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I've read a few Russian novels in English, and had heard of Pevear and Volokhonsky while hunting around for translations but never landed on one by them. I'm a
by jihadjihad 2y ago
I've read a few Russian novels in English, and had heard of Pevear and Volokhonsky while hunting around for translations but never landed on one by them. I'm a big fan of the Norton Critical Editions for literature, they're well edited and full of context that is hard to gather on your own.
Their edition of The Brothers Karamazov [0] (translated by Susan McReynolds) stands in my memory as being a pleasure to read and ponder...definitely a book that stays with you over time.
0: https://wwnorton.co.uk/books/9780393926330-the-brothers-karamazov https://wwnorton.co.uk/books/9780393926330-the-brothers-kara...
- indy 2y agoA more critical version of Pevear and Volokhonsky's work appears here: https://www.commentary.org/articles/gary-morson/the-pevearsion-of-russian-literature/ https://www.commentary.org/articles/gary-morson/the-pevearsi... Personally I'd highly recommend reading Michael R. Katz's translation of The Brothers Karamazov instead.
- lordleft 2y agoHave been a long time fan of Pevear & Volokhonsky but I've recently purchased the Katz's translation of TBK and like what I see!
- indy 2y agoCool! I've got both and consider Katz a better writer of English. His prose is just more enjoyable to read and flows much better than P&V's rather too literal translations
- jihadjihad 2y agoI read his translation of Crime and Punishment and I liked it a lot, I saw he had a new-ish translation of The Brothers Karamazov but I haven't read that yet.
- carabiner 2y agoIf you like C over Python, you'll like P&V.
- quercusa 2y agoI've heard good things about that one but apparently it's only available in a 1000-page 6x8" paperback, which seems a shame.