I just wanted to add...ironically this seeming "awkwardness" of the P&V is precisely what made me decide it was preferable based on what I had read about the translations.I agree, it retains some of the stylization (to my English language ear) that I associate with that time period. And I just find P&V's translation very awkward.
Yes, I used to have friendly debates with a Russian professor who’d read the originals and who gently pointed out to me I was reading Constance Garnett. No doubt it is true. I can only say I’ve enjoyed her translations more than the others I’ve tried. I get into the world of the novel more completely. That’s what matters to me.I've thought of reading the Garnett versions as well, but I so deeply loved the P&V that I'm not sure I want to experience it any other way. I may at some point read the Garnett Karamazov.
I didn't start reading Dostoevsky until the '90s. I don't remember what initially drew me to it, but so glad I did...there's just so much that resonates deeply with me. His life with the near execution experience and the Siberian prison and how his views changed and evolved interest me a lot as well...Frank's biography is fascinating.
Regarding the translations, I've read some various things regarding the differences, and the P&V approach seems more appealing to me. Below is an interesting piece that includes commentary on Garnett and P&V.:
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The Translation Wars
How the race to translate Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky continues to spark feuds, end friendships, and create small fortunes.www.newyorker.com
I keep them to re-read them.What do you all do with the books that you have read? I donate them to the local library
Same. And even the ones I do not reread, I keep for reference purposes. Plus I just love books...and in a world run mostly by Orwellian lunatics, the digitization process of everything is like putting it all into a giant heap to be set aflame. Unaltered hard copies of original text may be rare treasures in the future.I keep them to re-read them.
I used to listen to audiobooks back when I had a commute. I really enjoyed them and it made the commute something I kind of looked forward to.Not to derail, but does anyone here enjoy audiobooks? I do the bulk of my reading with them. I prefer female readers, and Brits when possible. When I was a boy our teachers (all female) would read to us. I always found it soothing and it must’ve stuck. Audiobooks can take your drive-time (and walking, rucking, yard work time) to a whole new level. It’s a great way to fit in more books in a year.
Also, do you all keep book logs? I’ve been cataloging my reading since I got seriously into books and self-education about 20 years ago. It’s fun and informative to go back and see what I’ve read, see patterns emerge in my thinking, and track the course of my further education.
Wow, we are very similar! I also used to try and cram in as many books as possible in a year. Looking back that was kind of stupid, but I was also a lot younger and I guess I was trying to catch up from years of wasted time. It’s funny how we can lose track of what reading and learning is all about.I used to listen to audiobooks back when I had a commute. I really enjoyed them and it made the commute something I kind of looked forward to.
I keep book logs too! It’s fun to go back and see the patterns of interests I had. Sometimes it reminds me to go revisit some books/series or expand on that interest . I used to keep track of the books I read because I wanted to read as many books a year as I possibly could. I’ve stopped caring about how many books I read and I just try to slow down and enjoy them instead of rushing through them. I scratch my head as to why I did that but I guess I was young and thought it was a competition haha. Reading is even more enjoyable when I slow down and savor a good book.
I think that the translation issue is really all about preference, unless you are an academic. My first experiences of reading Dostoevsky were all Garnett, and that is the version I fell in love with. I switched to P&V and struggled through several works, only to realize that they just don't resonate with me.I've thought of reading the Garnett versions as well, but I so deeply loved the P&V that I'm not sure I want to experience it any other way.
I have been using Goodreads to log my reading for the last 15 years or so, and it is a lot of fun looking back at my history and at the statistics they provide.Also, do you all keep book logs? I’ve been cataloging my reading since I got seriously into books and self-education about 20 years ago. It’s fun and informative to go back and see what I’ve read, see patterns emerge in my thinking, and track the course of my further education.
To those I would add Notes from Underground; although Crime and Punishment is my personal favorite.The only translation I've read of his major novels is Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, so I can't personally compare with others...but one of the foremost Dostoevsky authorities, Joseph Frank (I've also read his 5 volume Dostoevsky biography) considered their translations to be the "closest to Dostoevsky's Russian as possible".
It's hard for me to compare or rank the major novels because I like them all so much (I've read them all twice and Karamazov 3 times) but if I had to pick, I'd probably put them in this order (with The Idiot and C&P really tied for third):
The Brothers Karamazov
Demons
The Idiot
Crime and Punishment
The Adolescent
Yes, absolutely...I was only listing the major novels, but I do love the novellas such as Notes from Underground, Notes from a Deadhouse, The Gambler, The Double, as well as the shorter stories such as The Eternal Husband and the others in that collection...there are some real gems there as well.To those I would add Notes from Underground; although Crime and Punishment is my personal favorite.
I need to listen to a “new to me” audiobook sometime soon. Every year or so I try listening to an audiobook but I always choose a book I love and know. The result has been that I am totally unsatisfied because I already have the authors voice in my head. I expect a certain cadence and it bothers me when words and names are pronounced differently than I expect. I’m sure I would enjoy an audiobook if I came to it without preconceptions or if it were read by the original author. Unfortunately I have a hard time finding contemporary literature that I can really get into.Not to derail, but does anyone here enjoy audiobooks? I do the bulk of my reading with them. I prefer female readers, and Brits when possible. When I was a boy our teachers (all female) would read to us. I always found it soothing and it must’ve stuck. Audiobooks can take your drive-time (and walking, rucking, yard work time) to a whole new level. It’s a great way to fit in more books in a year.
Also, do you all keep book logs? I’ve been cataloging my reading since I got seriously into books and self-education about 20 years ago. It’s fun and informative to go back and see what I’ve read, see patterns emerge in my thinking, and track the course of my further education.