Dante: The Inferno

At the end of a summer spent working with Italians, I've decided to re-read La Commedia.  I read the Dorothy L Sayers translation when I was a teenager, and loved it, (though I gave up very early in  Paradise).  Probably, I'll get a lot more out of in now than I did then.

This time I'm going with the Hollander, which is starting with promise: I read the Introduction last night, which managed to deal with complicated ideas regarding allegory and hold my attention, and I read the 1st Canto this morning, and it works as poetry.

The Princeton Dante Project is a useful resource.  And I especially like the Italian audio, so that I can hear it as well as read it in the original.

Comments

  1. MichaelWed Sept 01, 11:23:00 am BST

    I got through Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere, Naples '44 and Love and War in the Appenines in my first two weeks of Inpdap joy. All recommended.
    Fascinating place, fascinating people. Not much cop at organising a summer school, mind.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Garry NixonWed Sept 01, 05:21:00 pm BST

    I was pleased that the Inpdap staff at mine managed to outdo the teachers regarding drunken foolishness. Made a nice change.

    ReplyDelete
  3. drawjerkyWed Sept 01, 06:33:00 pm BST

    nonsense here.

    ReplyDelete
  4. JamesThu Sept 02, 02:49:00 am BST

    Good luck - if you make it through Paradise, let us know. (i too dropped it at Paradise, Lawrence Grant White translation) Thanks for the Princeton link.

    ReplyDelete
  5. MichaelThu Sept 02, 09:16:00 am BST

    Haha, mine too. Most mornings I was the only management around until about 11am.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Garry NixonThu Sept 02, 10:10:00 am BST

    James: this Hollander translation is like a university course, I've spent several hours now with the text and notes on Canto 1, you can't read it passively, so Paradise is some distance away. I'll probably blog about it as I go.

    Michael: Yes indeed, my first point of contact with the Inpdap people each day was usually at lunchtime. They would think nothing of phoning me at 10 in the evening to discuss something which could easily have waited until the next day.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Garry NixonThu Sept 02, 10:21:00 am BST

    Chris: I got to Purgatory, though we should both burn in hell for wasting our time on such shite.

    ReplyDelete
  8. drawjerkyThu Sept 02, 12:06:00 pm BST

    indeed... email me re oban dates.

    ReplyDelete

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