zana16 | (no subject)

(no subject)

I've been reading The Dante Club and now want to re-read the Divine Comedy. Problem being, my books are in my dad's attic, and not only is my dad not home, I'm also fighting with him.

Today I sent a very cute, cheerful card to him that opens up to say "Just wanted to let you know I'm still mad at you." Passive aggressive R Us! He's going to want to talk about it, but I don't want to talk about it; the only way to make it right is for him to quit being a jerk, and that's not going to happen. Em suggested the card, and if there was a slightly hysterical edge to my laughter, she was kind enough to ignore it.

So. No Dante, because I don't remember which translation we used when I read it at college, and I really liked the translation. I did email the Western Classics professor -- not that he'll remember me, it was nine years ago and I was an average student at best in his class -- but he was a technophobe then and I'll bet he still is.

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We took that class together, and I bet I can find my books before David Ball gets back to you :)

(As I recall there were two translators - a former poet laureate did Inferno, then we were stuck with a very literal, dry translation of the remaining volumes. Best literary insult ever came from Prof. Ball - he said, "The only way you can tell it's poetry is that the lines don't go to the edge of the page.")

Oh! Would you? *puppydog eyes*

Former poet laureate... that probably narrows it down. Google has not rendered me a comprehensive list of all translations, but presumably it's well-known.

I recommend the Mandelbaum translation. His Ovid is also good.

I've never read Ovid. Perhaps I will!

I love the Metamorpises, but its a lot of nymphs being chased and their virtue saved when they are turned into trees or birds.

Do they ever get to change back??

No, but them seem very happy to be trees and birds... I think.

Happy-happy, or happy-to-have-their-virute-saved? Or perhaps there is not a distinction.

It'd been cool to be a bird, depending on the type of bird.

iirc they poem cuts away from them as soon as they are saved. So who knows?

I love 'The Dante Club'. I think it's quite possibly my favourite of Pearl's books thus far. Have you read the others?

Seconding the Mandelbaum version too, by the by. Though I might be biased, since that's the one I have back home. *g*

I've gone ahead and ordered the Mandelbaum version. :)

I haven't read any of his others. I just picked this up at the library by accident, actually, because I have a copy of The Club Dumas and have been meaning to read it for ages. I saw this on tape at the library and for some reason didn't take in the different title, and figured I could listen to it on my ipod. Best library mistake I've made lately!

Now that is the kind of library mistake I like. *g*

I adore 'The Club Dumas' too. Start reading it, shoo! It's so much better than its film counterpart, 'The Ninth Gate'. Mind, I love the film too - it has Johnny Depp as Coros, and Roman Polanski as its director, so you should watch it for its own merits *g* - but the film's just different and so much less think-y.

(Now you know just how I ramble on and on when I get excited about books. *g*)

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