The appearance of David R. Slavitts translation of Orlando furioso MadOrlando one of the great literary achievements of the Italian Renaissanceis a publishing e... » 

The appearance of David R. Slavitts translation of Orlando furioso MadOrlando one of the great literary achievements of the Italian Renaissanceis a publishing event. With this lively new verse translation Slavittintroduces readers to Ariostos now neglected masterpiecea poem whose impacton Western literature can scarcely be exaggerated. It was a major influence onSpensers Faerie Queene. William Shakespeare borrowed one of its plots.Voltaire called it the equal of the Iliad the Odyssey and Don Quixotecombined. More recently Italo Calvino drew inspiration from it. Borges was afan. Now through translations of generous selections from this longest of allmajor European poems Slavitt brings the poem to life in ways previoustranslators have not. At the heart of Ariostos romance are Orlandosunrequited love for the pagan princess Angelica and his jealous rage when sheelopes. The action takes place against a besieged Paris as Charlemagne and hisChristian paladins defend the city against the Saracen king. The poem howeverobeys no geography or rules but its own as the story moves by whim from Japanto the Hebrides to the moon it includes such imaginary creatures as thehippogriff and a sea monster called the orc. Orlando furioso is Dantesmedieval universe turned upside down and made comic. Characterized by satireparody and irony the poem celebrates a new humanistic Renaissance conceptionof man in an utterly fantastical world. Slavitts translation captures theenergy comedy and great fun of Ariostos Italian. «