Dante: Inferno: Translated Into English with Notes and Commentary by Frank Salvidio

by Frank Salvidio

In the middle of the journey of our life,
I came to myself again in a dark
wood, where the right way was lost … So begins Frank Salvidio’s compelling translation of the great journey of Western Christian Civilization—the pilgrimage of Dante Alighieri from the exile of sin to the Promised Land of salvation—a journey whose beginning in fire and ice has made the expression “Dante’s Inferno” a commonplace in virtually every language of the modern world. As in his translation of the Vita Nuova, praised not only for its exceptional clarity and fidelity to the original, but also for its “thoughtfully-woven representation of the graceful straightforwardness of the linguaggio dantesco,” Salvidio has once again recreated Dante’s intense and riveting voice in the unadorned simplicity of American English. Additionally, the facing notes—succinct and scholarly—make this translation ideal for students of the poem.

412 pages, Hardcover

First published May 14, 2007

Reviews

[Rachel Deery]

Frank Salvidio brings The Inferno to life. The footnotes are helpful and helped me understand better than if I didn’t have them. The Inferno is a classic and I credit Salvidio’s for his translation.