Reading classics in translation — does it matter which translation?
I want to read Anna Karenina and I've seen people say the Pevear/Volokhonsky translation is best and others say it's overrated. Does the translation matter this much?
I want to read Anna Karenina and I've seen people say the Pevear/Volokhonsky translation is best and others say it's overrated. Does the translation matter this much?
The translation question is actually interesting because different translators make genuine interpretive choices. For major classics it's worth researching.
For Tolstoy, yes. The Maude translation is more readable. P/V is more faithful but can feel stilted. For Dostoevsky, P/V is better. For Homer, Emily Wilson's new translation is transformative.
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