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Cargando... A Translation of Dante's Eleven Letters, With Explanatory Notes and Historical Commentspor Charles Sterrett Latham
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Another interesting note about this book: apparently Latham, the translator, was an eager young scholar, tragically stricken with paralysis early in life. He bravely kept on with his studies, producing this translation and commentary after his illness. Sadly, however, he lost the fight, and passed not long after this work was completed.
None this bears directly on the book itself, so back to the matter at hand. This volume offers translations of eleven letters penned by Dante Alighieri, most famously the oft-debated epistle to CanGrande della Scalla. I am not aware, nor was I able to locate translations of the other letters. I am certain they exist; my search was far from exhaustive, and Dante scholarship is a robust field, so I am positive others have since translated all these and more. Nevertheless, the convenience of having these letters in one volume together with some pretty densely packed commentary makes this a very handy book to have.
That said, I think that for a junior scholar or causally interested reader of Dante, the age of the text might be a barrier, simply because of the characteristically Victorian style of prose, both in the translations and the commentaries. The commentary seems to be sound academically. There are some new understandings and interpretations that have emerged, but generally there is nothing here to lead a reader seriously astray in terms of scholarship. While I am roughly familiar with the text, I did pull out a couple of more modern translations of the letter to CanGrande for comparison’s sake. I found that, barring the old-fashioned writing style, the translation seemed to be quite sound, in some places seeming to be more sensitive to meaning than the more modern versions. (Though translation is always, by its nature, a tricky business!)
If you’re a dedicated Dante scholar, not put off by dense period prose, this might be a very handy volume indeed. For modern research purposes, a more recent translation can be had, and might be more appropriate for citation, unless there are letters that cannot be located in newer translations. And of course, as a collector’s item, those smitten by the genius of the Florentine Poet would do well to snag a copy if they can locate one in good condition. Barring that, there is an easily available electronic version as well. ( )