Best translation of the Divine Comedy?

[Lover]

I would like to read the Divine Comedy, but I am not sure which translation is best. I will define the best translation as having superior beauty of writing while capturing the feel/vibe of the original.

I am also concerned that I will not be able to comprehend it; do you have any advice for reading it?

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

I'm almost finished with the Hollanders' translation of Paradiso. They're translation was beautifully written and has excellent notes following each canto. I highly recommend it.

Here's a link (http://www.online-literature.com/dante/) to their translation of Inferno.

[stlukesguild]

What is this sudden surge of first time posters asking for translations of various epics? One might almost suspect the same person registered under different names... but to what purpose?

As for Dante's Comedia... I agree with the Hollander recommendation... although I also like Pinsky's Inferno, and Ciardi's translation (the first I read). Longfellow's translation is also surprisingly fine... in spite of its age.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

What is this sudden surge of first time posters asking for translations of various epics? One might almost suspect the same person registered under different names... but to what purpose?

I actually thought the same thing. I don't know why one should somehow be embarrassed about asking about translations of works. I'm definitely not. It isn't as if it's common knowledge.

[JCamilo]

Maybe those Mozart Conspiracy Wackos are ready for a Dante was actually Paracelso and wrote Paradise Lost...

[hellsapoppin]

Ciardi.

I remember when he was listed as an enemy of America back in the late 60s and early 70s. But that was a bad government joke as he was a great scholar and loyal citizen.

[Cunninglinguist]

Funny... I have the Robert & Jean Hollander translation sitting in my lap right now. You can get it for FREE here: http://etcweb.princeton.edu/dante/pdp/. Best to sample it before you but it, eh? But I recommend buying it anyways because the Hollanders are BAMFs

In my opinion, by far the best translation. Rob Hollander has been teaching the epic to Princeton students for over forty years. He's written a dozen or so books and 80 some articles on Dante and Boccaccio. He's received a number of awards for his studies. Jean is his wife, a poet, teacher, and was director of the Writer's conference at The College of New Jersey (formerly Trenton State). While the notes are excellent, they hardly scratch the surface of the text, and I wish that they had added more; instead they refer you to the critical commentaries.

As for the Longfellow translation, at least, the more I read it the more I hate it. The meter is useless and obscures the meaning in certain areas. Nonetheless, it can be gotten off of wikisource here: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dante%27s_Inferno. The translation on LitNet http://www.online-literature.com/dante/ is the Longfellow translation, I believe; however, wikisource has audio!

I've read (not very closely) through others and, for the most part, none appear as exceptional as the Hollander translation.

[Wilde woman]

I keep hearing good things about the Hollander. I suppose I should go check it out.

I'm partial to Allen Mandelbaum's translation, but that's because I read his version the first (and only) time I've read the entire poem in translation.

[Patrick_Bateman]

I have an 'Everyman's Library' edition, which is a marvellous hardback edition complete with a fantastic jacket.

[conartist]

I've only read Mandelbaum's in full and thought it was good. I never bothered to finish Robn Kirkpatrick's version of the Purgatorio. It tried a bit too hard to capture the meditativeness and beauty of that volume, and lost Dante's voice.

[mal4mac]

I've also only read Mandelbaum's in full and thought it was good. I read as much as I could of this and other translations online, (including Hollander, Pinsky, Longfellow...there are so many!) before plumping for this choice, and never regretted it.

The Everyman hardback edition of Mandelbaum is a beautiful book, and not expensive. It's well worth buying in hardback as you're likely to read it, or at least parts of it, several times a lifetime. It comes with excellent notes - just enough to keep you reading, but not enough to weigh you down with detail.

[manuscj]

Do any of you know the translation by Mark Musa (penguin classic) ? It was the copy from my local library (I wanted to read a version of the book before I bought a copy), It seems easy to understand but I wanted to see what you think of his translation (I want to make sure I'm reading a translation that does the work justice)

[Poetaster]

I've not read Mandelbaum's, I must admit, and it appears I'm missing out. I like the Mark Musa translation the most, and I have a few translations of Dante. The C.H. Sisson one isn't bad, either. Longfellow is the classic.