Dante's Inferno

Full disclosure: I am not a scholar of Dante, nor of medieval Italian literature, so I will leave the cavils about Birk's adaptation to the die-hard Dante lovers among us. What Birk has done is present an "Inferno" (not THE "Inferno," but AN "Inferno") that leaps to brilliant, vivid relevance right now, with illustrations straight out of every portrait of American urban decay you've ever seen or lived through. Hell, Birk is saying, is here and now; it is of you and among you and around you. Find your circle. Dante's text was written in "low-class" vernacular Italian; this text is written in very vernacular English, and the honesty and familiarity makes the words and ideas immediately relevant; it makes the Inferno a living text. To insert modern figures such as Pol Pot or Bill Clinton or the Bushes (both of them) into the various circles of Hell creates an even more vivid sense of relevance and immediacy. Birk's illustrations and adaptation take off the "old-time goggles," those distorting lenses through which we too often see texts from other centuries and make the Inferno as much a part of this present instant as of the Middle Ages. What's more, it's gripping. I care about this Dante -- enough so that I'm truly excited about the prospect of rediscovering the original text I slogged through portions of in Humanities 250A in college. I know I won't see Jim Baker or Charles Manson there, but I'll be on familiar territory nevertheless.

Most translations of Dante sound like they're stuttering through the poem rather than rendering it into understandable English. But this one's different. It's readable. I mean the guy wrote it so it sounds like your neighbor talking, clear as a bell, no antiquated language. It's as easy to understand as the "No Fear Shakespeare" translations. Plus it adds some contemporary references to make up for all those old-fashioned outdated allusions Dante stuffed into the Divine Comedy. I'm a Dante aficionado and have read almost every translation and also some of the original Italian, and, in my opinion, this is the best English translation. Not that I don't love the John Ciardi translation (I do; it's terrific.), but this one tops them all for clarity. You won't be disappointed. Remember, Dante wrote in the vernacular so people of his day could understand him. He would have approved of this.

this book will grab you by the hand and drag you through the depths... visually fun and verbally humorous. entertaining and educational. will introduce readers to dante who might have never found him otherwise. written in 21st century teenspeak, the book tells dante's story very simply. perfect for anyone who wants to understand this great piece of literature without being challenged by a language long gone.

We are the original publishers of the limited (100 copies) edition. with 70 hand pulled lithographs bound in leather, etc, etc...Please note Sandow Birk is the author as well as the illustrator, with Marcus Sanders as the co-author.We have had an eventful and delightful journey producing this project; the folks at Trillium Press are really excited to have this more available version for the larger public.

Dante's Inferno by Sandow Birk and Marcus Sanders is an excellent treatment on the first of the three parts of Dante Alighieri's well known and important Divine Comedy. The illustrations of Birk, heavily inspired by Gustave Dore's engravings further serve to increase the pleasure of reading this translation. Is this one of the most scholarly translations of the Inferno, certainly not. Is this one of the most readable and refreshing translations of the Inferno, without a doubt, yes. If you are looking for a translation of the Inferno for close and thorough study two time poet laureate (1997 + 1998) Robert Pinsky has an excellent version.