The "left-handed designer," Seymour Chwast has been putting his unparalleled take—and influence—on the world of illustrat... read full description
reviews
Jan 25, 2012
Dante's Divine Comedy has, from its earliest days, attracted illustrators ranging from an anonymous 14th-century illuminator, to Botticelli and Blake and Doré. In our day, it has inspired the likes of Leonard Baskin, Salvador Dali and Barry Moser. So why shouldn't Chwast, of Pushpin Studios, try his hand? No reason.
But here's the thing. He didn't illustrate Dante's Divine Comedy. Instead, he summarized it and illustrated the summary. It's 127 pages, mostly illustrations. My copies of t More...
But here's the thing. He didn't illustrate Dante's Divine Comedy. Instead, he summarized it and illustrated the summary. It's 127 pages, mostly illustrations. My copies of t More...
Oct 14, 2011
Lara
rated it: 
Cute! I kept expecting Dante to finish his lines with, "Yeah, see?" a la Edward G. Robinson.
This would be a great companion to anyone reading the unexpurgated version. I've read the Inferno portion of the Divine Comedy and loved it, the bizarre acid trip that it is, and this graphic Cliffs notes version would have been nice to have on hand to sort out some of the infamous names of the damned souls. It was good to see Dante question the unfair rules (such as the ones which pun More...
This would be a great companion to anyone reading the unexpurgated version. I've read the Inferno portion of the Divine Comedy and loved it, the bizarre acid trip that it is, and this graphic Cliffs notes version would have been nice to have on hand to sort out some of the infamous names of the damned souls. It was good to see Dante question the unfair rules (such as the ones which pun More...
Sep 27, 2011
Sara
rated it:
Dante's Divine Comedy is one of those classics I've been curious about but not enough to actually read the original. Seymour Chwast's graphic novel adaptation was a perfect introduction to the story. And one I am grateful for.
I can't say this will be a book I will seek out because it was rather confusing and in the end not as interesting as I hoped.
However, it was interesting enough to carry me through the end of this book which seemed long enough.
Dante wrote his Divine Comedy More...
I can't say this will be a book I will seek out because it was rather confusing and in the end not as interesting as I hoped.
However, it was interesting enough to carry me through the end of this book which seemed long enough.
Dante wrote his Divine Comedy More...
May 20, 2011
Kate
rated it: 
This adaptation of the journey to heaven and hell is a zoot suit riot!
Imagine Dante Alighieri as a trenchcoat-wearing 1930's sleuth, and Virgil as the Monopoly Man. Imagine souls dressed like flappers dancing and an artistic style that recalls doodles in an English Literature notebook, and you'll have the essence of this book. One of the quotes on the back: "Hell doesn't look so bad. I'm almost looking forward to floating in pools of excrement... Seymour has put the comedy back More...
Imagine Dante Alighieri as a trenchcoat-wearing 1930's sleuth, and Virgil as the Monopoly Man. Imagine souls dressed like flappers dancing and an artistic style that recalls doodles in an English Literature notebook, and you'll have the essence of this book. One of the quotes on the back: "Hell doesn't look so bad. I'm almost looking forward to floating in pools of excrement... Seymour has put the comedy back More...
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Apr 17, 2011
Lately I have really enjoyed me some epic poems in new forms or new translations. I had to reread Beowulf for my M.A. exam, and I was surprised by how much I genuinely liked Seamus Heaney's 2001 translation. Then I picked up the most recent version of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a poem I remember liking anyway, but liked particularly as translated by Simon Armitage. Now these are both new translations, in verse, that are in my opinion better than the translations that I have read in the
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Oct 13, 2010
Serena
rated it:
Dante’s Divine Comedy by Seymour Chwast is a graphic novel adaptation of the classic, allegorical epic poem written in three parts: Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise. Dante’s lines were written in Italian, the language of the people, rather than Latin as a way to protest the political influence of the church and the Pope. Chwast has taken a great many liberties with the text and Dante’s poetic lines. Although the poetic lines are not as lyrical, the text is easier to read for those who find
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Nov 05, 2010
David
rated it: 
I'm not even going to waste much time on this review. I didn't really like the book. At all. The only reason I'm giving it 2 stars is that it may open up the possibility to someone to read Dante's actual The Divine Comedy because of the simplistic telling here. It may help someone who feels the story too daunting to understand a little better what's happening. Maybe.
It's the simplicity that detracts me from enjoying this volume. Chwast takes the epic poem and breaks it down into one li More...
It's the simplicity that detracts me from enjoying this volume. Chwast takes the epic poem and breaks it down into one li More...
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Jun 29, 2011
Gaisce
rated it:
A graphic novel that could serve as a cliff notes to the original "Divine Comedy," but brings nothing of its own to the table. The only creative license is to update the clothing to something more modern, like from the 1930's and 40's, but it doesn't add to anything. Unfortunately, the simplicity of the illustrations doesn't connect well with the ideas, and the sparse narration is simply who is doing what and where. It's unsurprising at how hurried everything feels, since it took the t
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Jan 26, 2011
Clementine
rated it:
Seymour Chwast ought to be a household name to anyone with more than a passing interest in the graphic arts. Since founding Push Pin Studios along with Milton Glaser and Edward Sorel in the 1950s he has touched virtually every corner of visual communications: corporate advertisements, editorial illustrations, posters, typography, animated films, children's books, you name it.
Chwast's style is visually exuberant, and I've always admired the wry humor that seems to underpin much of his More...
Chwast's style is visually exuberant, and I've always admired the wry humor that seems to underpin much of his More...
Sep 13, 2010
Mikejencostanzo
rated it:
I received Dante's Divine Comedy: A Graphic Adaptation for free through Goodreads First Reads program.
As a graphic novel, it was a quick read, so I made it through in two days' time. As I pen my review, I feel that to do it justice, I really ought to take a two-pronged approach: First to review Dante's Divine Comedy, and then to review Chwast's illustrated adaptation of it.
As I followed Dante through hell, purgatory, and heaven, I was surprised at how contemporary he m More...
As a graphic novel, it was a quick read, so I made it through in two days' time. As I pen my review, I feel that to do it justice, I really ought to take a two-pronged approach: First to review Dante's Divine Comedy, and then to review Chwast's illustrated adaptation of it.
As I followed Dante through hell, purgatory, and heaven, I was surprised at how contemporary he m More...
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Sep 12, 2010
Lisa
rated it:
I won this book from a Goodreads Giveaway, thanks Goodreads and Bloomsbury!
I have always been intrigued by Dante's Divine Comedy, but unfortunately I never got the chance to study it in college as an English major (I know!). So I thought this would be perfect. A simplified graphic novel version of the epic is about all I can manange at this busy stage in my life. I was excited.
BUT, grateful as I am to have been chosen as a recipient, I can't give this one a rave revie More...
I have always been intrigued by Dante's Divine Comedy, but unfortunately I never got the chance to study it in college as an English major (I know!). So I thought this would be perfect. A simplified graphic novel version of the epic is about all I can manange at this busy stage in my life. I was excited.
BUT, grateful as I am to have been chosen as a recipient, I can't give this one a rave revie More...
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Jan 09, 2011
Gabriel
rated it:
This is NOT a standalone piece. In fact, reading it as I did was about the biggest mistake that I could have done, that is, I read this without having touched the original. This is, in essence, the Cliff Notes of the Cliff Notes of Dante's Divine Comedy and to try and read this as a glimpse into what is one of the more famous poems in Western Tradition is a very bad idea.
What this would be good for, though, is to read while tackling the larger work. Then, having Cuartos that are sum More...
What this would be good for, though, is to read while tackling the larger work. Then, having Cuartos that are sum More...
Aug 01, 2011
Teresa
rated it:
Well, you always hear about Dante and some people actually read his works and enjoy them. I am in the other camp just have a cursory knowledge of his work and thought this might be a great introduction. At my level I needed more background knowledge to fully understand even this version. It is set in the 20's or 30's and moves rapidly through the various levels of hell and purgatory giving examples of the more famous inhabitants of each and what their sins were. The entire book is done in black
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Oct 19, 2010
Jessica
rated it: 
First, thank you very much to Goodreads and Bloomsbury USA for awarding me this book as a First Reads title! This is a great program that spurs discussions on books. Now on to my review...
I started this book having previously read Inferno, but not Purgatorio or Paradiso. Despite that, my reaction was pretty uniform over all three sections. I have to say I was disappointed.
I really wanted this graphic adaptation to be the bridge that makes this great classic more accessible to More...
I started this book having previously read Inferno, but not Purgatorio or Paradiso. Despite that, my reaction was pretty uniform over all three sections. I have to say I was disappointed.
I really wanted this graphic adaptation to be the bridge that makes this great classic more accessible to More...
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Nov 05, 2010
Dionisia
rated it:
I have really enjoyed the books offered by Bloomsbury so eagerly anticipating the arrival of this book. Can't believe I won another Goodreads giveaway so soon!
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Clocking in at a mere 127 pages, this graphic novel is an extremely condensed version of The Divine Comedy. Each canto covers about a page or two of illustration (sometimes less). The many levels of hell, purgatory and paradise described in The Divine Comedy are rendered through Chwast's More...
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Clocking in at a mere 127 pages, this graphic novel is an extremely condensed version of The Divine Comedy. Each canto covers about a page or two of illustration (sometimes less). The many levels of hell, purgatory and paradise described in The Divine Comedy are rendered through Chwast's More...
Jan 05, 2011
Kayt
rated it:
I was fairly excited when I won this from the FirstReads giveaway. A graphic novel adaptation of a classic, sounds cool, right?
Now I'll freely admit that I was not familiar with Dante's Divine Comedy in any form, so for those like me, this is the basic story:
Dante, the poet himself, explores Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven with Virgil (the classical poet) as his guide, and occasional appearances by Beatrice (Dante's dead lover). They see the specific punishments for various types of More...
Now I'll freely admit that I was not familiar with Dante's Divine Comedy in any form, so for those like me, this is the basic story:
Dante, the poet himself, explores Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven with Virgil (the classical poet) as his guide, and occasional appearances by Beatrice (Dante's dead lover). They see the specific punishments for various types of More...
Feb 02, 2012
Joe
rated it:
The whole time I was reading this "comic" book. the Squirrel Nut Zipper song, Hell, kept playing in my head. Both the art in this book and the song evoke whimsical thoughts of the afterlife. I have read the original, translated of course, and now this much more fun graphic adaption, and with both versions I have a difficult time with the persistent name dropping. I now I need to read a biography of Dante and an unabridged history of medieval Florence to truly understand what is going
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Jun 25, 2011
Theresa
rated it:
This is a graphic novel that sets Dante's tour through hell, purgatory and heaven in an overly simplistic style of 1920’s dress. In the few graphic novels that I have read, I have been amazed by the emotions that the artist was able to convey with just a few changes in facial expression. I did not find anything like that in this novel. I cannot claim to have read Dante’s original “Divine Comedy “ in its entirety, but I do know enough about it to voice the opinion that this was far too simplis
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Apr 24, 2011
You, too, can read Dante's masterpiece in 30 minutes.
The souls in Heaven make up "A Mystic Rose."
"Angels flew like bees from God, gathering eternal salvation to the souls in the Rose and back again."
"St. Bernard describes the order of the souls in the Rose. The Virgin sits on top of half the Rose. The other half is headed by John The Baptist. Gabriel embraces Mary with his wings." pp.123-5
The souls in Heaven make up "A Mystic Rose."
"Angels flew like bees from God, gathering eternal salvation to the souls in the Rose and back again."
"St. Bernard describes the order of the souls in the Rose. The Virgin sits on top of half the Rose. The other half is headed by John The Baptist. Gabriel embraces Mary with his wings." pp.123-5
Nov 13, 2010
Janice
rated it:
I read Dante's Inferno more than 40 years ago, so this was a reminder of some of the pleasure and pain of that reading! This is a very quick read, a graphic version with very revised text. This seems more like a summary/overview of the real "Inferno", but I think may draw some readers to go ahead and read the original version. I did like the graphics; Chwast did a good job with his visual interpretations.
Oct 27, 2010
Jessica
rated it:
I guess the general opinion of the graphic novel interpretation of Dante's Divine Comedy can be summed up as "meh." I'm sorry to say that I agree. I really wanted to like this alternative version of the epic Greek poem. But it just fell flat.
The illustrations are awesome. Seriously. Fedoras and bowler hats galore! Plus trench coats, pinstripe suits, and a top hat or two. Now, that's how I want picture Dante. You know, smoking his pipe through the whole thing and generally bei More...
The illustrations are awesome. Seriously. Fedoras and bowler hats galore! Plus trench coats, pinstripe suits, and a top hat or two. Now, that's how I want picture Dante. You know, smoking his pipe through the whole thing and generally bei More...
May 04, 2011
May-Ling
rated it:
bleh. this is probably the worst graphic novel i've read. so strange, because i requested it based on so many great reviews. the worst thing about it is the drawing style, which to me, is the most important part of making a graphic novel amazing. i disliked the style and the book fails in so many ways to tell a story like dante's inferno. it does depict some pretty gross levels of inferno, so that's one win.
Oct 04, 2010
willaful
rated it:
(Won from First Reads.)
There are some wonderful visual images in this book, but on the whole, I was underwhelmed. The story is a bare bones summary of the plot of the original, which I found pretty hard to follow. The real body of the work is the pen & ink illustrations, which use archtypal images from the 1920's in an amusing way; I particularly enjoyed the scenes using repeating images of people in chorus lines or odd patterns. (There may be tips of the hat to M.C. Escher here, a More...
There are some wonderful visual images in this book, but on the whole, I was underwhelmed. The story is a bare bones summary of the plot of the original, which I found pretty hard to follow. The real body of the work is the pen & ink illustrations, which use archtypal images from the 1920's in an amusing way; I particularly enjoyed the scenes using repeating images of people in chorus lines or odd patterns. (There may be tips of the hat to M.C. Escher here, a More...
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Nov 06, 2011
Christopher
rated it:
Seymour Chwast's graphic novel is a thoroughly enjoyable companion piece to Dante's Comedìa. It's the literary geek's equivalent to action figures, only with delicious irony and style and demanding fewer explanations for one's spouse. Chwast has given us a Divine Comic. [Pre-recorded groans go here.]
Apr 18, 2011
Nancy
rated it:
A thin broth of a book. Not quite satisfying as an entry into Dante's poem, and definitely odd as a graphic novel. (Those drawings -- so, marking pen sloppy? The font, so CAPS LOCK awkward.) I struggled to get interested in Hell, finally relaxed in Purgatory, but then got bored with Heaven. Um, the cover's nice.
Nov 24, 2011
Anna
rated it:
The first review I read said, "cute." Um... really? Depictions of hell (especially from Dante) are cute? This was disturbing to read. Page after page of torture. Even the heaven portions were upsetting to me for some reason. Like a train wreck, and I couldn't look away, and I read it in one sitting.
Feb 03, 2011
Meaghan
rated it:
I feel much the same as many of the other reviewers. The concept was great but the execution badly misfired. The book was much too short for the reader to get an appreciation of the story. It would have been better if Chwast had taken the full-length Divine Comedy and illustrated it with his drawings.
Oct 03, 2010
Christine
rated it:
I was very excited to receive this edition of Dante's Divine Comedy. I have always wanted to read it but never have gotten around to it. While I believe the graphic adaption gives a good representation of the work, I do feel that I am missing huge chunks of this classic piece. I feel that doing it in this style is creative and clever and makes me want to read the full version of the poem. I do think this book is more for someone who has already read the Divine Comedy and can appreciate the
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Oct 03, 2010
Stacy
rated it:
I was excited to receive Dante's Divine Comedy: A Graphic Adaptation for free through Goodreads First Reads and Bloomsbury Press.
I entered the giveaway because I thought it would be an interesting addition to my design book collection - a graphic adaptation by Seymour Chwast of a classic story.
Overall, I thought it was interesting. I think the style of illustration may not be for everyone, but it was definitely innovative to see a classic like Dante's Inferno interpret More...
I entered the giveaway because I thought it would be an interesting addition to my design book collection - a graphic adaptation by Seymour Chwast of a classic story.
Overall, I thought it was interesting. I think the style of illustration may not be for everyone, but it was definitely innovative to see a classic like Dante's Inferno interpret More...
May 01, 2011
Teri
rated it:
An interesting and memorable adaptation of Dante's Divine Comedy. Chwast's illustrations have a vaguely 1920's look. The storyline is condensed and no attempt at recreating Dante's poetry is made... but the illustrations effectively carry the story.
