Inferno from the Divine Comedy

Author: Dante
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: The famous epic poem The Divine Comedy by the Italian poet Dante, known as the "book that is revered but avoided," is widely known but rarely understood. The work adopts the form of medieval allegorical literature, narrating the author's journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise during a time of confusion. The numerous metaphors and allusions in the work have made many translators reluctant to take on the task. It is reported that from the 1920s to the 1980s, China produced six Chinese translations of The Divine Comedy, but most were limited to excerpts. The only two complete translations were based on French and English versions, with no direct translation from the Italian original ever available. Given that The Divine Comedy is a representative work that opened the Italian Renaissance and holds a pivotal position in Western literary history, the translation and introduction of this masterpiece were designated as a national key project in the early 1980s. In 1982, Mr. Tian Dewang, at the age of 73, took upon himself the century-long aspiration of the Chinese intellectual community and embarked on the long journey of translating and annotating The Divine Comedy. During this time, he underwent two major surgeries due to adenocarcinoma. In August 2000, at the age of 91, Mr. Tian finally completed the translation of the last part of The Divine Comedy. Two months later, he passed away, having devoted his last strength to the work. Opening the commemorative edition of The Divine Comedy published by the Humanities Press, one is astonished by the sheer number of annotations. Statistics show that the annotations for The Purgatorio alone amount to 340,000 words, nearly five times the length of the text, while the annotations for the entire The Divine Comedy reach 700,000 words. Collectively, the annotations themselves constitute an academic masterpiece, clearly revealing the translator's profound academic expertise and rigorous scholarly approach. Dante's The Divine Comedy stands alongside the epics of Homer and the dramas of Shakespeare as a world literary masterpiece. The story of The Divine Comedy is told in the form of medieval allegorical literature, with the protagonist Dante himself traveling through "Hell," "Purgatory," and "Paradise." The work extensively reflects the social reality of Italy at the time, offering an artistic summary of medieval culture while also revealing the dawn of humanist thought during the Renaissance. Therefore, Engels called Dante "the last poet of the Middle Ages and the first poet of the new age." The content of The Divine Comedy is vast and profound, encompassing numerous allusions and metaphors, with its philosophical and artistic depth surpassing that of ordinary literary works. Professor Tian Dewang of Peking University poured 18 years of his life into translating The Divine Comedy, making it the first complete Chinese translation directly from the original text in over 600 years since its publication. The annotations alone amount to over 700,000 words, far exceeding the length of the text itself, clearly demonstrating the translator's deep academic expertise and rigorous scholarly approach. The Divine Comedy combines the elements of a masterpiece, a renowned translation, and an outstanding compilation, serving as a model in the publishing of foreign literature by the People's Literature Publishing House. In the 2003 selection of the "Sixth National Award for Outstanding Foreign Literature Books," the People's Literature Publishing House's edition of The Divine Comedy rightfully took the top prize in the first category!