studaslop 's review for:

The Divine Comedy: Volume 1: Hell by Dante Alighieri

4.5

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This is my second full readthrough of Sayers’ translation of Inferno—and it reaffirmed to me the great strengths and weaknesses of her approach. Her introduction and commentary, though outdated, are insightful and intriguing. She takes Dante’s perspectives—however similar or different from her own or our own today—very seriously. I love her approximation of the terza rima so much. Though it sometimes doesn’t add to the narrative, and often makes it more opaque, when it works, it’s like the story is singing; the rhythm and rhyme come together beautifully. It’s engrossing, and makes me understand why the story has had the influence and longevity it has. And that’s to say nothing of the story. Witty, endearing, sad, sometimes scary. Dante is so human, frail and frightened, but full of love and determination. His relationship with Virgil blooms through the text, and Sayers’ translation augments these moments (“his old, sweet smile”). This can be a tough read, and takes patience, but I think Sayers’ translation is incredibly underappreciated.