The best translation without a doubt is the one you'll read :) I have read a few of the translations and the Maud is OK for me, P & V is awesome, but i have grown to love Anthony Briggs because..no French! yay! lol

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

Oh the French… it makes Briggs’s a very tempting translation!

Hands down the best video you've done by far !!!! Thank you for sharing. The fact that you're just an average reader who's done (her) due diligence to me makes you the most credible of all. I've tried a few times to get in to War and Peace.... I'm sold now on having to push through ( I have the newly revised Oxford World's Classics translation of War and Peace, and Resurrection by Tolstoy. Maybe this Feb. March will be my Tolstoy months.... Also thank you for the validation, that I'm not the only one who has books on my shelf for more than a decade that I will get to one day

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much, Karen!! I’m sure when the time is right, you’ll soldier through War & Peace! Keep me posted! And, Karen, we ARE getting to “those” books. 🤗 Nobody needs to rush us.

I'm currently doing a re-read and I'm really enjoying the Rosemary Edmonds translation. I know it's outdated but I'm finding so easy to get through. I've only read the revise Maude translation before, and it's interesting seeing how different translators interpret the same scenes. I'm also learning Russian, so I'd LOVE to read it in the original Russian one day (though doubtful my Russian will ever be that good).

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

The Edmonds translation must be good because I think Penguin used it for years. I’m so happy to hear you’re enjoying it! You’re learning Russian?! That’s awesome!!

@buttheclouds

8 ай бұрын

Penguin used Edmonds for 50 years.

I was about to place an order on War & Peace, then found your video randomly which now I'm very thankful for, cause you made the process easier. Also, I loooove your spirit, I feel we can talk about books forever.

@RoadReads

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for letting me know the video was helpful, Sarah!! That makes me smile! Happy reading!

I also just read The Count of Monte Cristo and War & Peace both for the first time this year. Loved them both. For W&P I read the Briggs, you’ve made me want to check out some of the others. Great video, thanks!

@RoadReads

4 ай бұрын

So happy you loved them both!! And what an amazing way to start out your reading year!

I read the Garnet translation and contrary to the experiences of many other readers I never got hung up on the language being antiquated or too wordy. I read her version of Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, and Notes when I was in high school, so when I returned to another one of her translations many years later, that of War and Peace, it was like returning to an old friend. My issue with P&V is that to my eye it feels like their text is derived from a conglomeration of other translations (which by Itself seems like it should be an asset) whereby their technique is not to to take the best from all but on the contrary to differentiate their own enough to make it it’s own unique yet modern thing. The problem in many cases though when you reword something that doesn’t need rewording is that the new text appears awkward because why change something that didn’t have a problem before? In the best cases P&V smooths out some awkward passages themselves, and I appreciate them for making those more accessible to certain readers, but the lack of feeling in their translation compounded by that other problem I mentioned really makes them inaccessible to me. When it comes down to it they don’t have a sense of the music in the language and my suspicion is that there’s some ghost translating going on and P&V have just found a effective process for marketing what at the end of the day is just another literary puppy mill operation.

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for commenting, Sal! From what I understand of P&V’s work though, is that they are working off of Tolstoy’s text in their first couple of gos at their translation. Only later in their process are they looking into previous translations.

@salcorbit6330

2 жыл бұрын

@@RoadReads And thank you for the response Ms. Reads. My impression of their process came from comparing the translations, my recollections of how students will reword a text to get away with soft plagiarism, and my sense of how their very prolific output of translations reaches market. Call me paranoid and jumping to unfair conclusions, but when I read their work I tend to attribute its disjointed language as if it’s being translated through multiple people, then smoothed as much as they can for cohesiveness and enough not to conflict with other translations that are being drawn from which are not yet in the public domain, so as not to run amiss of copyrights. The mass marketing campaigns around their work also make suspect of the little industry they’ve are supposed to have built all their own. My sense is that their are grunts putting together a draft of the most basic versions conglomerates into a whole, then rewriting that for readability, but readability is sometimes sacrificed when the text has to altered to not run into copyright issues other translations. Like I said, the kind of soft plagiarism you get when a student does the trick where a student rewrites a sentence in a sufficiently awkward way that it can’t be exactly proven as plagiarism. These could just be my incoherent ramblings, but I tend to not trust platforms authorities always, particularly when there is much money be made from the publishers perspective. And after all, people some to live the translation, so maybe it’s a victimless crime. Just some thoughts on a current I see in P&V and some other modern translations.

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

If you’re interested, there are interviews with P&V on KZread in which they share their process and philosophy on translations.

@todesque

Жыл бұрын

P&V - for me their work is utter garbage. Avoid at all costs.

I was looking for Red comet book reviews and just found your channel. I’m so glad I did. I’m already hooked! I love your personality and the way you talk about books. You inspire me and get me excited about reading. Thank you!! I would love to try reading war and peace now 😆

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so SO much for your sweet comment!! If you read Red Comet, I hope you enjoy it. - It’s a chunker of a book, but once she gets to the UK for school, the pace really picks up. I LOVED it!! Happy reading!

This is the first video from your channel that I've watched. Very well done! You're an engaging and knowledgeable commentator. Loved hearing your opinions and your enthusiasm for War & Peace makes want to finally jump in and read it. Keep up the great work!

@RoadReads

Жыл бұрын

Thank you very much! I appreciate you taking the time to leave such a kind comment! Happy reading!!

amazing video, exactly what I was looking for. Thank You!

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

That’s wonderful to hear! Happy reading!

I picked up the Oxford Classics to read this year not even thinking about translations and how that might effect my experience. This was actually really informative and your enthusiasm made for a fun watch.

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

Thank YOU!! I hope you enjoy your War & Peace reading!!

I’m always impressed by how you dive deeply into a book by gathering so many important details about it. I’ll be reading a pocket size in two books but I have no clue if translation to French is good or not…

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

Oh thank you, Julie! If only I could retain all the information in perpetuity. I hope your translation works out for you! Happy weekend!!

Hey Susan!! Amazing video, I could see how much you liked it by the sparkle in your eyes!! I will keep those informations of yours when I choose my copy of W&P PS I love the hair scarf, you look even prettier with it, dear 🌷😘

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

Oh thank you, Nayara!!

I loved your video... because you do your research so well. ❤

@RoadReads

10 ай бұрын

Thank you VERY much!

wow this was so well done. I am beyond impressed.

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you, Brandon!

Thank you! I've tried multiple translations, this is helpful

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

Wonderful, Brendon!

I really enjoyed your discussion! I am preparing to read War and Peace, and I decided to go with the Briggs translation since it seems to be the consensus "most readable" or "easiest" one. I know going in that I'm probably getting a more British version of a Russian work, but I'm okay with that. If I absolutely adore the novel, I will certainly reread it down the road in a different form. I will say that picking the right translation is an important part of reading and enjoying a work from another language, but it's also pointless to agonize over it (and it's easy to fall into that--believe me, I get it). How wonderful it would be to read all of these novels in their native language! And yes, I will definitely leave my thoughts on it in this video or one of your later videos when I finish it!! It's one of my mom's all-time favorites, and she's quite well-read (especially compared to me), so I'm going to trust her on this one. I'm looking forward to it.

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

I really don’t think you can go wrong with any of the translations I mentioned and the Briggs is a great choice! Keep me posted!!

Great review of your reading experience! I have the same version on my Kindle and I'll be reading it soon (just a couple of books in the queue before it). Your comments on footnotes are interesting. One thing that I don't care for on the Kindle (although I read 75% of my books on it) is with trying to read the footnotes - I always end up progressing to the next page instead of getting to the note. Books with extensive footnotes are a challenge on that device. The hardcover version of War and Peace that I have is a Garnett version, probably from the 1940's or 1950's. Your review of the various translations are appreciated! Thanks!

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching, Charles! Good luck/best wishes on your upcoming WP read!

I do not have anything to contribute to this discussion as I haven't read the book yet but I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed this video. It really increases my anticipation reading it. I know the importance of translation quality but it was really good to have a short overview on what is out there for War and Peace.

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you, Marianna!! 🥰🥰🥰

It's good to hear that it's readable. I am reading this book in March, so I came to find the best translation to go with.

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

Wonderful! I hope you have a great reading of W&P!!

Great insights, thank you

@RoadReads

6 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching!

Ok Susan you've convinced me to give war and peace a go. If its outdoing the count of monte Cristo then it's a must !! Great review and really thorough research on the different translations. I think I'll save it till November as I always associate Russia and winter together I'm my mind somehow. Cheers for the nod. 📚✴🔱

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

Definitely save it till you’re in the mood! 🙃😁

I’ve been leaning towards the Briggs. Not sure I’ll do a multi-version exploration, though. 😆 But you’re spurring me to move it up on my schedule.

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

You read the Briggs and report back. (What I read of the Briggs, I enjoyed. Except that stupid second epilogue. But that’s not Briggs’s fault.)

'Another book by Leo Tolstoy: one of the greatest in all the languages of the world, War and Peace. Not only the greatest but also the most voluminous...thousands of pages. I don’t know that anybody reads such books except myself. They are so big, so vast, they make you afraid. But Tolstoy’s book has to be vast, it is not his fault. War and Peace is the whole history of human consciousness - the whole history; it cannot be written on a few pages. Yes, it is difficult to read thousands of pages, but if one can one will be transported to another world. One will know the taste of something classic. Yes, it is a classic. Nobody is more worthy of a Nobel Prize than Leo Tolstoy. His creativity is immense, he was unsurpassed by anyone. He was nominated, but refused by the committee because of his unorthodox stories on Christianity. The Prize committee opens its records every fifty years. When records were opened in 1950, researchers rushed to see whose names were nominated and cancelled and for what reason. Leo Tolstoy was nominated, but never given the prize as he is not an orthodox Christian. Leo Tolstoy is one of Russia’s wisest men of the 20th century and his ideas on non-violence deeply influenced Mahatma Gandhi’s ideology. Mahatma Gandhi declared three persons his master. The first was Leo Tolstoy, the second was Henry Thoreau, and the third was Emerson. Once Leo Tolstoy was asked - How many experiences did you have of divine ecstasy in your life? Tolstoy started crying. He replied - Not more than 7 in my life of 70 years, but I am grateful for those 7 moments and miserable too. In those moments it was evident that is could have been the flavor of my whole life but that didn’t happen. Those moments came and went on their own. But I am still grateful to God that even without any conscious effort on my part, once in a while He has been knocking at my doors. Anna Karenina is one of my most loved books. How many times I have read it I can’t remember. I mean the number of times - I remember the book perfectly well, I can relate the entire book. If I was drowning in the ocean and had to choose just one novel out of all the millions of novels in the world, I would choose Anna Karenina. It would be beautiful to be with that beautiful book. It has to be read and read again; only then you can feel it, smell it, and taste the flavor. It is no ordinary book. Leo Tolstoy failed as a saint, just as Mahatma Gandhi failed as a saint, but Leo Tolstoy was a great novelist. Mahatma Gandhi succeeded as - and will remain forever - a pinnacle of sincerity. I don’t know of any other man in this century who was so sincere. When he wrote to people ‘sincerely yours’ he was really sincere. When you write ‘sincerely yours’, you know, and everybody else knows, and the person to whom you are writing also knows, that it is all bullshit. It is very difficult, almost impossible, to really be ‘sincerely yours’. That’s what makes a person religious - sincerity .Leo Tolstoy wanted to be religious but could not be. He tried hard. I feel great sympathy with his effort, but he was not a religious person. He has to wait at least a few more lives. In a way it is good that he was not a religious man, otherwise we would have missed Resurrection, War and Peace, Anna Karenina, and dozens more beautiful, immensely beautiful books. "

I am just starting War and Peace and I have the same translation. I also picked it up at the bookstore based on the physical feel of the book! :-) I love it so far! I also have it on my Kindle Oasis, but in that version Prince Andrei is "Andrew" which bothers me...so I need to find a different Kindle version. I love my kindle and I'm sure I will be reading a good part of in on there. Great video, I appreciate all the work that went in to explaining the different translations.

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

I wonder if your Kindle version is the original Maude translation. They anglicized the names. 🤦🏻‍♀️ (Though the 2010 revised Maude edition corrects that.) Good, good luck with your WP reading!!! Oh, and there is a Kindle version of the P&V translation! 🤗

Another translation that may deserve to be on your list for consideration is the Rosemary Edmunds one. It used to be the penguin before Briggs. I want to do the same, I can’t get enough of it!

@RoadReads

Жыл бұрын

Thank you! The differences in the translations is so interesting, isn’t it?

@NjIceTea

Жыл бұрын

@@RoadReads Yes! I am obsessed with translation lol. I read a lot of French and Russian classics so I am starting to get acquainted with many of the people doing it. I do not get along with P&V tho unfortunately haha, I cant stand their work, so they werent an option for me for W&P. I started with the Maude but then switched to Briggs because I felt something was off. I found a used copy of Rosemary Edmunds online, so I think I might read that one alongside Briggs or plan to read it for my next reading. Happy reading and great video!

@RoadReads

Жыл бұрын

Wonderful! Briggs is definitely the most readable. Happy reading!

Thank you for sharing! I have the Briggs' version. In my experience this version wasn't so hard to get into for the beginners. Its fluent, beautiful and fun. But i also heard it has been accused of less faithful comparing with Volokhonsky and Maudes. So I'm going to purchase another version War And Peace by Maudes to find out. Thanks again!

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

The Briggs translation has a lot going for it, not the least of which is translating the French within the text!! Thanks for watching!!

Thanks for the video on translations for this. I have Penguin and the Pevear one. I may bounce between them like you did

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

I think that’d be a great idea; see which you prefer. Happy reading!!

I read the same version of War and Peace recently. What a great video for readers planning to read it this year! I'm over half done with Anna Karenina by the same translators. Unless something really goes sideways, I like Anna Karenina a lot more than War and Peace. Loving it...

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

You do? - Wonderful! AK is soooo good!!

Translations area always a question when reading. I just finished Xenophon's Anabasis going back & forth between the Oxford & Penugin translations. I used four versions of W&P when I read the first half. (I've lived in Russia learned Russian in the 80s in the Army of all places.) The versions were P&V's, Anne Dunnigan's Signet, Maude's and finally Brigg's. I switched chapters as I read and I found PV more 'accurate' re Russian, Dunnigan & Maude's versions were both good but I ended up finding Brigg's version the most 'fun'. I've always liked Garnett translations, I think she gets a lot of guff which is unfortunate. Like you I was impressed at all the translations I read. Still for me the Brigg's is easily the most enjoyable esp the military scenes.

@RoadReads

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing your War & Peace translation reading experiences! And I’m happy you found what worked best for you with Briggs. I still need to do my first re-read, and I’m almost certain that I will go with Briggs for that.

Great video! I think I will tackle the P & V version.

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

I hope you enjoy the P&V translation, Donna!! If I were to only read one translation, that would have been my choice. But it’s nice that there are options!

Yes war and peace … let’s do it… March madness here we come. I picked my copy as the penguin clothbound Classic sooooo guess that is Briggs. Excited to read it- thanks 😊

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

Yes! You have the Briggs translation. I’ll be eager to hear what you think of it!!!

Hello. I've read about one third of the Maude translation of the novel and enjoyed it. (Family medical crisis caused me to put it aside for the time being). I'll pick up and start over and complete the reading in the future.

@RoadReads

Жыл бұрын

I’m so happy to hear you’ve been enjoying W&P! I hope you’re able to get back to it soon!

Hi, thanks for your discussion! I saw another KZreadr discuss the translations and mention the Maude update, but saw that after an in depth discussion, including reading the beginning and a favorite passage of four translations of Anna Karenina by yet another KZreadr. Of the four translations of AK, I found the Maudes’ to be the best (without knowing Russian, so no real basis). I want to read War and Peace first, though. I was really turned off by the more modern translations, for the reasons you alluded to here. That is, I don’t want characters from the early 1800s sounding more modern. Thus, because I liked the Maudes’ style of translation, but didn’t want it ‘revised’, I found a three volume hard cover edition in a slipcase from Everyman’s Library and ordered it a few minutes ago. By breaking it into three volumes, I feel it will relieve me of a feeling that I’m weightlifting, or dealing with tiny fonts and/or tight line spacing that also ruins reading for me. Thanks again for sharing your journey and discoveries!

@RoadReads

8 ай бұрын

I hope you enjoy the edition that you chose!! And it sounds like you made a well-thought out decision.

Susan! What a great video! I enjoyed every second of it. I bought the same edition of W&P and I now so glad that I did. Should I watch those interviews before I read the book or is it better to watch them after?

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you, Ana!! 🤗 The interviews I watched did mention a few spoilers, but I don’t know if I would have understood them had I not already read the book. So you’re probably fine either way. ☺️

@ABlurbFromTheSerb

2 жыл бұрын

@@RoadReads With my brain, I’ll forget them in like a week, so I’m not worried 🤣 thank you for the tips!

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

Same. 🤦🏻‍♀️

currently reading that new revised maude translation and enjoying it very much

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

Wonderful!!

This was so helpful. I am almost finished part 2 of volume 1 of the Briggs translation. I have been second guessing myself about the translation because I have noticed some of the vocabulary is a bit off for me. Too modern. Also I had no idea there was originally French in the novel. I don't think that Briggs made that very clear. I was getting a bit confused. So I am glad that I stumbled across your video. I am going to continue with the Briggs translation and then I am going to pick up a different transltion for my re-read. I don't know why it did not occur to me to do that!

@RoadReads

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for such a thoughtful comment, Katie! The Briggs’ translation DEFINITELY has its advantages, not the least of which is translating the French within the text. But a re-read in another translation will hopefully add to your overall thoughts on the book in general. Happy reading!

Your analysis of translations was helpful to me. I have the Garnett translation, but now with more research I am leaning toward the Maude translation for my first read. While many have praised the Briggs translation as you have for its readability, because he often uses the British English where in some cases, makes the book sound more British than American English including some slang which for me detracts from the feel of reading a Russian novel. I also want to see the French passages in French because they were written in that language for a reason in my opinion. Since I will read it more than once it will be interesting as to which translation I read for the second reading.

@RoadReads

Жыл бұрын

I hope you really enjoy the Maude translation, Glenn! And I completely understand your concerns with reading Briggs’s translation.

Haven’t read it, yet, but I do have a copy, the Oxford Classic with the Maude translation. Considering reading it sooner - your enthusiasm is contagious. Which should I start with? W&P or Anna Karenina? Translations do make a world of difference. I was brought up in French and Portuguese (in Belgium), moving to England after uni. I read Perfume by Süskind in French and then in English and both translations of the German were amazing. Other works aren’t so lucky - read Christie’s ABC Murders as a teenager in French and I didn’t like it. As soon as I read her in English, I loved her…

@RoadReads

6 ай бұрын

Now that I’ve had a bit of time away from reading W&P and AK, I preferred AK.

@verosnotebook

6 ай бұрын

@@RoadReads Good to know 😊 I’ll eventually get to both, one day.

I’m seeing crime and punishment on the back… could we maybe get a video about that one too? Pleaseee

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

Yeeess!! I would love to!!

Hi Susan ! I read « War and peace » last year, in french (my native language) and I’m currently reading the english version (The Maude’s), and I love so much that book that I may decide later on to read another translation of the book. The Pevear and Volokhonsky' is one of the translation I’d like to read. So my question is : Have you read the Maude’s yet and if so, what would you said about the two different translations ? Is it worth to read the Pevear and Volokhonsky''s version having read the Maude's version ? Thank-you for your time.

@RoadReads

Жыл бұрын

That’s wonderful you’re on your second reading! There’s so much French in the P&V translation that it should be a breeze for you! I’ve not read the Maude translation yet but it’s great to hear you are enjoying it so far.

@YvesCreange

Жыл бұрын

Thank you Susan. I have the Maude version (Oxford Classics edition), in which the parts in french have been reintegrated into the text. Curiously enough, I always read the footnotes where the french passages are translated into english. After reading the french version last year and doing a bit of research, I found that the original text had quite a few passages in french (which goes unnoticed in such a translation) and so, that's what decided me to read the english version.

Constance Garnett’s version is the best. The next is Ann Dunnigan, which is a very smooth read. The other versions? Forget them, they are just some revisions based on Garnett’s version.

@RoadReads

4 күн бұрын

I look forward to reading Garnett’s translation.

I was really interested in your edited tangents! Wish I knew what you were saying

@RoadReads

11 ай бұрын

I’m sure you weren’t missing anything. 😂🤭🫣

That was the copy of Anna that I read years ago. I still want to do War and Peace. I have the ebook one of the freebie ones. But still want to get a print copy I have one in my cart on amazon. I can't remember which addition I have there. One I put aside it's a cheaper version but I don't think I'll go with it because it will be smaller print for sure. I just went back and checked I have the Modern Classics version by Garnett translation that I was thinking about getting. I did do the help version when I did Anna.

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

Oh, a small font for W&P shouldn’t be allowed. 😜

@donnapanzardo3058

2 жыл бұрын

@@RoadReads I figured that. Reviews on that one weren't good because of font.

can you do a video about the translations you would recommend for the iliad and the odyssey? :D

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

That’s a great idea, Bea! I would love to do a video on that!

Could you give us an idea about how you’ve annotated this?

@RoadReads

Жыл бұрын

Hi, Sherri! I used different color flags for atmospheric writing, quotable lines, historic information, and lines that caused strong emotion. But gosh, after a while, it felt like a whole lot of flagging! 😂🤓

I think classics are exempt from spoilers. Works like The Iliad, Les Miserables, Tale Of Genji, and such are more about the translations. Personally, I try to avoid “modern” translations, as they focus on the use of, um, “simple” language and current vernacular. Even The Little Prince and Aladdin have “modern” translations. The Bible has a “modern” translation! 🙈💦

@RoadReads

2 жыл бұрын

You should have heard Pevear & Volokhonsky riff on some of Briggs’s slang-y phrases. It was funny, though perhaps a bit rude. 😂

Do y hv a review of Anna?

@RoadReads

9 ай бұрын

I don’t. I read it years ago, but will likely re-read it sometime!

Ann Dunnigan did a very good translation, I think she was an American professor. It was late 60's. Briggs is too casual for me although can see the appeal.

@RoadReads

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the Dunnigan info!

@todesque

Жыл бұрын

Dunnigan did a very fine job! For many years hers was my favorite. Then Briggs came along and shot to the top.