Au-delà de la traduction: la perspective exégétique dans l’Enfer de Jean-Philippe Toussaint

Jean-Philippe Toussaint’s project to translate Dante’s Inferno is a complex and innovative undertaking that goes beyond mere linguistic transposition to form part of a process of critical reinterpretation and exegesis. This article examines the implications of this production, linking it to the first exegeses of the 14th century and highlighting the possibility of interpreting the translation as an exegetical attempt. Confronted with the structural and semantic difficulties of Dante’s text, Toussaint choses a free verse interpretation accompanied by a rich apparatus of notes that explain his method and his translation choices. The translator uses recent sources and commentaries, exploits the possibilities offered by online digital tools and documents his creative process with footnotes. Through this combination of translation, commentary and metatextual reflection, Toussaint renews the relationship between the contemporary reader and Dante’s work, contributing to the ongoing expansion of his interpretative horizon.