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Inferno: From The Divine Comedy  By  cover art

Inferno: From The Divine Comedy

By: Dante Alighieri, Benedict Flynn - translator
Narrated by: Heathcote Williams
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Publisher's summary

"Abandon all hope you who enter here." ("Lasciate ogne speranza voi ch’intrate.") Dante’s Hell is one of the most remarkable visions in Western literature. An allegory for his and future ages, it is, at the same time, an account of terrifying realism. Passing under a lintel emblazoned with these frightening words, the poet is led down into the depths by Virgil and shown those doomed to suffer eternal torment for vices exhibited and sins committed on earth.

Inferno is the first part of the long journey which continues through redemption to revelation - through Purgatory and Paradise - and, in this translation, prepared especially for the audiobook, his images are as vivid as when the poem was first written in the early years of the 14th century.

Public Domain (P)2004 Naxos AudioBooks

Critic reviews

"Actor and writer Heathcote Williams gives a masterful performance of Benedict Flynn's blank verse translation. Williams modulates his smooth baritone into different characters, maintaining an even pace through this classic work. The cantos are punctuated by short selections of music ranging from Gregorian chant to Renaissance dance music.... A plaintive horn sounds the beginning of Inferno, the beginning of Dante's journey from The Gloomy Wood to the Circles of Hell. Dante begins alone in a fog of seeking and confusion until he encounters the shade of Virgil. When the poets begin the descent at the beginning of Canto Three, Williams's booming voice is technologically enhanced to create an echo for the famous line, "Abandon all hope, you who enter here." ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about Inferno: From The Divine Comedy

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The Best Inferno So Far

Any additional comments?

Benedict Flynn's translation is crisp and clear, and Heathcote Williams's narration is flawless. I have several other recordings of Dante's Inferno, but this is my favorite.

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28 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

A classic rendered in an ominous, heavy tone

The author tours the underworld, witnessing all the suffering, in a first-person account. Sometimes the language is a little hard to track as this was written hundreds of years ago and translated, but that kind of adds to the overall effect. The actor does a good job with various character voices -- generally you can distinguish them readily and dialogue does not bog down. His voice is very expressive. Don't listen when you need to be perked up!

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12 people found this helpful

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Great translation. Deserves whispersync!

It's hard to imagine how anyone can rightly understand the canon of Western Literature without reading Dante. Dante's first part of the Divine Comedy is compelling I itself, but it's also important because of its influence on the Western Canon. His imagery is creative and brilliant, even if his references to conte port personages can't be fully appreciated without a commentary. I listened to this translation and read along in another translation (Charles Eliot Norton) because I could not find acceptable matching versions. Excellent reader (Heathcote Williams), and a good translation (Benedict Flynn). I found the differences in translations did not prevent me from following along. While I recommend reading along while listening, I found that practice especially helpful with Dante. To keep perspective, I also found myself referring back to Dante's own analytical table of contents (wherein he summarizes each canto.
Overall, this was a good experience and I recommend it highly. I also look forward to exploring other translations: Dorothy Sayers and John Ciardi.

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Scary

What did you love best about Inferno: From The Divine Comedy?

The overall mood was eerie and the dictation was perfect

What did you like best about this story?

The vivid imagination of the author was great in telling the different levels of hell

What does Heathcote Williams bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The classic book was brought to life and the mood by Mr. Williams was spot on.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The Levels of Hell

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7 people found this helpful

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Irritating music and volume blast

It might have been okay without the HORRIBLE music playing between the cantos, not to mention the volume would be much louder for the music so would blast you with this jarring noise every 5-7 mins.

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5 people found this helpful

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best version of this book

the narrator is what makes this version a step above the rest. the depth of feeling the narrator brings to this journey is beyond anything else I have found.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great translation and beautiful performance

This is a great audio book. This is, in my opinion, a beautiful translation. The music between cantos really sets the mood for the story to follow. Well performed with great personality.

For some, thia story can seem overly complex at times due to the web of allusions and imagery but I feel that the reader's spot on personalities help aid in the feelings being conveyed. If you listen intently, it can be an absolutely lucid and strangely beautiful story. At the same time, if you know the general plot of the story and listen to this in the background while multitasking, while you may not be able to appreciate the intricacies, the feelings of the journey still show through.

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4 people found this helpful

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Will revisit

I highly appreciate this reading; the small bits of music are fine and the light dramatization doesn’t take away from the literature. I found every consideration put into this truly set the appropriate mood and tone for this work, no injustices done here.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Very good reading

Famous poem, great reader: pleasant voice, modulated for each character, good pacing, overall a very attractive performance

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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OUTSTANDING

Truly the greatest epic poem of all time, unmatched to this day, I highly recommend to everyone

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1 person found this helpful