hey im 16yo and i wanna to start reading dante but since i dont speak italian (the divine comedy is a challenge for the natives too) that caused me to face problems choosing what lagnuage and which translation i should read for inferno , so pls i really need your help,i need the best version and translation that preserves dante's beautiful poetry,rhymes and writing.
the languages i speak:arabic,french and english
"i apologize for any mistakes made in the paragraph"
by aminofleg1
3 Comments
The inferno was mandatory reading in my high school. The book we had came with notes and commentary, because beside the language obstacle, also not knowing the context makes it a tough read. I would recommend you find something of that sort too
If you go with English Fagles is my personal favourite and highly regarded I believe
Indeed it’s a challenge for us natives, too. That’s why we read a paraphrasis in modern Italian along with it, to follow the language, and abundant notes, to follow the references. No one just “reads” the Divine Comedy, unless maybe they’ve read it before and more than once: it’s a process.
I can’t recommend a translation (though I can say Longfellow’s is very faithful, if also old-fashioned), but I will suggest you keep the original text on your desk/screen, as well: if you know French, you can probably understand some of it, and it should be a rewarding experience.
Cheers.