The Inferno of Dante

By: Dante Alighieri, Robert Pinsky - translator

Narrated by: John Cleese

"Midway on our life's journey, I found myself in dark woods, the right road lost. To tell about those woods is hard - so tangled and rough...." So begins Dante Alighieri's epic poem of a journey through Hell. With the poet Virgil as his guide, Dante travels through the 9 circles of Hell, listening to the voices of the condemned until at last, "we came forth, and once more saw the stars." Poet and essayist Robert Pinsky's translation captures the intensity and passion of the literary masterpiece, and world-renowned actor John Cleese contributes a profound and electrifying performance.

To supplement this reading of Dante's Inferno, listen to The SparkNotes Guide to Dante's Inferno.Recording (P)1997 by Audio Literature; Translation Copyright 1994 by Robert Pinsky

Critic reviews

"Line by line, canto by canto, Pinsky's version responds to every nuance of meaning in the original while its English remains fluid and colloquial." (Alan Williamson, The American Poetry Review)

Good Interpretation, Somewhat difficult to follow

The Inferno is an excellent work in itself and is extremely interesting for anyone. The narration of Mr. Cleese is however somewhat difficult to follow. His overly-excited and passionate voices for the suffering denizens of hell are difficult to make out. It is however very fun to hear a voice from a Monty Python movie or the like come through. Listen carefully and follow along and you shouldn't have too many problems.

classic narration with music accompaniment for chapter change

classic narration with music accompaniment for chapter change hearkens back to a better time in storytelling for sure

Surprisingly Good

John Cleese narrate Dante?! Definitely took a few minutes to purge the Monty Python demons from my head, but once I got into it I think Cleese was a remarkably good narrator. Some complained it was hard to understand, but I thought he was very understandable.

Amazing, poetic.

What made the experience of listening to The Inferno of Dante the most enjoyable?

Written sometime in the 1200's makes this book even more mind blowing. That many modern pieces take pages from this book even today is a testament to its greatness.

Best rendition of Dante's Inferno EVER.

If you only ever read Dante's Inferno once, or are a long time fan who has read countless reiterations already, this chilling and compellingly narrated rendition is a must-have.