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A collection of seventy translations of Dante's 'Inferno' in English, from 1782 to 2017.

What is it about?

Dante Alighieri maintained that translation destroys the harmony of poetry. Yet his 'Commedia' has been translated into English time and again since 1782. Among the translations there are some of the finest poets in the English language, including Robert Lowell and Seamus Heaney. Smith and Sonzogni have assembled and annotated two complete translations of Dante's most popular canticle, Inferno, each canto translated by a different translator.

Why is it important?

'To Hell and Back' is a celebration of the art and craft of poetry translation; of the lexical palettes and syntactical tempos of the English language; and, of course, of the genius of one of the greatest poets of all time.

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Tim Smith
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