The Inferno

by Dante Aligheri; John Ciardi (translator)

Unknown Binding

Reviews

[Realini Ionescu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This not just one of the best 100 books, it is one of the Very Best. I wish I knew Italian, so that I could read it in the language of Dante.



I was impressed by the book, even though I had tried reading it before…some 30 years before. There are books which one can’t appreciate when one is young. In my case, I find that I am too old to like some masterpieces.



There is one major handicap that I have in reading this chef d’oeuvre I am an atheist, in the newer sense of the word. I have just been reading that in the old sense, atheist meant believing in the wrong God, whereas today it has a different meaning.

My mind wonders to Mitt Romney – I know that many people do not think Mormons are Christians and I do find some of their beliefs rather strange: God created man in its own image…literally. In other words God is just like a man….really??



In Dante’s novel, Romney would be found in the first part, towards the last cantos.

Obviously, many of the assertions in The Inferno would not be accepted, were they written nowadays. They would be politically unacceptable: people are sent to hell, because of their sexual orientation or different (from the Christian) religious beliefs.



There are plenty of snakes in The Inferno. I found that intriguing, first of all because I like snakes and second of all because I doubt that there is a place where snakes do all these horrible things.



Then there is Dante himself, who dislikes one character so much that he, says he would like the snakes from now on, since they prevent this dead soul from talking any more nonsense.



The issue of religion is very vast and it wouldn’t be the place to write much about it here. I believe that many of the negative characters who suffer in The Inferno did in fact enjoy fortune, privileges and power, without the side effect of their “sins”.

In the society of today, plenty of people use the religion card just to take advantage in this real and only life that we have. Millions of believers get fooled because they believe they should take anything God sends their way and if they suffer in this life, they will be compensated in the afterlife.

They won’t.

Dante’s Inferno is a wonderful book, with an Imaginary plot, taking place in a fictional world.

Hell, Purgatory and Heaven do not exist.

All we have is this life, with the good and Bad that we get in it.

[Qianru T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Ciardi's translation is fine, it's more clear than the versions that tries to use Old English while rhyming at the same time. This translation ONLY tries to rhyme and doesn't try to use Old English, thank goodness! The Hollander's translation is better but you'll have to bear them yapping thirty pages per fanto. The story itself is amazing, there's a reason why people love Inferno the most out of the three parts of The Divine Comedy.

[Gail White · Rating 3 out of 5]

The protagonist is led through the 9 circles of hell by a guide. I only read Inferno - enjoyed the poetry but quite difficult to understand. I needed further reading alongside it to understand what was going on.