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by: Dante
List Price: $10.95Amazon.com's Price: $8.76 You Save: $2.19 (20%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 851.1
EAN: 9780812970067
ISBN: 0812970063
Label: Modern Library
Manufacturer: Modern Library
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 528
Publication Date: December 09, 2003
Publisher: Modern Library
Release Date: December 09, 2003
Sales Rank: 146369
Studio: Modern Library
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
A groundbreaking bilingual edition of Dante’s masterpiece that includes a substantive Introduction, extensive notes, and appendixes that reproduce Dante’s key sources and influences.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Nice balance
Choosing which translation of Dante's Divine Comedy to read is a very subjective and personal question. Any translation involves balancing the meaning, feel, and artistry of the work, normally at the expense of at least one of these qualities. A major consideration is the topic of rhyme. The Divine Comedy has a complex rhyme scheme that suits itself well to the rhyme-rich language of Italian (where, unlike English, many words end in vowels). Translations that attempt to maintain any type of rhyme ... Read More
Rating:  - A powerful translation of a masterpiece
There have been several excellent translations of Dante in the past few years, all worth reading in their own right. But I retain a special affection for John Ciardi's version, as it's the first one I ever read, at the unprepared & overwhelmed age of 15. I knew of its reputation as a major classic & I was ignorant enough to be unfazed by the prospect of reading it.
Well, to say that I was soon in over my head is an understatement! But Ciardi's fine, lyrical translation, as well as ... Read More
Rating: - One of the Best Translations
This is an excellent translation by John Ciardi, a fine poet in his own right. But Ciardi displays admirable grace under fire (pun intended) to let Dante shine through without intruding with his (Ciardi's) own poetic intentions. My favorite translation is actually by Sandow Birk, but this is my second favorite. Brilliant notes are a highlight of this text. Everything is explained, everything!
Rating: - Mandelbaum for beauty, Hollander for notes, Esolen for arguments
On page 167 of his translation of the Inferno, Anthony Esolen gives the following definition: "A comedy is a song written in the humble style wherein the main character begins in grief and trouble and ends in happiness."
Wonderful, isn't it? Who wouldn't wish to be scooped up in such a Commedia?
But this Esolen, though he aims to be helpful, can be both pushy and pious. I had a boyfriend once just like him. This boyfriend used to get me in the car and start playing cassettes ... Read More
Rating: - Sets the bar high for future B&N Classics
I ended up reading this book twice. The first time, I read straight through the poem and was thoroughly unimpressed. The story, as Longfellow himself says, is "tedious" and self-congratulatory and mostly a platform for attacking his enemies. It isn't really great reading.
So what made me read it a second time? This time, Barnes & Noble seems to have found the right person to write the introduction and put together endnotes and discussion notes. The second time through, I read the poem along ... Read More
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