First runs at Dostoyevsky & Tolstoy - Pevear?

[Janice in NJ]

It looks like I've got a choice between Garnett (And yes! We do like Victorian prose. :001_smile:) and Pevear and the others already sitting on my shelf.

Crime and Punishment and Anna Karenina are recs in TWTM. One in Pevear and one in Garnett; maybe the Pevear wasn't available yet?

I have C&P in the Oxford edition Trans by Coulson; AK is in the Modern Library edition (Trans. by Garnett). I have a copy of War & Peace in the Briggs translation; I might tackle this one myself after AK. I don't have a copy of Dos's Brothers K. though I think that I might enjoy it based on the article in Invitation to the Classics/.

Would it be worth our time to check out Pevear's work? I do LOVE to study novels at the micro level as well as the macro level. The way an author wraps-n-warps his words to reveal his ideas means a lot to me.

Apart from learning Russian which ISN'T on my radar, should I be hunting down a copy of Pevear's translation(s)? Will I be sorry that I missed it? (And yes! I did a board search and printed out a copy of the article that Jane recommended/linked to. Thanks, Jane! :001_smile:)

I would love to hear the hive's take on this one.

Thanks!
Janice

Enjoy your little people
Enjoy your journey

[swimmermom3]

Janice, what a great question! How did you know that a few of my very worn volumes were due for replacement.:D Twenty-plus years can be unkind to paperbacks and I am not sure how they will hold up with my teens reading them.

I do not own any Pevear translations and am looking forward to the responses here. CP and Notes from the Underground are Garnett, Gambler/Bobok/A Nasty Short Story and Memoirs from the House of the Dead are Coulson. I have a cryptic note, "Better?" in the front of the Carmichael translation of AK. W & P is Dunnigan, BK is MacAndrew, The Idiot is Carlisle, and The Devils is Magarshack.

One of my favorite classes in college was devoted entirely to Dostoevsky. May you and your children enjoy many hours of rich discussion.

Oh, and yes, we did enjoy Aida. Thank you for your help. Our study of Egypt, prereading the story, and the spectacular production all helped to create a satisfying experience.

[Moira in MA]

Dd & I really like the Pevear translation of Anna Karenina. The notes are helpful, too. She chose their translation of War & Peace for her Senior English class this year.

I haven't read Crime and Punishment.

HTH
~Moira

[Janice in NJ]

Cool. I'm looking forward to reading these novels! I found Pevear at my library. I'm off to grab copies this afternoon to peruse. (Although I can't read library books. The librarians get all bent out of shape if the books come back filled with underlines, comments, and little smiley/sad faces. :001_smile:)

I'm so glad that you enjoyed Aida. It was my first back-stage experience ; that opera will always mean a lot to me. :001_smile:

Peace to you and yours today,
Janice

[swimmermom3]

Cool. I'm looking forward to reading these novels! I found Pevear at my library. I'm off to grab copies this afternoon to peruse. (Although I can't read library books. The librarians get all bent out of shape if the books come back filled with underlines, comments, and little smiley/sad faces. :001_smile:)

I'm so glad that you enjoyed Aida. It was my first back-stage experiences ; that opera will always mean a lot to me. :001_smile:

Peace to you and yours today,
Janice

:blush: Since you brought it up, that is another reason I need new books. Dd informed me that she would prefer to form her own opinion of the work than to read my copious notes and comments. Do you know how many shelves it is going to take to house their copies versus my copies. We have to have both because the sad truth is that I can not be trusted with a new book.

[MSPolly]

I just finished Anna Karenina for the second time, my first experience with Pevear. LOVED IT! I agree the notes are very good. I really noticed "Tolstoy" coming through.

I just ordered "The Brothers Karamazov" by Dostoevsky in the Pevear transl. I'm looking forward to it.

[nmoira]

I just ordered "The Brothers Karamazov" by Dostoevsky in the Pevear transl. I'm looking forward to it.This was a book I was never able to finish because I found it terribly dull... until I found the Pevear/Volokhonsky translation. I've read it twice since then, and am looking forward to reading it again.

[MSPolly]

Oh! I'm GLAD to hear that!! That is why I ordered it! I'm giving it a *second try*! :001_smile:

[Janice in NJ]

Don't even get me started with that, sister. I feel guilty enough bringing ONE more book into this house. But one means more than one. I don't want to spoil the books for my kids. They deserve to engage directly with the author; they don't need to be distracted by the details of my engagement.

And then ... I plan my reading list a couple of titles in advance, but I begin and then - I find a translation that I like better - or an edition with more white space - or... and then I have MORE than one copy that I don't want.

What an absolute mess. And yes, we have a small house.

Gotta love the books, baby!
AND GOTTA love my very patient husband - who totally "gets" me. ;) Sheesh - he even celebrates me. Crazy man, indeed!

Peace,
Janice