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Rating: 
Summary: Very good work ... but one with a few caveats
Review: If a reader's first exposure to Giuseppe Ungaretti is Frisardi's translation, I ask that he or she please refrain from judging Ungaretti's work until first reading his earlier translators, particularly Frederick Jones and Allen Mandelbaum. Those earlier works render more eloquent and evocative translations than Frisardi's, which, unfortunately, comes out a bit too wooden, and is perhaps over-literal. I must admit that I cannot read Italian, so I do not know which English translation is more faithful to the original Italian (no easy task -- as I understand it -- even for linguists). In addition, Frederick Jones' and Allen Mandelbaum's books are likely out-of-print and may have to be ordered through inter-library loan (but it would be well worth it to pursue them).Why, then, do I still rate Frisardi's work 5 stars? As a long-time student and reader of Ungaretti I see the value of Frisardi's work in his commentary on Ungaretti's poetics and life, and in his translation of Ungaretti's own commentary on his poetry. Thus, his notes at the end are a valuable contribution to the scholarly literature on this great Italian poet. Hence, I fully recommend Frisardi's book. It's only other detriment -- which is admittedly a bit petty -- is the book's cover: it makes one feel as if he or she is drowning in an algae-ridden pond.
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