Inferno (Divine Comedy): 1 (The Divine Comedy)

Anthony Esolen is a poet. This is more than a translation. Esolen has a feel for the language and the content that gets to the essence of Dante's work.

Inferno is Dante Alighieri's masterful first segment of the Divine Comedy, a riveting journey into the depths of the afterlife, painted with a palette of vivid imagery and profound allegory. Our intrepid narrator, Dante himself, finds himself astray in a dark, foreboding forest, symbolising his lost state in life. The Roman poet Virgil, embodying human reason, becomes his guide, leading Dante on an extraordinary descent through the nine concentric circles of Hell. Each circle is a tableau of poetic justice, where sinners endure punishments fitting their earthly transgressions. As they spiral downwards, the landscapes become increasingly harrowing, teeming with grotesque demons and tortured souls. Dante encounters figures from history and mythology, each ensnared in eternal damnation for sins such as lust, greed, and betrayal. The first circle, Limbo, houses virtuous non-Christians and unbaptised pagans, including Aristotle, Homer, and Socrates, who, while not sinful, did not accept Christ. As the descent continues, the sins and punishments grow more severe: from the lustful, who are swept ceaselessly by fierce winds, to the sowers of discord, grotesquely mutilated for all eternity. The poetry of Inferno is dense with symbolism and dark beauty. Dante's verse, with its intricate terza rima, captures the anguish and horror of Hell yet is interspersed with moments of tender human emotion and philosophical contemplation. The relationship between Dante and Virgil evolves beautifully, encapsulating a journey not just through Hell but also through human understanding and empathy. In the deepest circle of Hell, Dante encounters Satan, a tragic, monstrous figure trapped in ice, eternally devouring traitors. This chilling climax is a powerful symbol of the ultimate consequence of human sin and the perversion of divine order. Dante's journey through the Inferno is a tour of the results of moral failings and a personal odyssey. It is a quest for redemption, an exploration of human weakness and the potential for moral salvation through self-awareness and repentance.

La tapa estaba dañada al llegar, con varias rascadas.

Esolen lets Dante speak. Esolen obviously respects the Inferno and tries to bring the reader into the poem and the religious and cultural milieu and worldview of Dante so the reader can appreciate the poem as Dante intended it. Esolen does not impose modern values or approaches onto the poem. Esolen's notes are at the end of the volume so the reader will be less likely to interrupt reading the poem to read the notes; he does not put endnote numbers in the the poem but instead his endnotes include page and line references that let the reader locate the appropriate point in the poem. (There are some brief notes on obscure matters at the relevant points in the poem.) I read the endnotes for each canto after reading the canto; the notes are uniformly informative and helpful. In the rare instances where Esolen's notes interject modern prejudices or seem to undercut Dante (I saw 2 instances), it's a brief and not particularly sharp disagreement that Esolen merely posits but does not argue. Dante's punishments are so clear and appropriate that at times he forces the reader to consider his own conscience and the sins he's committed. Yet, Dante admonishes the reader (and himself) not to dwell unnecessarily long on the punishments. Dante's Inferno flows very well in Esolen's translation. Esolen renders Dante's masterpiece in iambic pentameter and does not force rhyme. He presents the Italian and his English rendition on opposing pages, and the Italian is an aid for even those of us who don't read Italian as its sense is often discernible -- with or without the translation. Some might consider the Italian "filler" that makes the book longer and thus more expensive, but given the very reasonable cost of the book, that would be unfair. Esolen includes some of Gustave Dore's illustrations in the volume. They're helpful, but small. A complete set of Dore's illustrations, The Dore Illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy (136 Plates by Gustave Dore) , is available inexpensively and is a tremendous aid in visualizing Dante's hell. (I would not recommend Blake's illustrations, however.) I had previously read Ciardi's translation of The Inferno without using Dore's illustrations and found that using them while reading Esolen's was a great aid. (Ciardi includes a schematic of hell; Esolen does not, and that is a deficiency.) Highly recommended.

Picking a translation is a very personal process - some styles resonate more with different readers. That platitude aside, I think it's pretty clear that this is one of the better translations available. I've read several myself (at least a number of cantos - including Mandelbaum, Pinsky, Musa, Ciardi, Turner, Simone, Lombardo, Hollander and Kirkpatrick). The feature of this translation that really sets it apart for me is that it actually propels you through the poem. Other translators often try too hard to be overly literal or poetic - causing the poem to fall flat or become opaque. This one, however, glides the reader along Dante's spectacular journey with a rare beauty and clarity - the translator acting as a kind of second Virgil. When it comes to masterpieces like this I would never advocate relying on one and only one translation (part of the fun in reading a few), but if you're going to narrow your list - be sure to leave this one in, perhaps even as your primary translation. As an aside, the notes are thoughtful and very helpful. In the end this is a beautiful translation that deserves consideration (it's certainly in my top 3 - along with Pinsky and Mandelbaum).

I’ve ordered a few different translations before I settled on this one bc basically, I COULD NOT UNDERSTAND any of them despite having a B.S/B.A and reading many classics for fun. Unless you have a degree in literature or English ( including Victorian English) this is the translation for you. Plus there is the simultaneous original Italian on the left side of the page which, if you know Italian, is dope bc you can do both! I love it.

Anthony Esolen's [relatively] new translation of Dante's Divine Comedy is my personal favorite for leisure reading. Here he captures the high drama, rage, fear, and pathos of Dante's poem better than any other translator I've read (and I've read many). I had already read Inferno umpteen times when I bought Esolen's translation, and it was like reading it for the first time again. I was almost brought to tears by Ugolino and his story, a story, like I said, that I had already read what seemed like a million times. A good translator makes the familiar seem new again, and Esolen's version of Dante accomplishes just that. One nice thing, poetically, about this translation is that Esolen avoids most of the flaws of other translations. His poetry is neither ridiculously ornate nor boringly literal, as many have the tendency to be. He walks the tightrope gracefully, sticking to an iambic pentameter line. He doesn't attempt to force rhyme on the translation (the fatal flaw of the otherwise excellent translation by Dorothy Sayers), but does use a rhyme when it presents itself naturally. This translation is highly recommended for anyone interested in The Divine Comedy. The notes section is scanty, especially compared to the Ciardi and Musa translations, but should be quite enough for even beginning readers.