Dante's Inferno: Translations by 20 Contemporary Poets
A brilliant concept beautifully executed a new version of Dante's masterpiece, translated by 20 contemporary English-speaking poets selected not for their familiarity with Italian or for proven skills at translation, but for the quality of their own poetry in English. Among them: Seamus Heaney, Amy Clampitt, Jorie Graham, Charles Wright, Richard Howard, Carolyn ForchT, W.S. Merwin, and Robert Haas. Published by The Ecco Press, 100 West Broad Street, Hopewell, NJ 08525. Distributed to the trade by W.W. Norton. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.
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This exciting new translation of Dante's masterpiece, considered by many the greatest poem ever written, brings together twenty of our most distinguished contemporary poets. One of the most important works of our literary and social imagination, Dante's Inferno has been translated by poets and scholars throughout the ages, but never before have so many talented voices worked in concert with each other and with Dante to produce this most compelling book of the Commedia. Dante's unique combination of formal and imaginative genius demands that only those in complete command of their own language should undertake to translate his. As James Merrill reminds us in his introduction, "masterpieces are timeless, but their translations date, and need redoing." This remarkable collaboration puts one of our "sacred texts" back into the hands of the keepers of the language, the poets themselves. Readers new to Dante will find a convincing and exciting tale of inner and outer exploration, and for the initiated, a Dante who speaks, in English, with a new lyrical power.
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