's" voice
as more attuned to the didactic and lecturing. Even the
voices of the denizens of Hell have the tones of
stern lesson-learning rather than evoking pity for
their failed virtue and blind human proclivities.
The problem with some readers, and some viewers of
Christianity, is trying to reconcile the idea of
stern, unrelenting, eternal Judgment and damnation
for sins with the idea of God's eternal Love, or as
Ms. Sayers translates the second tercet of Dante's
*terza rima* on the lintel of the entrance to Hell:
Justice Moved My Great Maker; God Eternal
Wrought Me: The Power, And The Unsearchably
High Wisdom, And The Primal Love Supernal.
Ms. Sayers will have no human shilly-shallying with
Dante's intent or the purpose of Hell. And that,
though it may appall some readers, is to the good;
for it forces the reader to confront whether or not
he or she accepts or does not the Christian doctrinal
views -- and helps the reader to understand the
serious nature of choosing one's faith and one's
religion, or not.
After each Canto, Ms. Sayers uses the same very
helpful devices for explaining the preceding Canto:
first, she discusses the main Images to be found in
that particular Canto in a very clear, full, doctrinal
way -- and then, she has the numbered notes which
explain allusions and phrases which Dante uses in
the work.
For instance, after Canto I, we find: "The Images.
-The Dark Wood- is the image of Sin or Error -- not so
much of any specific act of sin or intellectual perversion
as of that spiritual condition called "hardness of heart",
in which sinfulness has so taken possession of the soul as
to render it incapable of turning to God, or even knowing
which way to turn." Similarly, after Canto III, we find
this note concerning the phrase "the good of intellect":
"In the -Convivio- Dante quotes Aristotle as saying:
'truth is the good of the intellect'. What the lost souls
have lost is not the intellect itself, which still functions
mechanically, but the -good- of the intellect: i.e., the
knowledge of God, who is Truth."
This is an excellent edition for the scope of Ms. Sayers'
medieval scholarship and doctrinal insights. Though it
may be hard sledding for the tender-hearted. There
have always been several ways of seeing the road to
Hell -- in this version, once one strays from the
straight and narrow, there is only the crooked and
pit-full, not pitiful.
-- Robert Kilgore.

I enjoyed the imagery presented here, a lot of which seems instantly familiar. Nothing seemed too horrible to me though, I guess that’s a sign of the times, but entertaining nonetheless. The who’s who of Italian society was lost on me however. ( )

'Here any doubts must be dropped,
any cowardice has to die now.
We've arrived where I told you,
where you'd see spirits in agony,
losers of the intelligence's good.'

My second excursion into hell this year (my first was by way of Yasutaka Tsutsui). I never realized there were so many Italians and Greeks in that place. This book is kind of a Who's Who of Hell. If I ever find myself lost in a forest (which happens frequently) and Virgil appears and offers to guide me out, I think I'll pass. Virgil takes the long way out, the long and inconvenient way. Virgil is a crazy man... and he's dead. One should never follow Virgil. I hope you understand my repetition and insistence on this matter. Avoid Virgil if you get lost.

Canto 21 was probably one of my favorites. I like the idea of being on a bridge over bubbling hot tar filled with screaming souls that surface like dolphins while having monsters chase me. Yet another reason to avoid Virgil. You shouldn't need to take this path to get out of a forest. It's just not right. Screw what Beatrice has to say about all this. Better still... stay out of forests. ( )

I first tried reading this about ten years ago when I was studying medieval history, and didn't get very far. In fact, I can tell you that I got to the end of Canto 5, because that's where the margin notes in my copy finish.

Reading it now, I can't imagine why I didn't get further. This was a translation by Dorothy L. Sayers (first published 1949), and I found it very accessible and easy to read. In her introduction, Sayers explains that she has stuck to the terza rima in which the original was written, sacrificing (she says) a little verbal accuracy in favour of retaining the speed and rhythm. She also explains at some length her approach to the rhyme-scheme and metre, her use of a wide range of English vocabulary including some colloquial phrases, and the ways in which she has tried to preserve the humour and tone of the original. I think that Sayers achieved great success in this: the vocabulary is gloriously rich, ranging from phrases which are positively Shakespearean all the way to the contemporary vernacular, and just about everything in between. The poetry is evocative and flows well, and the various tones and changes of mood are superbly conveyed.

The book has extensive notes on the significant people encountered by the character of Dante in his journey through hell, and on the symbolism and imagery used by Dante the writer, which are not only engaging and well-written but also exceedingly useful. The introduction sets out the historical context in some detail, which is also very helpful: I could have given a detailed history of the Guelfs and Ghibellines ten years ago, but this time I was more than a little reliant on this introductory information to refresh my memory. The diagrams and maps of Dante's hell are also beneficial, as is the glossary of all the characters encountered. Together, the poetry and notes make this a very accessible translation for those who are unused to poetry, unfamiliar with the historical figures, or both.

I found the story (if I can call it that) to be more easily understood than I had expected it to be, and also more entertaining than I had anticipated. I did, however, find that the various circles of hell began to merge together in my mind as in some cases there was either little detail given about them or they were very similar to other circles.

I expected most of the symbolism in the book to pass me by - most symbolism generally does - but between Dante's own explanations and that in the notes I was able to appreciate far more than I expected to, and to overlook much less than I feared. The commentary on the political situation at the time, as well as that on the Church, is very definitely partisan - but is nonetheless insightful.

I have the remainder of the Divine Comedy in the Sayers translation awaiting me on the shelf, and am now very definitely looking forward to reading it. ( )

As a literature minor, I know that I'm supposed to take great joy in dissecting and analyzing a great work of literature such as The Inferno, but I didn't really enjoy this book all that much.

I found way too much of the storyline to be repetitive and drawn out for two long. The first half or so of the story is basically traveling from one circle of Hell to another, finding out what the sin and the punishment for the sin in that area is, meeting and talking with one or two of the sinners and relating what they did in their lives to the reason that they are here. Dante reacts to their trials either sympathetically or feeling that they deserve what they got mainly based on who they are (if they happen to be somebody from his actual life who treated him badly or had a hand in his expulsion from his home, he feels pretty justified in thinking that they are getting what they deserve.)

I don't want to take away from the greatness of this piece of literature. The rhyming scheme and the contrapasso (matching up the punishments so that they fit the crime) that Dante has developed are pure genius and the poem itself is a great accomplishment. My rating is based entirely upon my personal enjoyment (or lack there of) of the work. ( )

Hell ( )

I'm glad I did not bring the sequels. One could get the impression that most of the people in hell are Italians. ( )

I really liked the symbolism, although a lot of the names, places, and dates I had to refernce before and after each Canto (sometimes during). Its a great historical read and I would definitely recommend the John Ciardi translation for its poetry structure (ABA) or the Mark Musa translation of a more direct translation. ( )

I read this book/Poem because I had always heard about it but had never read it. So I challenged myself to read this book. I chose the Pinsky translation for my read. The story was very thought provoking, and disturbing as to whether any of it could true. As a born and raised Catholic, I chose the time of the read for the Lenten season since this is not the type of literature that I normally appreciate and I'm not sure that I do appreciate it. I do, however, acknowledge the talent of the writer and his imagination but I was disappointed by the amount of politics involved in the story. ( )