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Inferno: From The Divine Comedy

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Inferno: From The Divine Comedy

By: Dante Alighieri, Benedict Flynn - translator
Narrated by: Heathcote Williams
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About this listen

"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.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

Public Domain (P)2004 Naxos AudioBooks Classics Poetry Emotionally Gripping Funny

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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)
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I have always had Dante’s inferno on my reading list and finally got round to downloading it. Having listened to several samples of other versions on Audible, this version immediately stood out to me for the pace and quality of the reading and the accessibility of the translation. Thoroughly enjoying so far and thoroughly recommend if you want an exciting and gripping rendition of Inferno!

Outstanding listen

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Loved it!

The narative and the pace was awesome.

I definitely recomend this amazing piece of art!

Awesome narrative

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Highly recommend! Lovely instruments between chapters and brilliant voice acting. Makes it much easier to digest this sometimes intimidating classic.

Fantastic!

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Hearhcote Williams reads it beautifully: beautiful voice, excellent pacing, he gives just enough pathos without burdening the listener. I love the translation, without having compared verse by verse with other translation the verses sound beautiful in english and elegantly capture the poetry and the meaning. The production is also excellent, clean sound, spacious, fitting music helps underline transitions in the text. I thoroughly recommend it

Superb recording of a very good translation

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griping story food for thought! I liked a lot will listen again. well performed. British actor of course!!

stronge. performancs. able actor. good

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Dante's Divine Comedy is the keystone of European literature. It was the first important work composed in a modern language, and it is a book that almost every serious writer has read and been influenced by.
If you want to understand poetry, or drama, or novels, or film, or opera - you need to read Dante at some stage (and the younger you first read him, the better).
If all you ever read is till receipts, you can probably get along without him.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Inferno: From The Divine Comedy?

Francesca da Rimini and Ugolino are the two moments everybody remembers. Me too.

What about Heathcote Williams’s performance did you like?

There are some very odd translations of The Divine Comedy into English. Dorothy Sayers writes like nobody ever spoke, while Longfellow manages to be as obscure as he is inaccurate.
Flynn has translated Dante into natural idiomatic English, which leaves the poetry to stand naked. Heathcote Williams delivery is nuanced but not lapel-tugging:- a perfect complement to Flynn's understated excellence.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I'm always tickle by how when Vergil arrives at the gate to Purgatory, he wanders off into a private conversation with Cato (ignoring Dante completely for half the canto).
It's always fun when the characters cut free of the book, but this is one of the most amusing examples of that.

Almost a perfect translation

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Beautifully delivered. Just about to listen to it a second time as one has to pay attention. still so relevant to today. Loved it.

Must hear - an absolute classic

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I often rate books 5 stars on their own merits, but by gosh this is an excellent 5 stars… narration and musical interludes set a highly compelling scene here - I really enjoyed this telling, and will definitely seek out others in the series.

Fantastic audiobook

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Narration is great. Medieval music is a nice touch, it really good atmospheric.
For those of us who dont understand italian
Enjoyable,

Delightful

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I listened to each canto several times and enjoyed it immensely. They are read with feeling and do well to highlight the different characters speaking. I strongly recommend listening to it in parallel with the explanatory work by Mark Vernon which he released in 2021, also on Audible. Mark goes through each canto and explains what is going on - what Dante is referencing and how scholars have interpreted the allegory. The combination of both really helped me think about what sin is and why it pushes us away from God.

Absolutely brilliant

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