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The Inferno of Dante

Written by: Dante Alighieri,Robert Pinsky - translator
Narrated by: Seamus Heaney,Frank Bidart,Louise Glück,Robert Pinsky
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Publisher's Summary

Robert Pinsky's new verse translation of the Inferno makes it clear to the contemporary listener, as no other in English has done, why Dante is universally considered a poet of great power, intensity, and strength. This critically acclaimed translation was awarded the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Poetry and the Harold Morton Landon Translation Award given by the Academy of American Poets. Well versed, rapid, and various in style, the Inferno is narrated by Pinsky and three other leading poets: Seamus Heaney, Frank Bidart, and Louise Glück.

©1994 Robert Pinsky (P)2014 Penguin Audio

What listeners say about The Inferno of Dante

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A worthwhile companion to the text

#Audible1
This may not be the best way to encounter the Inferno for the first time, but for anyone looking to brush up their knowledge of it or experience it in a new way this is a worthwhile purchase. Especially with poets like Heaney and Gluck reading, this is a good way to connect the poetry of past and present. In short, despite the gruesomeness of some of the cantos, these readings make the Inferno a text of pleasure.

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  • craig
  • 2015-09-14

A great translation of the epic.

The performance would have been better if there was only 1 reader. The only reader I didn't care for was the female who was very monotone and just a distraction from the story.

The inferno itself is a great source not just to hear about Hell and the different punishment people get for their sins. it is also a great source regarding the Religious politics that accrued in Dantes time and how he viewed Florance itself. most of the damn are based on real people of Dantes time so while reading or hearing be sure to look up and understand who these people were. a great story for anyone interested in the subject.

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11 people found this helpful

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  • Gabriella Garland
  • 2017-06-21

Intriguing story but…

I fell in love with the story and most of the narrators were able to bring this epic to life. The females voice was too monotone and made it distracting for me to truly get the full experience. Another small detail that irritated me was the way she put too much emphasis oh the "w" in words such as"whipped" or "whirled". She was also choppy on many of her sentences. She would often add commas where a comma was not necessary. Her voice was overall distracting and did not do this epic justice. Other than that listening to this was an amazing experience and I will be sure to share this experience with others

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10 people found this helpful

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  • 0rion
  • 2018-08-18

Classic story, horrid narration

Each section has a different narrator and out of the first four only one was acceptable the others sounded like disinterested first time read throughs. The inflection was abysmal and the tone monotonous and disinterested as if they were being forced to read it in front of a class. I couldn't even finish listening to this rendition.

On the plus side I liked the dramatic music between chapters.

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3 people found this helpful

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  • jmf
  • 2018-08-14

the woman ruins the story!!!!!!!

Not sure why they thought it would be a good idea to use 5 narrators. She sounds like a brainwashed robot from a sci-fi movie. TERRIBLE! find a different version!

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  • Anonymous User
  • 2018-12-18

I had a hard time not falling asleep

Both readers are very monotone, I really had a hard time following the story, wich is a shame

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1 person found this helpful

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  • Chey
  • 2018-07-27

Monotone

The performers are the worst Ive heard. Too distracting to get past Chapter 3. What a shame.

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 2015-08-04

Brilliant poetry, obsessively political

Perhaps if Dante had anticipated that his readership would extend across the globe and into the 21st century, he would not have imagined the moral order of the Universe having so quite much to do with Florentine politics during Dante's own era.

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  • Ryan
  • 2015-08-02

great book, I enjoy it over and over

i loved the book, listening to a good classic is always a great cho8ce for a long trip.

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  • Lamar A Johnson
  • 2022-10-21

Dante

This book is wonderful, absolutely amazing.. Though it was written many of many years ago and that it is a " Comady " To me there is alot of points that was hit on that I have not heard or read if anyone else.

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  • Overall
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  • SN
  • 2022-10-16

Audio quality could be better

Musical interludes between cantos adds a dramatic flair but the voice quality is degraded. I listen on iPad with a JBL Charge 5 speaker and though I have excellent hearing in the voice range, it’s sometimes requires straining to make out some of the words. This appears to be because of the frequencies of the narrator’s voice.
Otherwise it’s good.

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