Inferno is a book that I believe should be read by everyone. College students, parents, movie buffs, etc., will all be able to pull something from this book. At face value, this book can be just a simple adventure of a man through Hell. It can also be a stepping stone into the world of Christian and Greek mythologies.Inferno is the story of Dante (same as the author) who becomes lost (spiritually/mentally) at the age of 35 and finds himself at the base of a path leading him on a long and wonderous journey. Dante meets Virgil (see the Aeneid) and Virgil becomes Dantes guide through Hell. Along the way Virgil explains why certain people are being punished and Virgil will communicate with his contempories (as Dante will communicate with his own.)
Ciardis translation keeps in touch with Dantes terza rima rhyming scheme. This is a strict translation, where some words may seem slightly out of place. There are liberal translations out there, but not in such a wonderful rhyming pattern. Ciardi also ends each Canto (chapter) with infomation as to characters and information that readers may not know. (As Inferno was written in the 1300s.)
And, if nothing else and youre really bored from reading this, try to figure out where you would fit in Dantes Hell.
I was introduced to Ciardis translation of "The Inferno" in an anthology of continental literature I read in college. At that time, after experiencing fragments of Fagles horrible "verse" translation of Homers works, I had low expectations for the translations in that anthology.However, the instant I started reading John Ciardis verse translation of "The Inferno", my hardened heart once again began to beat with the vibrancy it had when I read poems of Wordsworth or Browning.
John Ciardi, with a poetic talent that seems to be unmatched -- except for what Ive read of W.S. Merwins "Paradiso XXXIII," -- creates a poetic flow that feels, tastes, and even smells Italian. A poetic flow that delightfully contrasts Fagles, whose poetic flow is limited by popular styles and even phrases of the 20th century.
Instead of trying to lift Dante to the 20th century, Ciardi gracefully carries us to the early 14th century.
Instead of assuming that Dante is arcane, old fashioned, and in need of Johns own poetic help, he believes that the original Italian is fresh, exciting, and poetically graceful.
The translation of Dante would have been diluted if Ciardi were to try and bring the 14th century to us through the modernization of the language, symbolism, and even the geography of Dantes world. (Fagles even geographically modified his "Odyssey" at one point to rename a Greek river the Nile because readers may get confused.)
Im glad that Ciardi tries to bring us back in time when the universe was cosmically full of life, where even the stars were more than the mere byproducts of abstract forces, chance, that can only be systematically analyzed and dissected.
The medieval worldview is far richer than the purely logical and scientific mindset thats now common. By bringing Dante to us unfiltered by that mindset, Ciardi helps move us towards the bright and vibrant medieval world.
I strongly recommend John Ciardis poetic translation of "The Divine Comedy" in completion. "The Inferno" is great, but only is complete when read with "The Purgatorio" and "Paradiso."
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