The Divine Comedy

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.

Expertly translated here by the famous poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Dante's masterpiece leaps vividly to life in this production.

Philosophically, the poem is based on the theological works of St. Thomas Aquinas. The Divine Comedy is essentially an allegory of the progress of the human soul toward God and the progress of mankind toward peace on earth. Many of the characters involved are drawn from ancient Roman history and from Dante's contemporaries, making the work a realistic picture of Italian life in the early 14th century. As well, it is an intensely developed analysis of human affairs. In structure the poem appears to be a description of the afterlife. But it is in essence, a compassionate, oral evaluation of humanity and a mystical vision of the Absolute toward which mankind struggles. The Divine Comedy endures today because of the universality of its drama and the lyric quality of the poetry, and not as the result of any doctrinal content.

Public Domain (P)2009 Audio Connoisseur

A Lovely Reading of a Classic

First thing to note, this book is translated in old English, as such I do not recommend this specific translation of the Divine Comedy if you are not acquainted with old English. If you can however read the true text of anything as old as Shakespeare’s work with absolute ease, then this translation is a beautiful and lyrical one which is easy to follow. I very much enjoy Longfellow’s way with words, even without rhyming the words, he created a very lyrical and beautiful rhythm for the text.

Secondly, I am not sure about the Google app for Audible, however I know that the app on my Fire 7 tablet botched the organization of the chapters. If you do however have an IOS device, the parts are beautifully separated and easy to scroll through to skip the hour long biography and the synopsis of each canto. And you will easily be able to locate the beginning of Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. If you solely use the app on your Fire tablet, I wouldn’t recommend purchasing this edition since you’ll be forced to listen to everything because nothing is organized.

The Narrator was great. I found his voice to be very intense at parts where they need be then soft at others. He truly gets into the parts where he sounds in distress as you’d expect Dante to be at seeing certain things. Griffin very much created a perfect flow for the poem, making it feel like a song being spoken. His voice was powerful throughout the text and I found it pleasing to my ears.

Personally, I found this audiobook enjoyable. I do however recommend that you read this poem before listening or as you listen. Reason being that for most it is hard to follow the poem if you do not know old English too well. I have been reading classic literature since I was 8 years old so to me this is simple to understand now that I am 20, however for most people they have not been so inclined to read the classics out of their own desire for most of their lives as I have. So I do know that some will and have had difficulty with the language. So if you have read little to no old language texts, I suggest finding another translation. If you are like me and are well versed in Old English then I would recommend this audiobook wholeheartedly!

Returned within < 2 minutes

I've rewritten this review twice. Kept erasing my review before submitting when I'd minimize the Audible for Windows app. Here's the short version. Narrator read something about Dante's grandfather, then read "and *his* father", with emphasis on the "his". This led my curiosity to look up whether it was indeed his grandfather's father, or Dante's, and turns out the narrator is lazy, as I had expected. Henry Wadsworth the man, but I'm just going to read Ciardi's version I got for free in the meantime.

Not for listening.

Longfellow was a wonderful poet, but the linguistic hoops he jumps through to preserve the form of the cantos leaves comprehension in the dust for the listener. Charlton Griffin can't save this muddle. It is almost incomprehensible at times. Almost everything in Italian rhymes, not so with English. One thing that is missing is comprehensive footnotes on the political background and personalities that Dante meets. Still, the language is beautiful, just don't expect to follow it in your car.

Divine Comedy

The epic of all epics. Carlton Griffin is magnificent. His pronunciation and intonation made it so much more reachable.

Yikes

What did you love best about The Divine Comedy?

Found it hilarious that according to Dante Plato and Socrates are in the first circle of hell, Wonder what circle Dante ended up in eh'?