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The Portable Dante
The scope and fire of Dante's genius in a single volume.
Includes "The Divine Comedy," "The New Life," and other selected poems, prose, and letters accompanied by biographical and introductory sections.
Includes "The Divine Comedy," "The New Life," and other selected poems, prose, and letters accompanied by biographical and introductory sections.
Paperback, 2nd Revised Edition, 654 pages
Published
April 1995
by Penguin Books
(first published 1947)
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Oh Dante! Tuscan master of belle langue
Who crafted these three heavenly pearls
Of stunning verse, that unleash in song
Of tortuous treks, our pilgrim led by Virgil's
Wise spirit, mastering fierce devils and Hell
To reach the base of Purgatory's mount
Bewitched by souls who stumble in a veil
Attempting Heaven's Gate too long to count
Menagerie of repenting souls, now wise
To past life's sins, Latins whom before
Our pilgrim Dante, in asking, brooks no lies
And gains much wisdom wending through the door
That...more
Who crafted these three heavenly pearls
Of stunning verse, that unleash in song
Of tortuous treks, our pilgrim led by Virgil's
Wise spirit, mastering fierce devils and Hell
To reach the base of Purgatory's mount
Bewitched by souls who stumble in a veil
Attempting Heaven's Gate too long to count
Menagerie of repenting souls, now wise
To past life's sins, Latins whom before
Our pilgrim Dante, in asking, brooks no lies
And gains much wisdom wending through the door
That...more
WOW! Absolutely inspiring. This book made me take a thorough look at my own personal axiological assumptions and changed my mind in a couple of instances. The last Canto of Paradise just about blew my mind- epistomologically speaking of course. The entire progression from underground to mountain to the overpowering radiance of God was very Plotonic; loved it! The unified understanding of God as well as the symbolic representation of the godhead as the only way to mediate the truth of God to Dant...more
It's been a few years since I read this, but three things stand strong in my mind, and influenced my rating:
1. Inferno is not the most commonly read portion of Dante's Divine Comedy without reason. The reason is quite simple; it's the best written of the three acts in his comedy. Here Dante's biting wit, poignant judgments and creativity come through stronger than in any of the other two, and separately I'd rate this as "five stars".
2. Sadly, it goes downhill from here. While Purgatory was an in...more
1. Inferno is not the most commonly read portion of Dante's Divine Comedy without reason. The reason is quite simple; it's the best written of the three acts in his comedy. Here Dante's biting wit, poignant judgments and creativity come through stronger than in any of the other two, and separately I'd rate this as "five stars".
2. Sadly, it goes downhill from here. While Purgatory was an in...more
If you want a kind of bare-bones Dante (and who doesn't?)--this revised edition is for you. The complete Divine Comedy and Vita Nuova, more than competently translated, with the absolute minimum of notes, put at the bottom of each page. No flipping back and forth to the back to find out who this person was, and no lengthy discussions of every minute point. Also no Italian on facing pages, but you can't have everything. A version to be read quickly. An excellent introduction for which I'm very gr...more
You can read Musa straight trough, nice notation as needed, including great intros to each canto, not over bearing, he has the poetics carry the poem...his best translation is Paradiso! Also includes Vita Nuova at the end which I'd recommend reading first as it is shorter, tighter, but still plays the poetic games so loved by Dante as well as being a series inter-linked love poems to Beatrice...and in this translation of V.N.(unlike the earlier Oxford & Indiana press ones) he imbeds the Lati...more
Tentative, unsatisfying prolegomena to a review currently under construction:
Before I start rolling up the ol' sleeves, I want to admit straightaway that I am indeed a neurotic, superstitious fool with variously delusional notions of grandeur who chose to not add this book to my GR "read" list because, at the time, I was poised on the cliff of having read (by the GR tally) six hundred and ninety-nine books and I wanted Dante (who dug him some numerology) to give me the magic push up to the big...more
This is a great version of Dante's Devine Comedy because at the top of each section there was a summary of the chapter. It helped a lot when I wanted to look back at events that happened previously. It was also good if some things in the chapter were unclear, I could read the summary to help me understand what was going on. I think the chapter summaries make this an ideal translation for students and casual readers alike.
My favorite of the Divine Comedy was Purgatario. Inferno is by far the most...more
My favorite of the Divine Comedy was Purgatario. Inferno is by far the most...more
"I personally was intrigued with this book for quite awhile now ever since reading it back in High School. However, it is the fact that there is a game coming out based loosely on Dante's Inferno that made me go through with it. Also, the one-two kick from Bruno Rontini's view of the Divine Comedy from the novel ""Time Must Have a Stop"" added to the wanting of reading this book.
I love all the themes used during the Divine Comedy, which I found out was just given the ""Divine"" part later on fro...more
I love all the themes used during the Divine Comedy, which I found out was just given the ""Divine"" part later on fro...more
This review is for the Laurence Binyon translation of The Divine Comedy that I read as a part of this(The Portable Dante; 1947, 1965 edition) anthology:
All I can say is that this was breath-taking. An epic poem in every sense of the word. I began reading this Poem on and off since 2007-2008, and have only finished it now in January 2012!
It was staggering and just magical to read this poem and I mean the WHOLE poem not just the Inferno. As a bonus the Binyon translation renders the English in t...more
All I can say is that this was breath-taking. An epic poem in every sense of the word. I began reading this Poem on and off since 2007-2008, and have only finished it now in January 2012!
It was staggering and just magical to read this poem and I mean the WHOLE poem not just the Inferno. As a bonus the Binyon translation renders the English in t...more
Yes, I am a total nerd.
I just finished reading the Inferno, and am taking a brief break before entering Purgatorio. Dante really liked imagining gruesome punishments, especially for people he knew in real life and apparently hated. I'm looking forward to seeing how he treated people he liked.
Update as of 2/15/2010 - I made it through the Purgatorio, which could be described as slightly less painful version of the Inferno. Filled with plenty of punishments that aren't quite as horrible as Hell, b...more
I just finished reading the Inferno, and am taking a brief break before entering Purgatorio. Dante really liked imagining gruesome punishments, especially for people he knew in real life and apparently hated. I'm looking forward to seeing how he treated people he liked.
Update as of 2/15/2010 - I made it through the Purgatorio, which could be described as slightly less painful version of the Inferno. Filled with plenty of punishments that aren't quite as horrible as Hell, b...more
This collection contains the Laurence Binyon translation of The Divine Comedy. Harold Bloom recommends it as the translation closest to reading Dante in the native Italian. Since I don't read (or speak) Italian, I could hazard an opinion, though I would say that it appears to be the most poet of the translations I have seen, which would be the Longfellow and Mandelbaum translations. These two translation are available online at http://dante.ilt.columbia.edu/new/com...
My suggestion, if you are wi...more
My suggestion, if you are wi...more
I am still in awe after reading this book. Dante is a genius on so many levels it's mind numbing. He has this unbelievable ability to write like he is painting. His imagination is so vivid and visual that his writing actually made me question whether or not he had really been on a guided tour of hell, purgatory, and paradise. On top of that, he's got that magical poet's ability to write that one line that makes you wake up for a second and take note. I think knowing the story of Dante and Beatri...more
Sep 12, 2007
Noel
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fans of creative history
Shelves:
repeat-reads
Although I had read Dante's work and quite enjoyed it previously, this book really brought the entire Comedy into a new light for me. The notes by Mark Musa seem to occupy nearly as much room as story they detail, with very wonderful results; exquisite details--about Dante's own life, then-contemporary society, and even his references to mythology--are compiled and laid bare or the reader to absorb. Below is an example of the text as well as the accompanying notes.
Canto XVII lines 60-69
"But wh...more
Canto XVII lines 60-69
"But wh...more
What I learned from this book is that I need to read it again! Actually, I "only" read The Divine Comedy, and just bits and pieces of the rest. But going for that whole reading experience was quite a challenge and a satisfying one at that. Making such an incredible journey was absolutely worth it. The only problem is, there was just so much to take in, so many footnotes explaining each character that Dante meets, that an overall impression, or a general memory of it, is hard to give. All I truly...more
Laurence Binyon's masterful terza rima translation is the essential Divina Comedia for English readers. Mandelbaum's translation is a distant second, and (except for various fragments) the others may be dispensed with virtually altogether. I am in stunned awe of the multiple perfections of this beautiful rendering.
I know what why 700 years later people are reading Dante. His Divine Comedy was just amazing. I enjoyed the footnotes which helped me to understand more, but I found I could figure out most of the story line on my own. I would recommend this story to anyone.
Read this translation of the Divine Comedy a while back. I just picked it up the other day to read La Vita Nuova.
I really enjoyed this version. This is the entire Divine Comedy and Vita Nuova with notes to help you understand the historical background and characters.
Oh man. Dante.
I can't say I enjoyed the class that accompanied this book, but I did enjoy several of the works in here - most notably the Vita Nuova.
I can't say I enjoyed the class that accompanied this book, but I did enjoy several of the works in here - most notably the Vita Nuova.
Loved this translation, but switched to Mandelbaum's 'Paradiso' after the first two books. I wish the first two books were sold separately!
Limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, wrath, sloth, heresy, malice...break it down! Malice by violence, malice by fraud, and traitors!
Mark Musa's translation is straightforward, easy to follow, and in friendly blank verse. I only wish I had purchased the individual Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso, because apparently they have many more notes. The notes are somewhat sporadic in this version (being portable, after all) and you get the feeling they were selected at random - some persons, referred-to events, and concepts are explained at length and others are not at all. But maybe I just don't know better.
A personal four stars,...more
A personal four stars,...more
Fantastic!!!! Inferno is great because its so disgusting, but Purgatorio and Paradiso are even better!!
i really like this translation. i'm wondering what other translations people enjoy...
Apr 14, 2011
Karen Vitek
is currently reading it
I have picked this up and put it down many times. I will persevere though.
My edition is a wonderful, well-read copy published in 1947.
Amazing! One of the few books I enjoy reading multiple times.
I only read Inferno, but I'm reviewing this because it's the version I have, and because I have no plans to read Purgatory or Paradiso at any point of the future, and I don't want this sitting on my "currently reading" shelf.
I found Inferno very interesting and often humorous, and I appreciated the creativity Dante put into his contrapasso. This edition was also very helpful in explaining the many allusions, which helped me realize that many of the people Dante showed suffering in hell were poli...more
I found Inferno very interesting and often humorous, and I appreciated the creativity Dante put into his contrapasso. This edition was also very helpful in explaining the many allusions, which helped me realize that many of the people Dante showed suffering in hell were poli...more
I love Viking Portable Editions.
Hell's the only good bit :p
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Dante Alighieri, or simply Dante (May 14/June 13 1265 – September 13/14, 1321), is one of the greatest poets in the Italian language; with the comic story-teller Boccaccio and the poet Petrarch, he forms the classic trio of Italian authors. Dante Alighieri was born in the city-state Florence in 1265. He first saw the woman, or rather the child, who was to become the poetic love of his life when he...more
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Jan 29, 2011 10:26am