The search for the "perfect" Allen Mandelbaum audiobook of The Divine Comedy
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Allen Mandelbaum, who passed away in 2011, was often described as the "American Dante." Unlike the 19th-century translations of Longfellow or the rigid, rhyming structures of others, Mandelbaum’s text is famous for its muscularity and flow. He abandoned the rhyme scheme to capture the rhythm and the sheer force of Dante’s imagery. the divine comedy allen mandelbaum audiobook upd
: Features the Carlyle-Okey-Wicksteed translation. It is the most common unabridged version found on AudiobookStore The James Langton Recording : A popular version of available on platforms like The Clive James Translation : A recent and highly rhythmic version available on that modernizes the verse significantly. Ways to Experience Mandelbaum via Audio Since a dedicated retail audiobook for Mandelbaum's is elusive, you can use these workarounds: Educational Resources University of Dallas
While there is no single "definitive" official audiobook that covers the entire Allen Mandelbaum translation of The Divine Comedy The search for the "perfect" Allen Mandelbaum audiobook
The Mandelbaum version flows more naturally in spoken English, losing neither meaning nor music.
Final rating: ★★★★½ (4.5/5)
Best paired with: Mandelbaum’s Bantam Classics paperback (for notes) or the Princeton Dante Project online (for commentary). He abandoned the rhyme scheme to capture the
The audiobook is typically narrated by Grover Gardner (for the Blackstone Audio edition), though various versions exist. Assuming the standard Blackstone edition:
, several existing and ongoing resources remain available for listeners. Mandelbaum’s translation is highly regarded for its precision and "Dantean" clarity. Penguin Random House Canada Popular Listening Options Narrated by Geoffrey Howard