Customer Reviews
You either love or hate it... - By: Myfanwy Morgan, 10 Oct 2008 
Dante's Inferno tells of a fantastic journey into the inner circles of Hell & was writtenin the early 14th century. Dante uses himself as the main character & his lierary hero, Virgil, as his guide given to him by his lost love Beatrice. What follows is a moving tale which details Dantes travels through the different realms where sinners live out their horrific punishments. He meets well known people (such as Homer, Ovid & Judas Iscariot), but also talks to a lot of his political rivals that he met during his timein Florence (before his eventual exile).
There isn't muchin the way of a storyline, but what there is is a frightening depictiction of this terrible plane of existance, & at times it feels as if he himself struggles to write. But then this could probably be due to Kirkpatrick's translation.
Guranteed, a translation from the Italian vernacular epic poetry into English is no easy task. But I must say Kirkpatrick did amazingly well. Sure it is understandable that the poem may lose its original rythm & meaning, but this extremly qualified translator still gives the poem its beauty. Added to this penguin classics edition is an incredible introduction that talks about Dante's backstory, the politics of Florence (that has a huge amount of influence on the poem), an insight into Inferno, & a look at Dante's writing style. Another addition is a map of 14th century Italy & a plan of Dante's hell.
At the back of the book is a description & explanation of each of the 34 cantos that are thourough & I believe essential, & notes that you can find the appropriate lines throughout the poem, giving an even more detailed insight into this divine comedy.
However, whilst reading this, I couldn't help but feel that at times Dante was lying back on Vergil's (and at times Ovid's) legacy. Many of the events/characters/meanings are based on Vergil's Aeneid (of which I haven't read), which I find slightly irritating. That a master of the Italian language such as Dante, who you can tell has a vast imagnation, must use unoriginal story ideas from Vergil, is a little disappointing. Maybe Dante felt that it was neccessary to use these images to create a more vivid picture of hell, but I think that it wasn't needed.
To conclude, this is a medieval masterpiece, which I thouroughly enjoyed reading & went on to influence many literary giantsin the future. Incredible.
Not for me - By: Stephanie Noverraz, 11 Mar 2008 
Inferno is the first part of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy (before Purgatorio & Paradiso).
In this book, we follow Dante as he visits Hell, walking down its nine consecutive Circles accompanied by the poet Virgil, & meeting old acquaintances on the way.
This should not become a habit, but I intend to stop after the first volume & not finish the trilogy. First, I realize I'm simply not sensitive to poetry. Then, there are too many references to public or mythical figures of the Antiquity & 13th-century Florence, & I'm not sufficiently educatedin History & Biblical Lore to enjoy this book.
Still, Sisson's modern English translation is good & reads easily. The notes at the end of the book are well-done & help understand what Dante is referring to, but I was too lazy to constantly check back & forth. I'm wondering if it would have been a better choice if they'd been placedin the margin.
Divinely nasty - By: E. A Solinas, 04 Feb 2007 
"Midway life's journey I was made aware/that I had strayed into a dark forest..." Those eerie words open the first cantica of Dante Alighieri's "Inferno," the most famous part of the legendary Divina Comedia. But the stuff going on here is anything but divine, as Dante explores the metaphorical & supernatural horrors of the inferno.
The date is Good Friday of the year 1300, & Dante is lostin a creepy dark forest, being assaulted by a trio of beasts who symbolize his own sins. But suddenly he is rescued ("Not man; man I once was") by the legendary poet Virgil, who takes the despondent Dante under his wing -- & down into Hell.
But this isn't a straightforward hell of flames & dancing devils. Instead, it's a multi-tiered carnival of horrors, where different sins are punished with different means. Opportunists are forever stung by insects, the lustful are trappedin a storm, the greedy are forced to battle against each other, & the violent liein a river of boiling blood, are transformed into thorn bushes, & are trapped on a volcanic desert.
If nothing else makes you feel like being good, then "The Inferno" might change your mind. The author loads up his "Inferno" with every kind of disgusting, grotesque punishment that you can imagine -- & it's all wrapped upin an allegorical journey of humankind's redemption, not to mention dissing the politics of Italy & Florence.
Along with Virgil -- author of the "Aeneid" -- Dante peppered his Inferno with Greek myth & symbolism. Like the Greek underworld, different punishments await different sins; what's more, there are also appearances by harpies, centaurs, Cerberus & the god Pluto. But the sinners are mostly Dante's contemporaries, from corrupt popes to soldiers.
And Dante's skill as a writer can't be denied -- the grotesque punishments are enough to make your skin crawl ("Fixedin the slime, groan they, 'We were sullen & wroth...'"), & the grand finale is Satan himself, with legendary traitors Brutus, Cassius & Judas sittingin his mouths. (Yes, I said MOUTHS, not "mouth")
More impressive still is his ability to weave the poetry out of symbolism & allegory, without it ever seeming preachy or annoying. Even pre-hell, we have a lion, a leopard & a wolf, which symbolize different sins, & a dark forest that indicates suicidal thoughts. And the punishments themselves usually reflect the person's flaws, such as false prophets having their heads twisted around so they can only see what's behind them. Wicked sense of humor.
Dante's vivid writing & wildly imaginative "inferno" makes this the most fascinating, compelling volume of the Divine Comedy. Never fun, but always spellbinding & complicated.
