[Nigel Mace]

I am seeking to mark a friend's 80th with the gift of a parallel text edition of Dante's Divine Comedy and I would appreciate the Sphere's cummulative wisdom on choice of translator and edition. For such an occasion, it has to be hardback and, if possible, handsome as a volume or set of volumes.
Knowing my friend's tastes, however, I am sure that literary worth will definitely come first and that a well-cared for example/set of the finest and most faithful text would be preferred even if it was OP.


I'd be very grateful for assistance/opinions - and it might prove a generally interesting thread in any case.

[Allen Tice]

This isn’t a direct answer. I have a parallel language paperback of the Inferno verse translated by Robert Hollander and Jean Hollander, who were nice when I met them. It’s an Anchor book.

I also have a pb verse by Inferno by Signet done by John Ciardi and a single volume verse hardback entire Divine Comedy also done by Ciardi, who was an expert poet fully fluent and active in Italian, and great poetry editor at The Saturday Review, when that published great poetry. Unfortunately, that full hardback Comedy is only the translation and lacks the Italian. It’s a nice one volume book by Norton.

All three are full of notes.

I’m partial to Ciardi’s versions. I can given more info on these if you want by PM. Good luck.

[John Isbell]

Hi Nigel,

Dante ends the Vita nuova, somewhat oddly, with a statement that he has had a wonderful vision, and that now he studies quanto posso to make his art equal to what he saw. Ten years later, he writes the Commedia. What had changed? Well, he invented terza rima, which is like a chain preventing any addition or subtraction to his entire 100-canto text (unlike say Homer). Any translation not in terza rima is, for me, instantly moot by that token. In terza rima, you have, to my knowledge, Dorothy Sayers and Geoffrey Bickersteth, the latter available in bilingual text again, it seems, after many years and to my ear, considerably underrated by the critics. It's easily my favorite English Commedia, and I'd say it's worth a look.
But really, you might wait for Andrew F's take.

Regards,
John

[Nigel Mace]

Alan - that is all most helpful. What a pity that the Ciardi 'complete' doesn't have the parallel text. I shall look up both of the ones you mention and let you know by PM if I want further info on the Ciardi books. This present search is clearly going to be a very pleasing experience.

Thanks for that, John.
I share your preference for terza rima. I tend to the view that, since so much has to change in the translation process, one might as well get the rhyme scheme and the metre right - since those are elements that one can replicate. My boyhood introduction to Dante was by way of the Dorothy Sayers and one can do worse. I know that my friend would find Alasdair Gray's feisty modern 'take' complete with some characteristic illustrations a stride too far. As a 'version' I rather relished it.
And - yes - I am very much hoping to hear Andrew's advice.

[Andrew Frisardi]

There’s a lot to choose from, Nigel. There was no Divine Comedy in English until nearly 500 years after Dante’s death, early 19th century, but there have been a slew since then.

I disagree that terza rima is the most important thing to bring over in a translation of the Divine Comedy. Dante’s language is an inimitable mix of earthiness, formality, colloquialness, intellectuality, bluntness, precision, and inventiveness (when he doesn’t have a word for something, he makes it up). Doing the translation in terza rima is certain to cancel out several of these at once, leaving mostly the rhyme pattern, which is so much easier in Italian anyway. So, my favorite translations of the DC are the blank verse ones, though Ciardi’s defective terza rima (rhyming only the first and third lines of each tercet) is a perennial favorite for many. Robert Pinsky translated only the Inferno, using off-rhyme effectively, and I like his version quite a bit.

For the whole DC in translation, my preferences are Ciardi, Mark Musa, and Robin Kirkpatrick. This last one is published by Penguin in a deluxe edition, with parallel text. The Ciardi is not bilingual. I think the Musa is. Kirkpatrick’s also has an excellent commentary. A lot of people like the Hollander version (Robert Hollander died just a few months ago), which is also bilingual.

I don’t know what your budget is like for this, but since your friend’s birthday is such a special one, if you can swing it you might consider this new bilingual edition, just published by Polistampa in Florence, under the auspices of the Società Dantesca (for the 700th anniversary of Dante's death). It’s a two-volume beautifully produced edition of all of Dante’s works, in both the original and facing-page English. They are using my Vita nova translation for it, as part of volume 1 which includes all of Dante’s works besides the DC. Vol. 2 is the DC, though since I haven’t yet received my copy I’m not sure which translation they chose for that: I am guessing the Hollander.

For the beauty and novelty of it, this edition might do the trick. If not that, I’d go for a hardcover edition of the Kirkpatrick or the Hollander.

Good luck.

[John Isbell]

FWIW, Robin Kirkpatrick taught me the Dante paper at Cambridge, making the trek to Robinson worthwhile. A wonderful man, we all thought. Mark Musa was my colleague at Indiana and let us say, less energetic.

Regards,
John

[Nigel Mace]

Andrew - a wonderfully full reply and many thanks, particularly for the news of the two volume complete Dante. That looks personally tempting - in the way that the best of presents, intended for other people, so often do. I knew you would have a 'go' at my suggestion of privileging the terza rima and you are certainly right that it is a rather unhelpful filter. Perhaps I'll give way on that - especially since I suspect my friend is rather more of your persuasion than mine.
I cannot, however, find the hardback edition of the Kirkpatrick. The edition which you mention seems to be only the Inferno - or am I missing something? Again, many thanks.

[Ann Drysdale]

Thought better of it; a tangential question and not helpful to Nigel.
.

[Nigel Mace]

Oh - go on Ann. I've got the advice I needed and your tangential thoughts are usually interesting.

[Ann Drysdale]

Thanks, Nigel. I had asked if anyone had any opinions on the Clive James version.

Meanwhile, though, I was searching on your behalf and discovered a few lovely 3-volume editions in slip-cases, none of which were from the hitherto named translators and all of which would have necessitated re-mortgaging your house to acquire them.
.