New book -- Hollanders' new Paradiso translation
This just arrived today from [noted online
merchant]. I'm excited to have it, as the previous Hollander
translations helped greatly to demystify the material, without
simplifying it. Reading the introduction also demonstrated the
even-handed care the Hollander's bring to their work.
In it they described Dante's use of language, and deciding how to translate words he invented for the text. They decided that stronger images, like the Spirit "inthricing" himself with the Father and Son, would receive a literal translation, while another point describing someone "enlilied" was translated as "changed into a lily" since it was a more general poetic convention.
The attention paid to those little nuances greatly assures me as I head into the work. I hope to progress quickly, as I have been waiting over 18 months for this book to be released! I finished Purgatorio in 2004-2005 and was eager to continue, but publication has been pushed back several times.
Another interesting detail is buying this in hardcover. I'm so OCD about continuity, I wanted to waited for a paperback edition, to match my copies of Inf. and Purg., but I was so eager to continue with their work, a little asymmetry seemed a small price to pay. Reading to commence soon. :)
In it they described Dante's use of language, and deciding how to translate words he invented for the text. They decided that stronger images, like the Spirit "inthricing" himself with the Father and Son, would receive a literal translation, while another point describing someone "enlilied" was translated as "changed into a lily" since it was a more general poetic convention.
The attention paid to those little nuances greatly assures me as I head into the work. I hope to progress quickly, as I have been waiting over 18 months for this book to be released! I finished Purgatorio in 2004-2005 and was eager to continue, but publication has been pushed back several times.
Another interesting detail is buying this in hardcover. I'm so OCD about continuity, I wanted to waited for a paperback edition, to match my copies of Inf. and Purg., but I was so eager to continue with their work, a little asymmetry seemed a small price to pay. Reading to commence soon. :)
Comments
I appreciate the Hollander translations' ability to straddle academic and casual readership, both robust and accessible. Let me know if you want a canto to compare to your Ciardi. You might find it online, or I'd be happy to scan and email a pdf.
I just remembered your own interest in translations. I don't have to tell you how different they can be, and the pleasure in fleshing out the different decisions each one makes. Like three painters on a ridge, capturing the same scene in their own vocabulary and diction.