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A review by tackerly
The Divine Comedy: Volume 1: Inferno by Dante Alighieri
3.0
Beautifully written and yet a difficult read if one, like me, is not familiar with the history of 13th-14th century Florence, as Dante condemns many of its historical and contemporary citizens - both good and evil - to the flames of hell.
Harold Bloom (who quite rightfully recommends John D. Sinclair's wonderful prose translation) goes on and on about "Il Commedia" being a paeon to Beatrice but she is largely absent in this first volume, receiving only passing mention in three or four cantos. "Inferno" is really Dante publicly implicating those he holds responsible for the morally sad state of his beloved city.
I'll be coming back to this one again once I have a better sense of who all these people were.
Harold Bloom (who quite rightfully recommends John D. Sinclair's wonderful prose translation) goes on and on about "Il Commedia" being a paeon to Beatrice but she is largely absent in this first volume, receiving only passing mention in three or four cantos. "Inferno" is really Dante publicly implicating those he holds responsible for the morally sad state of his beloved city.
I'll be coming back to this one again once I have a better sense of who all these people were.