Go To Hell!

[Mephisto]

And have a GREAT time doing it!

I've dropped this subject in a couple of other threads (in Politics, no less) and I thought this might be an even better forum to mention it.

I'm talking about a fairly new publication of Dante's Inferno adapted and translated by Sandow Birk and Marcus Sanders (Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 2004).

It's the old story of Virgil leading Dante through Hell, but it's been updated in both illustration (all the illustrations were done by Birk) and translation. The illustrations in particular are superb and the bleak urban imagery typifies my idea of a modern Hell. The story is somewhat updated with the inclusion of several modern day characters (Siegfred & Roy are among the Sodomites) and modern day settings (the gluttons are surrounded by McDonald's, Burger King and Taco Bell).

I've recently acquired a book of Gustave Dore's illustrations of The Inferno and after comparing the two was pleasantly surprised that Birk apparently studied the early illustrations with a keen eye which he carried over into his own. Of course, there are "new & improved" monsters in the newer illustrations. Geryon becomes a helicopter, the giant in Canto XXXI is an inflatable Fred Flintstone and the edge of the Malebolge in Canto XVIII is strewn with overturned Porta-Pots.

Definitely worth a look if you like Dante or The Inferno. Birk illustrated the entire Commedia, but as always the first book remains the most interesting.

(edited to add) Sandow Birk was interviewed in last month's issue of Juxtapoz magazine which also includes several of his illustrations.

 

[Mephisto]

. . . and I thought this might be an even better forum to mention it.

Guess not

 

[Skeptic]

(Siegfred & Roy are among the Sodomites)

You just made me shoot coffee through my nose. Thanks a lot...

Sounds interesting indeed--it takes balls to re-illustrate The Inferno like that. I wonder: did Birk put himself somwhere, presumably among the blasphamers? It would fit with his humor.

P.S.

I read Dante's inferno while on actie service in the army, carrying it (a pocket edition) in my uniform's pocket. The thought kept crossing my mind that it's not unlikely that I will get to see the place before I finish reading about it.

(It would have been cool if I could have said my copy of the "Inferno" stopped a bullet, but no such luck...)

 

[Mephisto]

(Siegfred & Roy are among the Sodomites)

You just made me shoot coffee through my nose. Thanks a lot...

Sounds interesting indeed--it takes balls to re-illustrate The Inferno like that. I wonder: did Birk put himself somwhere, presumably among the blasphamers? It would fit with his humor.

P.S.

I read Dante's inferno while on actie service in the army, carrying it (a pocket edition) in my uniform's pocket. The thought kept crossing my mind that it's not unlikely that I will get to see the place before I finish reading about it.

(It would have been cool if I could have said my copy of the "Inferno" stopped a bullet, but no such luck...)

Glad to make you laugh, Skeptic.

You're right, it does take a lot to re-illustrate The Inferno, especially since Gustave Dore's illustrations are so ingrained in everyone's memory. I recently got a compilation of Dore's illustrations of the entire Comedia and was really enthused with the liberties that Birk took, while still keeping the ambiance of Hell.

Funny you should mention it, throughout the story, I couldn't help thinking that Birk (or Sanders) was portraying himself as Dante. Sanders' claim to fame before was that he published a surfer's magazine. The Dante character seems (like many youth) to be just the type.

Here are some links if you'd like to check out some of his illustrations.

http://www.koplindelrio.com/birk/birk.dante.html

http://artscenecal.com/ArticlesFile/Archive/Articles2003/Articles0303/SBirkB.html

http://www.sjmusart.org/content/exhibitions/current/exhibition_info.phtml?itemID=223

 

[Marker]

Brilliant illustrations - this goes on my list.

An ex-girlfriend once bought me the Divine Comedy for my birthday. She wrapped up "Purgatory" and "Paradise" and attached a little note saying "I'll give you Hell later..."

 

[Zbu]

Ha! I'll check it out, I'm trying to snag a copy of Penguin's the Portable Dante which has the whole Comedy in there. Anybody else know of a better version?

 

[Bikewer]

There was an interesting take on Dante from the sci-fi writers Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. Essentially an accurate updating of the story, with the main character meeting a variety of more-contemporary denizens.

Just called Inferno.

 

[Mephisto]

Brilliant illustrations - this goes on my list.

An ex-girlfriend once bought me the Divine Comedy for my birthday. She wrapped up "Purgatory" and "Paradise" and attached a little note saying "I'll give you Hell later..."

Glad you liked them, Marker! I thought they were particularly relevant in today's world (although I've always liked Dore's illustations).

What a nice ex-girlfriend to give you literature for your BD - it might have last longer if she had given you the Inferno and Il Paradiso first and promised you Heaven later.

 

[Mephisto]

There was an interesting take on Dante from the sci-fi writers Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. Essentially an accurate updating of the story, with the main character meeting a variety of more-contemporary denizens.

Just called Inferno.

Thank you Bikewer! I'll definitely have to look that up. I've always been interested an any retellings of old (especially religious) stories. I always thought it was a shame that the Monty Python crew didn't get ahold of the Inferno. I can imagine who they would have put in Hell, and why.

 

[bob_kark]

[Ramble]The one thing I really liked about Inferno is that the people in hell seemed to want to be there even though they were being tortured. It was as if they were either so overcome with guilt or so overly involved in their desires that they couldn't see that anything could be better, a very shortsighted view. I particularly enjoyed how that parallels life itself.

From viewing the illustrations you provided, it certainly seems that they kept this theme in tact. All the advertising, cheap cars, fast food resturants, junk food, etc, reaffirm that sickening feeling of wanting something to the point where it blinds you, either through apathy or immediate desire, to the possibilities of what you could have.[/Ramble] Anyway, I'll really have to check this out.

 

[Mephisto]

[Ramble]The one thing I really liked about Inferno is that the people in hell seemed to want to be there even though they were being tortured. It was as if they were either so overcome with guilt or so overly involved in their desires that they couldn't see that anything could be better, a very shortsighted view. I particularly enjoyed how that parallels life itself.

From viewing the illustrations you provided, it certainly seems that they kept this theme in tact. All the advertising, cheap cars, fast food resturants, junk food, etc, reaffirm that sickening feeling of wanting something to the point where it blinds you, either through apathy or immediate desire, to the possibilities of what you could have.[/Ramble] Anyway, I'll really have to check this out.

Good point, Bob and I agree with the possible exception of the wrathful and the wood of the suicides. There is also a hint of empathy from Dante which Virgil keeps chastising him for (as in the original), stating that this is their well-deserved punishment delved out by God and sympathy has no place in Hell.

The Birk illustrations really do capture that desperate sense of claustrophobia because of the urban atmosphere, and all in keeping with MY idea of Hell. I'm sure you'll enjoy the book.

 

[DrMatt]

Hell is an unincorporated postal sub-zone in Pinckney, Michigan.... I think they're afraid to incorporate because they already have enough trouble with people trying to get stuff postmarked there....

 

[Mephisto]

Hell is an unincorporated postal sub-zone in Pinckney, Michigan.... I think they're afraid to incorporate because they already have enough trouble with people trying to get stuff postmarked there....

Is that the truth? I'd heard there was such a place, and I can imagine it would be quite a novelty to get a letter postmarked there, but I didn't know it actually existed. Cool!

 

[Skeptic]

Is there a place called "heaven", "paradise", "garden of Eden", etc., anywhere? A set of two letters from "Satan" to "God" and a reply from addresses in those locations would be cool.

I can think of other combinations.

 

[Ryokan]

There's also a Hell in Norway.

Here's a picture from the train station. Hell - Goods Expedition.

 

[Kopji]

Cool. Sandow Birk has a few earlier illustrations from Inferno scattered around the web. McDonald's plays a prominent role in hell. Fitting.

Doré employed about 40 woodcarvers to do his plates by hand in the 1800's. They are both great illustrators but hard to compare.

 

[Mephisto]

Is there a place called "heaven", "paradise", "garden of Eden", etc., anywhere? A set of two letters from "Satan" to "God" and a reply from addresses in those locations would be cool.

I can think of other combinations.

*LOL* THAT would be totally cool, and I'll bet the people at the P.O. would have a little difficulty NOT opening the mail to see what it contained. I wonder if anyone in Hell has thought of something like this before?

 

[Mephisto]

There's also a Hell in Norway.

Here's a picture from the train station. Hell - Goods Expedition.

That's really interesting, Ryokan. I wonder what possesses (no pun intended) people to name their town Hell? Have you ever been there? Is it a particularly bad (or boring) place? Certainly there is something besides the novelty of living in Hell that causes the "town-fathers" to adopt the name?

 

[Mephisto]

Cool. Sandow Birk has a few earlier illustrations from Inferno scattered around the web. McDonald's plays a prominent role in hell. Fitting.

Doré employed about 40 woodcarvers to do his plates by hand in the 1800's. They are both great illustrators but hard to compare.

I agree, even before I was aware of Birk, I always thought of McDonald's as Hell on Earth!

It didnt' know the fact about Dore's "crew." I did know that it must have taken quite a bit of time to get the carvings done, but I had no idea how many woodcarvers were employed. I agree that they're both excellent illustrators AND that they are hard to compare. They encompass both a nostalgic view of Hell and a modern view of Hell, but with enough common elements that the work they illustrate can easily be discerned.

 

[Godmode]

That's really interesting, Ryokan. I wonder what possesses (no pun intended) people to name their town Hell? Have you ever been there? Is it a particularly bad (or boring) place? Certainly there is something besides the novelty of living in Hell that causes the "town-fathers" to adopt the name?

Because H-e-l-l doesn't mean "hell" in norwegian, that's "helvete"

Good is g-o-d in Norwegian... I almost considered writing a book entitled "God is good, but only in Norway" But the premise wasn't as good as the title.