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A review by rechard
The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
5.0
Dante’s The Divine Comedy has long been a literary mountain I’ve both revered and dreaded. In high school, attending a classical school, reading older translations felt like pure torture—dense, archaic, and emotionally exhausting. For years, I avoided Dante entirely, convinced the PTSD from those forced readings would never fade. Then I dared to pick up Steve Ellis’s The Divine Comedy: A New Translation, and everything changed.
Ellis’s translation is nothing short of a revelation. Where earlier versions felt like wading through linguistic quicksand, his prose is fluid, engaging, and alive. He captures the epic grandeur of Dante’s vision while making it accessible to a modern reader without sacrificing the depth or complexity of the original.
For the first time, I found myself truly immersed in Dante’s journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. The vivid imagery, philosophical reflections, and emotional intensity felt new, vibrant, and relevant in ways I’d never experienced before. It was like discovering a story I thought I hated and realizing it was a masterpiece all along—just waiting for the right guide to show me the way.
Steve Ellis’s translation reminded me why The Divine Comedy is considered one of the greatest works of literature. It’s more than just readable—it’s deeply enjoyable. I’m so glad I gave it another chance, and this time, the journey was unforgettable.
Ellis’s translation is nothing short of a revelation. Where earlier versions felt like wading through linguistic quicksand, his prose is fluid, engaging, and alive. He captures the epic grandeur of Dante’s vision while making it accessible to a modern reader without sacrificing the depth or complexity of the original.
For the first time, I found myself truly immersed in Dante’s journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. The vivid imagery, philosophical reflections, and emotional intensity felt new, vibrant, and relevant in ways I’d never experienced before. It was like discovering a story I thought I hated and realizing it was a masterpiece all along—just waiting for the right guide to show me the way.
Steve Ellis’s translation reminded me why The Divine Comedy is considered one of the greatest works of literature. It’s more than just readable—it’s deeply enjoyable. I’m so glad I gave it another chance, and this time, the journey was unforgettable.