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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Solid, if unspectacular, version of Dante's Masterpiece.,
By David Messmer (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Divine Comedy: Inferno; Purgatorio; Paradiso (in one volume) (Hardcover)
Since it is given that Dante's Divine Comedy is one of the most important works of Western Literature, my review will focus on the translation rather than the original. Mandelbaum's translation was good, but not great. His greatest strength is that he maitains a strong sense of readability throughout most of the text. Although he does occasionally lapse into confusing gramatical structures in order to maintain the form of the poem, these are rare and do not detract from the reading to too great of an extent. However, what is lost in this translation at times, is the sense of poetry and pacing that are so crucial to Dante. This is not entirely his fault, however. In this edition of his work, there is no white space between each triplet of the poem. This, coupled with Mandelbaum's not having made any attempt to reflect terza rima in his translation, disrupts the flow of the original. While this is a small complaint, it does keep Mandelbaum's translation from achieving the brilliance of Pinsky and Merwin. However, Mandelbaum does have one advantage over those other two translators: he does the entire Comedy. While Pinsky's Inferno and Merwin's Purgatorio are superior to the same works in Mandelbaum's hands, Mandelbaum's translation is, in my opinion, the finest complete translation available.The glossing of the book is also strong, but, like the translation, does contain a few flaws. The notes are very thorough, but sometimes gloss the obvious, which can be quite tedious. Also, I would have preffered a higher quality of paper and print. While I realize that this series of books is intended to be inexpensive, a work with the length and depth of the Comedy warrants the extra expense necessary to make the reading experience less ardous. So, while I would recommend this edition to anyone just getting started on Dante (it was my first), serious Dante scholars might want to look elsewhere. The strengths of this volume (not the least of which is that it has the entire Comedy, rather than just a third) make it a worthwhile addition to the body of Dante translations, but it lacks any one tremendous strength to set it apart from the others.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully bound edition with a great set of notes,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Divine Comedy: Inferno; Purgatorio; Paradiso (in one volume) (Hardcover)
The Divine Comedy consists of three books: Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Paradise). A number of editions publish these as three separate volumes, so when you order you want to be sure you're getting what you want. This edition has all three in one volume.Not knowing Italian, I can't comment on the translation except to say that it seems to be highly regarded. Mandelbaum puts the Divine Comedy in meter, but it's not rhymed the way some translations are (Dorothy Sayers, for instance). But he sticks to the same Dantean meter throughout, so the translation has a very nice rhythm to it. Peter Armour has added a really nice set of notes: very concise yet very informative. They are are placed at the back of the book (pp. 543-791). The Divine Comedy is chock-full of references and allusions to figures and events both from Dante's own day and from classical mythology, so the notes are indispensable if one wants to arrive at a decent understanding of the text. A list of references on pp. 792-798 gives the exact place of reference in the biblical or classical literature Dante is referrring to. For instance, if in the notes Armour simply writes "Aristotle," one can turn to this reference section in order to find the exact place within Aristotle's writings. At the front of the book (pp. 40-53) is a handy timetable which sets events in Dante's own life alongside parallel political and cultural developments. Finally, interspersed throughout this volume are 42 sketch drawings by fifteenth century artist Sandro Botticelli (c. 1445-1510). This feature has its own historical interest, as it's fascinating to see how a mind from that period would have pictured the often bizarre scenes of Dante's imagination. What is really nice about this edition, however, is the binding: beautiful hardcover cloth and a really nice jacket (not shown in the Amazon photo) with a reproduction of a vivid fifteenth century portrait of Dante (also by Botticelli). Especially nice is the concave-shaped spine (I'm not sure what the proper word is for this feature) which allows the book to lay open flat, just like a good Bible. There's also a ribbon to keep one's place, and the typface is very clear and easy on the eyes. The Mandelbaum translation also comes in an Italian-English parallel edition. The only one I've seen so far is a small, 3-volume paperback set. If you know some Italian and are going to devote some serious study to the Comedy, this set might prove a handy companion.
19 of 22 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dante and the Divine Comedy,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Divine Comedy: Inferno; Purgatorio; Paradiso (in one volume) (Hardcover)
I am, and have been for many a year, a scholar of the works of Dante. Coming up to date, I have read thousands of translations of the text of all three parts of the Divine comedy, and this is the best I have found yet. First of all, it is a treat to find that all three parts of this master work are collected in this one volume, and even though the price is quite low for a hardcover book with as many pages as this, I cannot stress the quality of this edition. As many may know, Dante Alighieri was a man of great literary prowess, but was given drive by his single obsession to a small girl by the name of Beatrice. She rings true in this work, as the guiding angel, bringing Dante through the depths of hell, the wasteland of Purgatory, and finally, the glory of heaven. This has been one of the most enduring works on the human spirit, and the concept of god as seen through Christianity. Full of pun and metaphor, this is rich in language, and ready to please. Some people start their studies of Epic Poetry with Milton's "Paradise lost," but I say, speaking from experience, that Dante is far superior to Milton, but Milton is in good company as his second. I have read the original in Italian, and this is about as close of a translation as you can get. Please enjoy this.
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