Which translation of The Divine Comedy should I read?

Which translation of The Divine Comedy should I read?

Nevertheless, the Hollanders’ translation is now the best on the market. So, if you want to read the Divine Comedy, get this version. Then spend another twenty-two dollars to buy John Ciardi’s translation (Signet paperbacks)—good but not as good as the Hollanders’—and use it for its excellent, no-nonsense notes.

How many languages is The Divine Comedy translated into?

The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri was translated into Latin, French, Spanish and other European languages well before it was first translated into English. In fact the first English translation was only completed in 1802, almost 500 years after Dante wrote his Italian original.

Is the Mandelbaum translation of The Divine Comedy good?

Mandelbaum’s translation was immediately embraced by scholars and teachers as a highly readable, vigorous rendition of Dante’s epic, all the more impressive for being a faithful line-by-line rendering of the original rather than a loosely poetic reinterpretation.

What language is Dante’s Inferno in?

ItalianDivine Comedy / Original languageItalian is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. About 85 million people speak this language. Wikipedia

How many translations of Dante are there?

The poem is considered one of the greatest works of world literature and helped establish Dante’s Tuscan dialect as the standard form of the Italian language. It has been translated over 400 times into at least 49 different languages.

How difficult is The Divine Comedy?

It’s definitely a challenge, but like most other people have been saying in this thread it’s good to know your stuff on Greco-Roman mythology and Christian theology. I’d recommend really taking your time as well, it makes the journey much more pleasant if you’re not trying to get through a lot at one time.

How difficult a read is Dante’s Inferno?

Why did Dante write in Italian instead of Latin?

Why did Dante write in Italian instead of Latin? He thought it was just as good as Latin since it was the people’s language.

Is the Divine Comedy hard to read?

When was the Divine Comedy translated into English?

The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri was translated into Latin, French, Spanish and other European languages well before it was first translated into English. In fact the first English translation was only completed in 1802, almost 500 years after Dante wrote his Italian original.

What inspired Dante’s the Divine Comedy?

The Divine Comedy, finished by Dante Alighieri in 1320, is one of the most famous literary works of all time, and its author is considered the father of the Italian language. In the Inferno, it is well known, Dante singled out corrupt leaders and political enemies, but the poem as a whole was actually inspired by unrequited love.

What are some movies that are similar to the Divine Comedy?

Kevin Smith’s movie Clerks, which nobody would confuse for a religious epic, is metaphorically based directly on The Divine Comedy. The X-Men had an entire arc based on descending into a Dante like conception of hell.

What is the best translation of the inferno of Dante?

My go-to translation for the Inferno, though, is Pinsky’s ( The Inferno of Dante: A New Verse Translation, Bilingual Edition: Dante, John Freccero, Michael Mazur, Robert Pinsky: 9780374524524: Books ). He has not, to my knowledge, followed that up with translations of the other two books.