Paolo Milano

A classic, pure genuis from Dante and this - I have been told and after reading, I agree with - is the best English translation out there for the average reader who is reading for enjoyment. However, my advice is that only Inferno and Purgatory (the first and second part) are worth reading; Paradise (the third part) is long-winded, boring and just isn't as exciting as the first two. A lot of other people have told me this too, that they couldn't get through Paradise without falling asleep. It's amazing writing (althoughI wish I could read the orignial text in Italian!) but it somehow lacks the suspense and intrigue as Inferno.

Also, this really helped me get through the book: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_Comedy
I printed it out and kept it near me when I was reading the book to double-check I understood what was going on =)… (plus d'informations)

Mark Musa's translation is straightforward, easy to follow, and in friendly blank verse. I only wish I had purchased the individual Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso, because apparently they have many more notes. The notes are somewhat sporadic in this version (being portable, after all) and you get the feeling they were selected at random - some persons, referred-to events, and concepts are explained at length and others are not at all. But maybe I just don't know better.

A personal four stars, but it's a five-star translation in a handy little package and I can't really fault it for lacking footnotes.… (plus d'informations)