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Unread 12-10-2017, 04:57 AM
Andrew Frisardi Andrew Frisardi is offline
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Default Dante's "Convivio" published

My annotated translation of Dante’s Convivio has finally been published by Cambridge University Press. Unfortunately, at £95 quid or $120 bucks it is beyond most individuals’ budgets. But if you happen to frequent some academic or major city library, they would probably order a copy if you request it. The paperback will be out in a couple of years, I am told.

I want to thank the Sphere’s Bill Carpenter for his generous feedback on the translation of Dante’s text and on my introduction to the volume. Bill, if you’re looking in: thanks again for your interest, your time, and your eagle eye. Thank you, also, to the various Sphereans who helped me out on the Translation board when I was working on the poems in the book.

It’s hard to explain in a few words what the Convivio is like. I admit that it is an acquired taste. Many Dante enthusiasts will probably dip into it here and there rather than read it cover-to-cover.

Suffice it to say that Dante as the quintessential poet-scholar is his truly unpredictable poet-scholarly self in this book. He comments on three of his own canzoni, which are in the book as well, and is mind-bogglingly innovative and visionary with what he does with that. (My blog entry here goes into more detail on what’s in the book.) I highly recommend it for an experience of what the poetic intelligence can do when it’s operating on all levels, as well as for getting closer to Dante’s thought in the Divine Comedy.
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Unread 12-10-2017, 05:15 AM
Aaron Poochigian Aaron Poochigian is offline
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Congratulations--it was an epic task, translating and commenting on the Convivio. You have completed one of Hercules' labors!
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Unread 12-10-2017, 05:30 AM
John Isbell John Isbell is offline
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Many congratulations, Andrew, on the completion of your labors! CUP makes outstanding hardbacks, which are available worldwide, as they put it. Your work could not be better housed. It will last. And the future paperback will be very nice (also well-made, I might add).
Maybe I can persuade our little university library to purchase one, though we have no Italian program at present. I'd love to take a look at the text, which would be pretty much the first time - true confession.

Cheers,
John
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Unread 12-10-2017, 12:24 PM
Andrew Szilvasy Andrew Szilvasy is offline
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Congrats Andrew! If Boston College will buy it (I bet they will) I'll get my hands on it.

-Andrew
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Unread 12-10-2017, 01:00 PM
Susan McLean Susan McLean is online now
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Congratulations, Andrew! It is a shame what publishers charge for scholarly books that they assume have only a limited market. Though the market probably is small, it would be larger if the price were not prohibitive for all but libraries. I have access to a well-stocked university library, so I can probably get my hands on it eventually.

Susan
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Unread 12-10-2017, 01:15 PM
Rob Wright Rob Wright is offline
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Congratulations, Andrew. As Susan wrote above, it's a shame that publishers assume readers for this will be a specialized market and therefore jack up the price, but — as Aaron wrote this a Herculean task that you've accomplished and hats off to you in a big way. Bravo, bravo, bravo!
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Unread 12-10-2017, 03:43 PM
Gregory Dowling Gregory Dowling is offline
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Many congratulations, Andrew. What a task! Hope C.U.P. will bring the price down for the paperback.
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Unread 12-10-2017, 03:54 PM
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Maryann Corbett Maryann Corbett is offline
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Congratulations from me, too, Andrew. Will work on the U. of Minnesota libraries.
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Unread 12-13-2017, 02:09 AM
Andrew Frisardi Andrew Frisardi is offline
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Aaron, John, Andrew, Susan, Rob, Gregory, and Maryann: Thanks.

As I understand it, the high price of this book (which obviously will be mainly for sales to libraries) is to break even after the costly production, as the book is 750 pages, hard cover, finely produced, etc. The paperback will come out once the coffers are replenished. That’s what CUP tells me, in any case.

Some copies have been selling at Amazon, on the other hand, so a few reckless readers with deep pockets are going for it.
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Unread 12-13-2017, 02:55 AM
John Isbell John Isbell is offline
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CUP instituted a new policy in the 1990s, which was that where previously each series had to break even (or make a profit) for the press, thereafter each title in the series had to do so. I imagine they still have that policy. Unlike OUP, they rely on sales to institutions to achieve this. But the book is thus available planet-wide, and built to last, unlike a paperback, as an older colleague once pointed out to me.

Cheers,
John
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