Best translation of The Brothers Karamazov?

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Best translation of The Brothers Karamazov?

1littlebookworm
mrt 28, 2007, 10:38 am

Hey everyone,

I love Russian literature and my next choice will be The Brothers Karamazov. I'm very sensitive to translations though, and this is one of the few I haven't covered in classes. I was wondering, since so many in this group own it, which translation you would recommend or which is the best?

Thank you!

2KromesTomes
mrt 28, 2007, 12:31 pm

Are you familiar w/the translating team of Richard Pevear/Larissa Volokhonsky? They've done a number of new translations of Russian classics, including The Brothers Karamazov, and the four or five I've read, again including The Brothers Karamazov, have been excellent.

3uhgreen
apr 12, 2007, 10:14 am

I agree with KromesTomes, the Pevear/Volokhonsky translation is the best. I have read theirs and Garnetts and Pevears is a lot better in my opinion. I try to read all the Russian books I can by them. Right now I'm reading Anna Karenina translated by them.

4littlebookworm
apr 12, 2007, 10:17 am

Okay, thanks. I don't think I've read anything in their new translations as most of what I've read has been at school. I'll definitely look into this, thank you!

5Gypsy_Boy
Bewerkt: jan 14, 2021, 6:40 am

Well, speaking as a fan of Pevear/Volokhonsky for many things, I find them too difficult for this book. I've tried probably five or six different versions and the one that reads most smoothly to my inner ear is David McDuff. There's something about the P/V Dostoevsky in general that I find off-putting, though I think it's part diction (word choice) and part (perhaps less frequently) syntax. My advice, beyond trying McDuff, is to hie thee to a good bookstore and sit down for thirty minutes and read as many versions as you can. It costs nothing and you may find a new translator who works for you.

6lizatoad
mrt 3, 2008, 10:55 am

I agree with everyone above who has mentioned the Pevear/Volokhonsky translation... I'm Russian, so i can 'feel it' when a translation just doesn't work... but this edition does a very fine job of capturing the intricacies of the language..

Just in case you can't find it - this is the link to the book on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374528373?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&amp...

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