The Best Translation of The Decameron
The Decameron was written in Italian. 2 recommended editions, ranked — with Gröblé’s verdict on which to read first.
Wayne A. Rebhorn
W. W. Norton · 2013 · 1024 pages
Rebhorn's Norton (2013) is the newest complete version and the funniest. The satire reads sharp, the bawdy parts stay bawdy, and the frame story actually moves. Critical essays in back if you want them.
Every recommended edition, compared
G.H. McWilliam's Penguin has carried this book in English for decades. More polished and less colloquial than Rebhorn, which suits the elaborate frame; the version readers grew up with.
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Reading The Decameron in translation
The Decameron was written in Italian, so unless you read Italian, the translator decides the book you actually experience — its register, its pace, how it sounds read aloud. Two editions of the same work can feel like different books.
The ranking above is Gröblé’s: one reader’s verdict on which English gets you closest, not a publisher’s blurb. Start with the top pick; reach for the others when you want a different angle on the original.