Inferno (The Divine Comedy #1)

by Dante Alighieri

English language

Published Feb. 21, 2003

ISBN:: 978-0-8129-7006-7

(9 reviews)

Inferno (Italian: [iɱˈfɛrno]; Italian for "Hell") is the first part of Italian writer Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy. It is followed by Purgatorio and Paradiso. The Inferno describes Dante's journey through Hell, guided by the ancient Roman poet Virgil. In the poem, Hell is depicted as nine concentric circles of torment located within the Earth; it is the "realm ... of those who have rejected spiritual values by yielding to bestial appetites or violence, or by perverting their human intellect to fraud or malice against their fellowmen".As an allegory, the Divine Comedy represents the journey of the soul toward God, with the Inferno describing the recognition and rejection of sin.

10 editions

Mac, The Science Chicken reviewed The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri

Excellent Translation; Offputting, Breathless "This is oh so important" Narration Style

4 stars

I won't even try to praise The Divine Comedy because there's nothing I can say that more learned people haven't already said, most likely in much better prose than I can. This is a great translation in poem format.

BUT

I just could not reconcile myself to the style of narration. The narrator, who has a wonderful voice, chose to apply a breathless, "this is so meaningful" narration style that was off-putting and distracting. I listened to the end of "Inferno", couldn't listen to anymore of the narration style, and I'm now on the search for another audio book version with a different narrator because I. Will. Finish. This. Poem!

Ed@bookwyrm.social reviewed The Inferno of Dante: A New Verse Translation by Dante Alighieri

Abandon all hope

4 stars

Classic tale of the poets travel through the circles of hell. Not sure how this compares to other translations, but felt concise. A short but challenging read.