-
The Divine Comedy
- Penguin Classics
- Narrated by: Jot Davies, Robin Kirkpatrick, Kristin Atherton
- Length: 17 hrs and 17 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $23.24
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Divine Comedy
- Inferno; Purgatorio; Paradiso
- By: Dante Alighieri, Stephen Wyatt
- Narrated by: Blake Ritson, John Hurt, David Warner, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 50 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Blake Ritson, David Warner, Hattie Morahan and John Hurt star in this BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of Dante's epic poem. Inferno: Thirty-five year old Dante finds himself in the middle of a dark wood, in extreme personal and spiritual crisis. Hope of rescue appears in the form of the venerable poet Virgil, now a shade himself, who offers to lead Dante on an odyssey through the afterlife, beginning in the terrifying depths of Hell.
-
-
Revisiting the land of the dead
- By Adeliese Baumann on 10-21-16
By: Dante Alighieri, and others
-
Paradise Lost & Paradise Regained
- By: John Milton
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 16 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Paradise Lost, along with its companion piece, Paradise Regained, remain the most successful attempts at Greco-Roman style epic poetry in the English language. Remarkably enough, they were written near the end of John Milton's amazing life, a bold testimonial to his mental powers in old age. And, since he had gone completely blind in 1652, 15 years prior to Paradise Lost, he dictated it and all his other works to his daughter.
-
-
SELL YOUR SHIRT FOR THIS AUDIO BOOK!
- By thomas on 04-23-11
By: John Milton
-
C. S. Lewis Essential Audio Library
- By: C. S. Lewis
- Narrated by: Julian Rhind-Tutt, Joss Ackland, James Simmons, and others
- Length: 38 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nine essential works by C. S. Lewis in one deluxe audio edition: Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, Miracles, The Problem of Pain, A Grief Observed, The Abolition of Man, The Weight of Glory, and George MacDonald.
-
-
Amazing collection!
- By AHR on 02-22-22
By: C. S. Lewis
-
Paradise Lost
- By: John Milton
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Milton's Paradise Lost is one of the greatest epic poems in the English language. It tells the story of the Fall of Man, a tale of immense drama and excitement, of rebellion and treachery, of innocence pitted against corruption, in which God and Satan fight a bitter battle for control of mankind's destiny.
-
-
The most accessible reading of Paradise Lost
- By Tony McClung on 02-21-10
By: John Milton
-
Metamorphoses
- Penguin Classics
- By: Ovid, David Raeburn - translator, Denis Feeney
- Narrated by: Martin Jarvis, John Sackville, Maya Saroya, and others
- Length: 18 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ovid's sensuous and witty poetry brings together a dazzling array of mythological tales, ingeniously linked by the idea of transformation - often as a result of love or lust - where men and women find themselves magically changed into new and sometimes extraordinary beings. Beginning with the creation of the world and ending with the deification of Augustus, Ovid interweaves many of the best-known myths and legends of Ancient Greece and Rome, including Daedalus and Icarus, Pyramus and Thisbe, Pygmalion, Perseus and Andromeda, and the fall of Troy.
-
-
A revelation
- By Michael Cain on 05-24-20
By: Ovid, and others
-
The Divine Comedy: Inferno
- By: Dante Alighieri, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - translator
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The most famous of the three canticles that compose The Divine Comedy, "Inferno" describes Dante's descent into Hell midway through his life, with Virgil as a guide. As he descends through nine concentric circles of increasingly agonizing torture, Dante encounters doomed souls that include the pagan Aeneas, the liar Odysseus, the suicidal Cleopatra, and his own political enemies, damned for their deceit.
-
-
This one needs a companion book
- By RYAN M OMAN on 08-30-20
By: Dante Alighieri, and others
-
The Divine Comedy
- Inferno; Purgatorio; Paradiso
- By: Dante Alighieri, Stephen Wyatt
- Narrated by: Blake Ritson, John Hurt, David Warner, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 50 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Blake Ritson, David Warner, Hattie Morahan and John Hurt star in this BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of Dante's epic poem. Inferno: Thirty-five year old Dante finds himself in the middle of a dark wood, in extreme personal and spiritual crisis. Hope of rescue appears in the form of the venerable poet Virgil, now a shade himself, who offers to lead Dante on an odyssey through the afterlife, beginning in the terrifying depths of Hell.
-
-
Revisiting the land of the dead
- By Adeliese Baumann on 10-21-16
By: Dante Alighieri, and others
-
Paradise Lost & Paradise Regained
- By: John Milton
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 16 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Paradise Lost, along with its companion piece, Paradise Regained, remain the most successful attempts at Greco-Roman style epic poetry in the English language. Remarkably enough, they were written near the end of John Milton's amazing life, a bold testimonial to his mental powers in old age. And, since he had gone completely blind in 1652, 15 years prior to Paradise Lost, he dictated it and all his other works to his daughter.
-
-
SELL YOUR SHIRT FOR THIS AUDIO BOOK!
- By thomas on 04-23-11
By: John Milton
-
C. S. Lewis Essential Audio Library
- By: C. S. Lewis
- Narrated by: Julian Rhind-Tutt, Joss Ackland, James Simmons, and others
- Length: 38 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nine essential works by C. S. Lewis in one deluxe audio edition: Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, Miracles, The Problem of Pain, A Grief Observed, The Abolition of Man, The Weight of Glory, and George MacDonald.
-
-
Amazing collection!
- By AHR on 02-22-22
By: C. S. Lewis
-
Paradise Lost
- By: John Milton
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Milton's Paradise Lost is one of the greatest epic poems in the English language. It tells the story of the Fall of Man, a tale of immense drama and excitement, of rebellion and treachery, of innocence pitted against corruption, in which God and Satan fight a bitter battle for control of mankind's destiny.
-
-
The most accessible reading of Paradise Lost
- By Tony McClung on 02-21-10
By: John Milton
-
Metamorphoses
- Penguin Classics
- By: Ovid, David Raeburn - translator, Denis Feeney
- Narrated by: Martin Jarvis, John Sackville, Maya Saroya, and others
- Length: 18 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ovid's sensuous and witty poetry brings together a dazzling array of mythological tales, ingeniously linked by the idea of transformation - often as a result of love or lust - where men and women find themselves magically changed into new and sometimes extraordinary beings. Beginning with the creation of the world and ending with the deification of Augustus, Ovid interweaves many of the best-known myths and legends of Ancient Greece and Rome, including Daedalus and Icarus, Pyramus and Thisbe, Pygmalion, Perseus and Andromeda, and the fall of Troy.
-
-
A revelation
- By Michael Cain on 05-24-20
By: Ovid, and others
-
The Divine Comedy: Inferno
- By: Dante Alighieri, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - translator
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The most famous of the three canticles that compose The Divine Comedy, "Inferno" describes Dante's descent into Hell midway through his life, with Virgil as a guide. As he descends through nine concentric circles of increasingly agonizing torture, Dante encounters doomed souls that include the pagan Aeneas, the liar Odysseus, the suicidal Cleopatra, and his own political enemies, damned for their deceit.
-
-
This one needs a companion book
- By RYAN M OMAN on 08-30-20
By: Dante Alighieri, and others
-
The Divine Comedy
- By: Dante Alighieri, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - translator
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dante's Divine Comedy is considered to be not only the most important epic poem in Italian literature, but also one of the greatest poems ever written. It consists of 100 cantos, and (after an introductory canto) they are divided into three sections. Each section is 33 cantos in length, and they describe how Dante and a guide travel through Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.
-
-
Not for listening.
- By Larry on 03-13-11
By: Dante Alighieri, and others
-
Dante's Vita Nuova
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Tim Lundeen
- Length: 2 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this new edition Musa views Dante's intention as one of cruel and comic commentary on the shallowness and self-pity of his protagonist, who only occasionally glimpses the true nature of love. "...the explication de texte which accompanies [Musa's] translation is instructively novel, always admirable..." his present work offers English listeners a lengthy appraisal which should figure in future scholarly discussions." (Choice)
-
-
Good classic; totally misleading description
- By Mr. Bojangles on 12-18-14
By: Dante Alighieri
-
Inferno
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Charles Armstrong
- Length: 4 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Inferno is the first part of The Divine Comedy, Dante’s epic poem describing man's progress from hell to paradise. In it, the author is lost in dark woods, threatened by wild beasts and unable to find the right path to salvation. Notable for its nine circles of hell, the poem vividly illustrates the poetic justice of punishments faced by earthly sinners. The Inferno is perhaps the most popular of the three books of The Divine Comedy, which is widely considered the preeminent work in Italian literature.
-
-
epic poem
- By Amazon Customer on 09-23-22
By: Dante Alighieri
-
Inferno
- The Divine Comedy, Book 1
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Joe Carlson
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Have you ever heard the sounds of Hell? Felt the darkness and the ice? Tasted the burnt air on your tongue? Dante’s Inferno will give you a flavor of the wretchedness of sin that you will never forget. The images and action that bring you down into the very center of judgment and consequence, into that eternal realm of woe, will stick to the ribcages of your mind, and change the way you see the world, the devil, and your own flesh.
By: Dante Alighieri
-
La Vita Nuova [The New Life]
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 2 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Written in alternating prose and poetry, La Vita Nuova is a profound reflection on the nature of love, devoted to Dante's muse Beatrice. Following Beatrice's death in 1290, Dante became obsessed with the young Florentine woman, whom he only ever knew from a distance. He believed his love for her was a form of divine love and saw her as an image of salvation itself - a theme that is later explored in his masterpiece The Divine Comedy, where she guides him through heaven.
-
-
A must
- By Barnaby on 11-15-20
By: Dante Alighieri
-
Dante's Inferno
- A Study on Part I of The Divine Comedy
- By: Anthony Esolen PhD
- Narrated by: Anthony Esolen PhD
- Length: 4 hrs and 38 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With Professor Esolen you will enter the terrible gates of Hell and progress level by infernal level to its diabolical depths. Professor Esolen places a special emphasis on the drama of the poem, leading you through each canto in succession. Professor Esolen will more than satisfy your curiosity about Hell and the fate of the damned. He will reveal in all its starkness the horror of sin and awaken in your heart a longing for divine love.
-
-
THIS IS A LECTURER
- By Amazon Customer on 05-22-21
-
The Aeneid
- By: Virgil
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The publication of a new translation by Fagles is a literary event. His translations of both the Iliad and Odyssey have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and have become the standard translations of our era. Now, with this stunning modern verse translation, Fagles has reintroduced Virgil's Aeneid to a whole new generation, and completed the classical triptych at the heart of Western civilization.
-
-
Good but the chapters aren't IN ORDER
- By Maggie on 10-18-17
By: Virgil
-
The Iliad & The Odyssey
- By: Homer
- Narrated by: John Lescault
- Length: 28 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Little is known about the Ancient Greek oral poet Homer, the supposed 8th century BC author of the world-read Iliad and his later masterpiece, The Odyssey. These classic epics provided the basis for Greek education and culture throughout the classical age and formed the backbone of humane education through the birth of the Roman Empire and the spread of Christianity.
-
-
Worth the price, worth the time
- By Sam on 12-31-04
By: Homer
-
The Iliad of Homer
- By: Elizabeth Vandiver, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Vandiver
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For thousands of years, Homer's ancient epic poem the
Iliad has enchanted readers from around the world. When you join Professor Vandiver for this lecture series on the Iliad, you'll come to understand what has enthralled and gripped so many people. Her compelling 12-lecture look at this literary masterpiece -whether it's the work of many authors or the "vision" of a single blind poet - makes it vividly clear why, after almost 3,000 years, the
Iliad remains not only among the greatest adventure stories ever told but also one of the most compelling meditations on the human condition ever written.
-
-
Vandiver never disappoints
- By Machteacher on 07-23-13
By: Elizabeth Vandiver, and others
-
Don Quixote
- Translated by Edith Grossman
- By: Edith Grossman - translator, Miguel de Cervantes
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 39 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sixteenth-century Spanish gentleman Don Quixote, fed by his own delusional fantasies, takes to the road in search of chivalrous adventures. But his quest leads to more trouble than triumph. At once humorous, romantic, and sad, Don Quixote is a literary landmark. This fresh edition, by award-winning translator Edith Grossman, brings the tale to life as never before.
-
-
My Fourth Try at an Audible Quixote
- By James on 12-24-12
By: Edith Grossman - translator, and others
-
The Inferno
- By: Dante, Robert Hollander - translator, Jean Hollander - translator
- Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
- Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The epic grandeur of Dante's masterpiece has inspired readers and listeners for 700 years and has entered the human imagination. But the further we move from the late medieval world of Dante, the more a rich understanding and enjoyment of the poem depends on knowledgeable guidance.
-
-
Into Hell
- By Adam on 10-25-19
By: Dante, and others
-
Beowulf
- By: Seamus Heaney
- Narrated by: Seamus Heaney
- Length: 2 hrs and 13 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York Times best seller and Whitebread Book of the Year, Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney's new translation of Beowulf comes to life in this gripping audio. Heaney's performance reminds us that Beowulf, written near the turn of another millennium, was intended to be heard not read.
-
-
Why, oh, why is it abridged?
- By Tad Davis on 09-25-08
By: Seamus Heaney
Publisher's summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
The Divine Comedy describes Dante's descent into Hell with Virgil as a guide, his ascent of Mount Purgatory and his encounter with his dead love Beatrice, and finally, his arrival in Heaven.
Examining questions of faith, desire and enlightenment, the poem is a brilliantly nuanced and moving allegory of human redemption. This major translation is published here for the first time in a single volume.
More from the same
Narrator
Related to this topic
-
The Rip
- By: Holly Craig
- Narrated by: Carly Foxx, Shalom Brune-Franklin
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Luxury villas on hot white sand, views for miles over turquoise water. Flawless hostess Penny gathers guests to an island for her husband’s birthday celebrations. But she soon regrets inviting self-obsessed Eloise. When a child vanishes on the night of the party, their perfect island weekend is ripped apart. Even paradise harbours murky secrets… Has he been taken? Has he drowned? In the panic to find any trace, Penny casts about for someone to blame—even if that person is her own daughter, Rosie. Even clear waters descend to pitch black.
-
-
Intriguing, Engaging, AND BEST NARATORS EVER
- By Hadassah on 03-12-24
By: Holly Craig
-
The Art of War
- By: Sun Tzu
- Narrated by: Aidan Gillen
- Length: 1 hr and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The 13 chapters of The Art of War, each devoted to one aspect of warfare, were compiled by the high-ranking Chinese military general, strategist, and philosopher Sun-Tzu. In spite of its battlefield specificity, The Art of War has found new life in the modern age, with leaders in fields as wide and far-reaching as world politics, human psychology, and corporate strategy finding valuable insight in its timeworn words.
-
-
The actual book The Art of War, not a commentary
- By Fred271 on 12-31-19
By: Sun Tzu
-
The Girlfriend
- By: K.L. Slater
- Narrated by: Clare Corbett
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The doorbell rings, just days after my beloved husband’s sudden death. I don’t recognise the woman on our doorstep, with her blonde highlights, a diamond bracelet identical to my own and a bouncing baby boy in her arms. As I show her inside, I notice her eyes grow wide as she takes in our spacious hallway, and the big squashy sofas that we all used to pile on. She glances at the silver-framed family photos and my little daughter hiding behind my skirts. She looks at me, her blue eyes serious. ‘I’m sorry’ she says. ‘I am your husband’s girlfriend. And this is his son.'
-
-
Uh, what?
- By Karyn Cavanaugh on 02-22-23
By: K.L. Slater
-
The Holy Bible: King James Version
- The Old and New Testaments
- By: King James Bible
- Narrated by: Scott Brick, Prentice Onayemi, Ellen Archer, and others
- Length: 82 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This newer edition of the King James Bible published in 1769 is usually preferred by most that read it over the older 1611 version. This 1769 edition is highly sought after due to being more reader/listener friendly than the 1611 since many typos were fixed.... We hope your new audio bible will go everywhere with you and be a blessing for years to come.
-
-
Very Good
- By José de Ribera on 12-17-20
By: King James Bible
-
The Boar's Nest
- Sue Brewer and the Birth of Outlaw Country Music
- By: Rachel Bonds, Holly Gleason, Dub Cornett
- Narrated by: Mandy Moore, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, W. Earl Brown, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson. Before they were household names, these budding legends called Sue’s Nashville apartment—lovingly dubbed the “Boar’s Nest”—home. Sue’s place was an intimate staging ground where a new breed of singer-songwriters—wounded souls, wayward upstarts—would spur each other on to tap into something bigger, realer.
-
-
fantastic
- By Jennifer L. Applebaum on 03-18-24
By: Rachel Bonds, and others
-
The Narrator
- By: K. L. Slater
- Narrated by: Clare Corbett, Kristin Atherton
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the call came it seemed like the answer to my prayers. My career as a voice actor had been over for months and me and my little girl Scarlet were living back at my mum’s place. I felt like a failure professionally—and with Scarlet having problems at school, as a parent as well. So, when I was asked to narrate a new book by disappeared novelist Philippa Roberts I jumped at the chance, even if it meant leaving Scarlet with my ex, Hugo, for a few weeks. Hugo, with his perfect new home and his perfect new girlfriend Saskia. But this isn’t a dream come true. It’s a nightmare.
-
-
Love but it's a production issue!
- By Mary on 09-02-22
By: K. L. Slater
-
The Rip
- By: Holly Craig
- Narrated by: Carly Foxx, Shalom Brune-Franklin
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Luxury villas on hot white sand, views for miles over turquoise water. Flawless hostess Penny gathers guests to an island for her husband’s birthday celebrations. But she soon regrets inviting self-obsessed Eloise. When a child vanishes on the night of the party, their perfect island weekend is ripped apart. Even paradise harbours murky secrets… Has he been taken? Has he drowned? In the panic to find any trace, Penny casts about for someone to blame—even if that person is her own daughter, Rosie. Even clear waters descend to pitch black.
-
-
Intriguing, Engaging, AND BEST NARATORS EVER
- By Hadassah on 03-12-24
By: Holly Craig
-
The Art of War
- By: Sun Tzu
- Narrated by: Aidan Gillen
- Length: 1 hr and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The 13 chapters of The Art of War, each devoted to one aspect of warfare, were compiled by the high-ranking Chinese military general, strategist, and philosopher Sun-Tzu. In spite of its battlefield specificity, The Art of War has found new life in the modern age, with leaders in fields as wide and far-reaching as world politics, human psychology, and corporate strategy finding valuable insight in its timeworn words.
-
-
The actual book The Art of War, not a commentary
- By Fred271 on 12-31-19
By: Sun Tzu
-
The Girlfriend
- By: K.L. Slater
- Narrated by: Clare Corbett
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The doorbell rings, just days after my beloved husband’s sudden death. I don’t recognise the woman on our doorstep, with her blonde highlights, a diamond bracelet identical to my own and a bouncing baby boy in her arms. As I show her inside, I notice her eyes grow wide as she takes in our spacious hallway, and the big squashy sofas that we all used to pile on. She glances at the silver-framed family photos and my little daughter hiding behind my skirts. She looks at me, her blue eyes serious. ‘I’m sorry’ she says. ‘I am your husband’s girlfriend. And this is his son.'
-
-
Uh, what?
- By Karyn Cavanaugh on 02-22-23
By: K.L. Slater
-
The Holy Bible: King James Version
- The Old and New Testaments
- By: King James Bible
- Narrated by: Scott Brick, Prentice Onayemi, Ellen Archer, and others
- Length: 82 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This newer edition of the King James Bible published in 1769 is usually preferred by most that read it over the older 1611 version. This 1769 edition is highly sought after due to being more reader/listener friendly than the 1611 since many typos were fixed.... We hope your new audio bible will go everywhere with you and be a blessing for years to come.
-
-
Very Good
- By José de Ribera on 12-17-20
By: King James Bible
-
The Boar's Nest
- Sue Brewer and the Birth of Outlaw Country Music
- By: Rachel Bonds, Holly Gleason, Dub Cornett
- Narrated by: Mandy Moore, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, W. Earl Brown, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson. Before they were household names, these budding legends called Sue’s Nashville apartment—lovingly dubbed the “Boar’s Nest”—home. Sue’s place was an intimate staging ground where a new breed of singer-songwriters—wounded souls, wayward upstarts—would spur each other on to tap into something bigger, realer.
-
-
fantastic
- By Jennifer L. Applebaum on 03-18-24
By: Rachel Bonds, and others
-
The Narrator
- By: K. L. Slater
- Narrated by: Clare Corbett, Kristin Atherton
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the call came it seemed like the answer to my prayers. My career as a voice actor had been over for months and me and my little girl Scarlet were living back at my mum’s place. I felt like a failure professionally—and with Scarlet having problems at school, as a parent as well. So, when I was asked to narrate a new book by disappeared novelist Philippa Roberts I jumped at the chance, even if it meant leaving Scarlet with my ex, Hugo, for a few weeks. Hugo, with his perfect new home and his perfect new girlfriend Saskia. But this isn’t a dream come true. It’s a nightmare.
-
-
Love but it's a production issue!
- By Mary on 09-02-22
By: K. L. Slater
-
He Who Fights with Monsters 2
- A LitRPG Adventure (He Who Fights with Monsters, Book 2)
- By: Shirtaloon, Travis Deverell
- Narrated by: Heath Miller
- Length: 22 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
But Jason Asano is settling into his new life. Now, a contest draws young elites to the city of Greenstone to compete for a grand prize. Jason must gather a band of companions if he is to stand a chance against the best the world has to offer. While the young adventurers are caught up in competition, the city leaders deal with revelations of betrayal as a vast and terrible enemy is revealed. Although Jason seems uninvolved, he has unknowingly crossed the enemy’s path before.
-
-
Contrary to common reviews
- By Karen on 05-21-21
By: Shirtaloon, and others
-
Hunting Game
- By: Candice Fox
- Narrated by: Krysten Ritter, Anthony Mackie, Tony Goldwyn, and others
- Length: 4 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Prepare to be captivated by acclaimed crime writer Candice Fox’s gripping audio thriller, Hunting Game. Featuring an all-star cast including Krysten Ritter, Anthony Mackie, and Tony Goldwyn, you’re about to enter a high-stakes game of cat and mouse. NYPD Detective Esme 'Es' Compran (Krysten Ritter) finds herself torn between her duty and her own desperate circumstances when a child is kidnapped. The victim's father, Jack Dengate (Tony Goldwyn), is a controversial big pharma CEO whose company's price hikes on life-saving drugs have dire consequences for Es' ailing daughter.
-
-
Man what a GREAT story….BUT……
- By ShawniqueLovesToRead on 03-15-24
By: Candice Fox
-
Weeds
- By: Amanda Wilkin
- Narrated by: Lesley Sharp, Adelle Leonce, Joshua James, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 29 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Climate activist Shirley Watts has dedicated her entire life to protecting the planet for future generations. But constantly fighting for Mother Earth has taken its toll over time, leaving her in a precarious relationship with her adult daughter, Lela. When Shirley’s latest climate stunt lands her in serious legal jeopardy, Lela reluctantly lets Shirley stay with her and her boyfriend while awaiting her upcoming trial.
-
-
Excellent story
- By Jeremy J. Hanes on 03-22-24
By: Amanda Wilkin
-
Ghost Stories: Stephen Fry's Definitive Collection
- By: Stephen Fry, Washington Irving, M.R. James, and others
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As the days grow shorter and the temperature drops, Halloween approaches. Come, brave listener, pull up a chair, and spend some time with master storyteller Stephen Fry as he tells us some of his favourite ghost stories of all time, in truly terrifying spatial audio. From the headless horseman of Sleepy Hollow to the tortured spirits of M.R. James, from Edgar Allan Poe’s terrifying tale of a doppelganger to Charlotte Riddell’s Open Door that should definitely stay shut, join Stephen as he tells you some truly terrifying tales.
-
-
Wonderful narration. Mediocre stories.
- By Michael Fuchs on 11-07-23
By: Stephen Fry, and others
-
Find Her
- By: Sarah A. Denzil
- Narrated by: Catrin Walker-Booth
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s Christmas Day at Wilder House, and three magical winter weddings are set to begin. But as the tables are arranged, and the food is prepared, a perfect storm hits, cutting every guest from the rest of the world. Most little girls dream of the perfect wedding. But this bride stumbles alone into the snow, her silk train dragging through dirt, her hands bloody from the murder she just committed. Now there is at least one killer roaming the unforgiving landscape surrounding Wilder House. Who else will die on Christmas Day?
-
-
a little bit of wicked fun
- By A. Bohn on 01-25-24
By: Sarah A. Denzil
-
The Bedroom Window
- By: K. L. Slater
- Narrated by: Clare Corbett
- Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
My darling little boy Albie adores playing at our new neighbours’ house. And after the terrible year we’ve had, I feel so lucky that we can start over in this perfect place, with new friends who treat Albie like the son they never had. He can’t stop talking about the tree house they’re building him, and the cookies they bake together. But as time passes, something starts to feel wrong. Why don’t they ever open the front door more than a crack? They told me they had no children so who does the small pink tricycle I saw in their hall belong to?
-
-
Miss Lucy-price Lewis
- By Angie on 06-07-23
By: K. L. Slater
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
The Divine Comedy
- Inferno; Purgatorio; Paradiso
- By: Dante Alighieri, Stephen Wyatt
- Narrated by: Blake Ritson, John Hurt, David Warner, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 50 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Blake Ritson, David Warner, Hattie Morahan and John Hurt star in this BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of Dante's epic poem. Inferno: Thirty-five year old Dante finds himself in the middle of a dark wood, in extreme personal and spiritual crisis. Hope of rescue appears in the form of the venerable poet Virgil, now a shade himself, who offers to lead Dante on an odyssey through the afterlife, beginning in the terrifying depths of Hell.
-
-
Revisiting the land of the dead
- By Adeliese Baumann on 10-21-16
By: Dante Alighieri, and others
-
The Divine Comedy
- By: Clive James - translator, Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Renowned poet and critic Clive James presents the crowning achievement of his career: a monumental translation into English verse of Dante’s The Divine Comedy. The Divine Comedy is the precursor of modern literature, and this translation - decades in the making - gives us the entire epic as a single, coherent and compulsively listenable lyric poem. Written in the early 14th century and completed in 1321, the year of Dante’s death, The Divine Comedy is perhaps the greatest work of epic poetry ever composed.
-
-
Brilliant!
- By Tad Davis on 10-18-13
By: Clive James - translator, and others
-
The Divine Comedy
- By: Dante Alighieri, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - translator
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dante's Divine Comedy is considered to be not only the most important epic poem in Italian literature, but also one of the greatest poems ever written. It consists of 100 cantos, and (after an introductory canto) they are divided into three sections. Each section is 33 cantos in length, and they describe how Dante and a guide travel through Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.
-
-
Not for listening.
- By Larry on 03-13-11
By: Dante Alighieri, and others
-
The Divine Comedy: Inferno
- By: Dante Alighieri, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - translator
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The most famous of the three canticles that compose The Divine Comedy, "Inferno" describes Dante's descent into Hell midway through his life, with Virgil as a guide. As he descends through nine concentric circles of increasingly agonizing torture, Dante encounters doomed souls that include the pagan Aeneas, the liar Odysseus, the suicidal Cleopatra, and his own political enemies, damned for their deceit.
-
-
This one needs a companion book
- By RYAN M OMAN on 08-30-20
By: Dante Alighieri, and others
-
The Divine Comedy
- The Inferno, The Purgatorio, & The Paradiso
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Pam Ward
- Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dante Alighieri's poetic masterpiece is a moving human drama, an unforgettable visionary journey through the infinite torment of Hell, up the arduous slopes of Purgatory, and on to the glorious realm of Paradise-the sphere of universal harmony and eternal salvation. One of the greatest works in literature, Dantes story-poem is an allegory that represents mankind as it exposes itself, by its merits or demerits, to the rewards or the punishments of justice.
-
-
OK
- By Tad Davis on 05-22-09
By: Dante Alighieri
-
Dante's Divine Comedy
- A Guide for the Spiritual Journey
- By: Mark Vernon
- Narrated by: Mark Vernon
- Length: 17 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dante Alighieri was early in recognizing that our age has a problem. His hometown, Florence, was at the epicenter of the move from the medieval world to the modern. The Divine Comedy was born in a time of troubling transition, which is why it still speaks today. In this narrative retelling and guide, from the gates of hell, up the mountain of purgatory, to the empyrean of paradise, Mark Vernon offers a vivid introduction and interpretation of a book that, 700 years on, continues to open minds and change lives.
-
-
An Inversion of Dante
- By A.B.D. on 09-24-22
By: Mark Vernon
-
The Divine Comedy
- Inferno; Purgatorio; Paradiso
- By: Dante Alighieri, Stephen Wyatt
- Narrated by: Blake Ritson, John Hurt, David Warner, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 50 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Blake Ritson, David Warner, Hattie Morahan and John Hurt star in this BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of Dante's epic poem. Inferno: Thirty-five year old Dante finds himself in the middle of a dark wood, in extreme personal and spiritual crisis. Hope of rescue appears in the form of the venerable poet Virgil, now a shade himself, who offers to lead Dante on an odyssey through the afterlife, beginning in the terrifying depths of Hell.
-
-
Revisiting the land of the dead
- By Adeliese Baumann on 10-21-16
By: Dante Alighieri, and others
-
The Divine Comedy
- By: Clive James - translator, Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Renowned poet and critic Clive James presents the crowning achievement of his career: a monumental translation into English verse of Dante’s The Divine Comedy. The Divine Comedy is the precursor of modern literature, and this translation - decades in the making - gives us the entire epic as a single, coherent and compulsively listenable lyric poem. Written in the early 14th century and completed in 1321, the year of Dante’s death, The Divine Comedy is perhaps the greatest work of epic poetry ever composed.
-
-
Brilliant!
- By Tad Davis on 10-18-13
By: Clive James - translator, and others
-
The Divine Comedy
- By: Dante Alighieri, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - translator
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dante's Divine Comedy is considered to be not only the most important epic poem in Italian literature, but also one of the greatest poems ever written. It consists of 100 cantos, and (after an introductory canto) they are divided into three sections. Each section is 33 cantos in length, and they describe how Dante and a guide travel through Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.
-
-
Not for listening.
- By Larry on 03-13-11
By: Dante Alighieri, and others
-
The Divine Comedy: Inferno
- By: Dante Alighieri, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - translator
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The most famous of the three canticles that compose The Divine Comedy, "Inferno" describes Dante's descent into Hell midway through his life, with Virgil as a guide. As he descends through nine concentric circles of increasingly agonizing torture, Dante encounters doomed souls that include the pagan Aeneas, the liar Odysseus, the suicidal Cleopatra, and his own political enemies, damned for their deceit.
-
-
This one needs a companion book
- By RYAN M OMAN on 08-30-20
By: Dante Alighieri, and others
-
The Divine Comedy
- The Inferno, The Purgatorio, & The Paradiso
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Pam Ward
- Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dante Alighieri's poetic masterpiece is a moving human drama, an unforgettable visionary journey through the infinite torment of Hell, up the arduous slopes of Purgatory, and on to the glorious realm of Paradise-the sphere of universal harmony and eternal salvation. One of the greatest works in literature, Dantes story-poem is an allegory that represents mankind as it exposes itself, by its merits or demerits, to the rewards or the punishments of justice.
-
-
OK
- By Tad Davis on 05-22-09
By: Dante Alighieri
-
Dante's Divine Comedy
- A Guide for the Spiritual Journey
- By: Mark Vernon
- Narrated by: Mark Vernon
- Length: 17 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dante Alighieri was early in recognizing that our age has a problem. His hometown, Florence, was at the epicenter of the move from the medieval world to the modern. The Divine Comedy was born in a time of troubling transition, which is why it still speaks today. In this narrative retelling and guide, from the gates of hell, up the mountain of purgatory, to the empyrean of paradise, Mark Vernon offers a vivid introduction and interpretation of a book that, 700 years on, continues to open minds and change lives.
-
-
An Inversion of Dante
- By A.B.D. on 09-24-22
By: Mark Vernon
-
The Inferno
- By: Dante, Robert Hollander - translator, Jean Hollander - translator
- Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
- Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The epic grandeur of Dante's masterpiece has inspired readers and listeners for 700 years and has entered the human imagination. But the further we move from the late medieval world of Dante, the more a rich understanding and enjoyment of the poem depends on knowledgeable guidance.
-
-
Into Hell
- By Adam on 10-25-19
By: Dante, and others
-
The Divine Comedy
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
- Length: 13 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the greatest works in literature, Dante's story-poem is an allegory that represents mankind as it exposes itself, by its merits or demerits, to the rewards or the punishments of justice. A single listen will reveal Dante's visual imagination and uncanny power to make the spiritual visible.
-
-
Almost Divine
- By whynot? on 02-07-08
By: Dante Alighieri
-
The Divine Comedy
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Jack Wynters
- Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Divine Comedy is Dante's record of his visionary journey through the triple realms of Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. This, the first epic of which its author is the protagonist and his individual imaginings the content, weaves together the three threads of classical and Christian history, contemporary Medieval politics and religion, and Dante's own inner life including his love for Beatrice, to create the most complex and highly structured long poem extant.
-
-
Abandon all hope
- By Julian on 02-28-19
By: Dante Alighieri
-
The Divine Comedy - Inferno
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Denis G. Daly
- Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Among the monuments of world literature, few works have been as influential as the Divine Comedy. Dante's compendious allegory of a journey through the world of the afterlife is significant on many levels. It established Italian as a literary language, and consolidated the position of Florentine Italian as the lingua franca of the Italian peninsula. As an engaging portrait of the social and intellectual life in medieval Florence it is unrivalled
-
-
This narration is the WORST I have ever heard
- By James Oliva on 03-09-20
By: Dante Alighieri
-
Inferno: From The Divine Comedy
- By: Dante Alighieri, Benedict Flynn - translator
- Narrated by: Heathcote Williams
- Length: 4 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"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.
-
-
The Best Inferno So Far
- By Laurel on 12-19-12
By: Dante Alighieri, and others
-
The Divine Comedy
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Bryan Godwin
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Divine Comedy (Italian: Divina Commedia) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun c. 1308 and completed in 1320, a year before his death in 1321. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and one of the greatest works of world literature. The poem's imaginative vision of the afterlife is representative of the medieval worldview as it had developed in the Western Church by the 14th century. It helped establish the Tuscan language, in which it is written, as the standardized Italian language. It is divided into three parts.
By: Dante Alighieri
-
The Divine Comedy
- The New Translation by Gerald J. Davis
- By: Gerald J. Davis
- Narrated by: John Hanks
- Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The beloved classic by Dante in a new translation. Inferno. Purgatory. Paradise. Complete and unabridged.
-
-
Touching Your - Through Hell to Heaven
- By Amazon Customer on 04-29-23
By: Gerald J. Davis
-
The Iliad of Homer
- By: Elizabeth Vandiver, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Vandiver
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For thousands of years, Homer's ancient epic poem the
Iliad has enchanted readers from around the world. When you join Professor Vandiver for this lecture series on the Iliad, you'll come to understand what has enthralled and gripped so many people. Her compelling 12-lecture look at this literary masterpiece -whether it's the work of many authors or the "vision" of a single blind poet - makes it vividly clear why, after almost 3,000 years, the
Iliad remains not only among the greatest adventure stories ever told but also one of the most compelling meditations on the human condition ever written.
-
-
Vandiver never disappoints
- By Machteacher on 07-23-13
By: Elizabeth Vandiver, and others
-
Dante's Inferno
- A Study on Part I of The Divine Comedy
- By: Anthony Esolen PhD
- Narrated by: Anthony Esolen PhD
- Length: 4 hrs and 38 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With Professor Esolen you will enter the terrible gates of Hell and progress level by infernal level to its diabolical depths. Professor Esolen places a special emphasis on the drama of the poem, leading you through each canto in succession. Professor Esolen will more than satisfy your curiosity about Hell and the fate of the damned. He will reveal in all its starkness the horror of sin and awaken in your heart a longing for divine love.
-
-
THIS IS A LECTURER
- By Amazon Customer on 05-22-21
-
The Divine Comedy
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Alastair Cameron
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dante's Divine Comedy is a mythical epic poem adventure in which Dante is guided through heaven, purgatory, and hell. Each after-life division is further divided. The sections of heaven are on different planets and stars, the sections of purgatory are divided along the upward journey of a mountain, and the levels of hell are an upside-down funnel composed of seven rings of punishment.
-
-
beautiful
- By Josh on 08-20-17
By: Dante Alighieri
-
The Divine Comedy
- By: Dante Alighieri, Herbert A. Kenny - translator
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This unique poetic translation by Herbert A. Kenny, historian and poet, is the first that incorporates the Biblical, theological and historical allusions of the greatest poem im Christendom into the text itself. It can now be appreciated without a glossary or accompanying notes. Listen as the liquid lines take you through the horrors of the "Inferno", the mysteries of "Purgatorio" and the glories of "Paradiso".
-
-
Built-in study guide
- By Tad Davis on 06-07-11
By: Dante Alighieri, and others
-
Paradise: From The Divine Comedy
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Heathcote Williams
- Length: 4 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Led by his guide, Beatrice, Dante leaves the Earth behind and soars through the heavenly spheres of Paradise. In this third and final part of The Divine Comedy, he encounters the just rulers and holy saints of the Church. The horrors of Inferno and the trials of Purgatory are left far behind. Ultimately, in Paradise, Dante is granted a vision of God’s Heavenly court: the angels, the Blessed Virgin, and God Himself.
-
-
Outstanding
- By Brad on 09-05-11
By: Dante Alighieri
What listeners say about The Divine Comedy
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tad Davis
- 11-15-20
Solid, read with gusto
I tried to read Kirkpatrick’s translation when all three parts were first published in one volume. It was a hard slog. I tend to gravitate toward translations that are written on a more consistently accessible level: less charitable people might describe them as “dumbed down.” I had recently finished reading Stanley Lombardo’s translation of the Comedy, which I think is NOT dumbed down, but which I found more immediately intelligible. With Kirkpatrick, I found myself having to stop and retrace my steps fairly often to parse the sentence I'd just read.
For whatever reason, I found this much less of a problem while listening to it. Part of it is the energy brought to the task by the excellent narrators Penguin has chosen for the task. But part of it is something I've noticed with other poetry that seems dense at first glance: it's like a mobile that lies flat on the table, but assumes a vivid, moving form when you hang it from the ceiling and let it spin in the air.
....up to a point. The simplest translating style in the world is going to make the third canticle, Paradise, a challenge for most modern readers. The other two parts are grounded in vivid descriptions of human suffering. But in Paradise, by definition, no one is suffering, so the space is filled up with increasingly abstract theological hair-splitting. The spectacular vision of the heavenly Rose and of the Trinity at the end of the journey is worth the price of admission, but it was hard for me, at least, to find a place to fasten onto in the meantime. Kirkpatrick appears to be following the conscientious translator’s maxim that his English rendering should be as simple as Dante’s Italian, but not one bit simpler.
The big disadvantage of listening to the Comedy, as opposed to reading it, is that you don't have access to the hundreds of notes that accompany the text and explain Dante’s many allusions to contemporary politics, classical mythology and other areas of learning. It doesn't appear that Penguin is participating in the Kindle read-along program, but this title would be a good candidate for it. (If you tackle this as your first try at the Divine Comedy, you should definitely have a copy of the Penguin text to follow. You could then stop between each canto and check the notes for what you've just heard.)
The introduction is placed at the end of the recording, presumably to avoid “spoilers.” I'm in favor of trying to read the work before reading the introduction, but how the concept of spoilers could apply to the Divine Comedy baffles me. So, spoilers: Dante gets through hell and purgatory, meets Beatrice, gets a tour of heaven, has a vision of the Trinity, and ends the poem abruptly at that point. (Curiously, at the time I listened to the audiobook, the introduction, which is nearly two hours long, was bundled into the single track labeled “End Credits.”)
Wherever it's placed, Kirkpatrick’s introduction — read by himself — is marked by great clarity. It provides the historical background of Florentine politics and Dante’s place in that world; the place of Italy in the rivalry between the Holy Roman Empire and the nation-states then rising in Europe; and most of all it provides a high-level exposition of the Comedy itself. Dante is writing an epic, he says, but he remains a poet of love. The introduction is rounded off with an exploration of the technical problems involved in translating Dante.
Penguin has gone to quite a bit of trouble to put this together with different narrators. In this case, Jot Davies takes on the main burden as the Pilgrim and the voices of the people Dante meets along the way; Kristin Atherton is Beatrice; and the translator, Robin Kirkpatrick, takes the role of Virgil (and acquits himself well, leading me to suspect he's had professional training in the spoken arts). The overall direction seems to have been: read it with GUSTO. I don’t think there are any other recordings of the poem that put so much feeling into the reading, or so much variety into the voices: it’s hard to believe at times that there are only three narrators.
My one and only complaint is one that applies to a couple of the Penguin offerings. The volume sometimes varies beyond the level of comfort: the pilgrim’s narration drops off into a whisper until he encounters one of the denizens of the afterlife, whose voice suddenly screeches out at top volume. This doesn't happen all the time, just sometimes, so it's not really a deal-breaker, just an occasional annoyance.
On the whole, this is one of the best Penguin Classics offerings I've encountered in their new series of unabridged recordings.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
15 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- G Man
- 01-07-21
Rating of narration only...
Note: this is now the fourth time I’ve read the The Divine Comedy. (And fourth translation as well.) It is still my favorite book of all-time. But I struggled to get anything out of this particular version of the book. The narration was so bad!
Now I like when there are multiple narrators, and in this here we even have the translator, Robin Kirkpatrick, lending his voice to the story. Although his voice is not at all the embodiment of Virgil that I would have had in my head I can certainly appreciate him wanting to take up that part, and think it’s cool. He even does a fine job. Likewise, Kristin Atherton who does all the female voices.
No, my problem is with the lead voice actor. I had to speed up the playback to 1.3x just to bring his tempo and enunciation up to normal speed! Yes, this meant the other voices were a little too fast but there are many many moments where the lead actor is too slow! And his performance is akin to one “hamming it up” - except here it’s not done in jest but in all seriousness. It’s so overly dramatic it’s excruciating to listen to. I did not think I would ever want to hear a book read in a droning tone but if presented with that alternative I would have easily chosen it! A hundred times I practically wanted to scream out loud, ‘ Just read the #@&%ing thing!’
Also of note: this is the first version I’ve read/heard that did not have the chapter headings. In previous readings I’d always wondered if they were necessary or even wanted. But I can now say that the answer to both is definitely, “Yes!”. They’re needed to help keep one’s bearings; to help us understand or remind us what circle or plane, etc we are currently on.
The introduction - which was put at the end of the audiobook - makes this translation valuable, but it is my suggestion that buyers get the physical book instead of this audio version.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous
- 10-07-20
bravo! best dante on audible
amazing to finally have a decent contemporary translation of the divine comedy on audible. this is without a doubt the version you should listen to. very thankful for this existing. it's necessary to pair this with the great courses audio course on the divine comedy and some podcast episodes like "entitled opinions" two-part episode. and look at the Dore illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy while following along.
three points of feedback on the production (but none of these are dealbreakers):
it's necessary to listen to the introduction before listening to the book itself. they should've put the introduction at the beginning instead of moving it to the end. it's not like there are spoilers in this book. they should've cut the very long introduction up into chapters within the audible app. right now it's all one: an hour and a half long section. but there are obvious subsections that should've been separated out so you can skip around or jump back to a specific topic within the introduction.
there should be a narrator that has a different accent/sounding voice than everyone else that reads the canto commentaries at the end of each canto. i know people who aren't familiar with this book think it disrupts the flow, but realistically nobody reads this book straight through. it's impossible. the canto commentaries are part of the fun. every pilgrim who picks up this book needs a guide/virgil. surprised the commentaries weren't included at all. they could've been stacked together at the end for listeners who want to jump back and forth.
the voices of the narrators go from loud to soft throughout. so on my car speakers, i kept on having to turn the volume up and then the volume down. the emotional performances and characters were wonderful. but sometimes it sounded like they were whispering and other times they were intense. good for drama, not so great for an audiobook.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 01-21-22
Essential Reading
Dante’s Divine Comedy is essential reading for literature, theology, philosophy and history. The Penguin edition is a trusted classic and the audio version is excellent.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!