What’s the best translation of War and Peace?
So you’re going to read War and Peace in English. A worthy ambition. But do you want the embedded French passages translated into English in the text itself, or in footnotes?
Which Translation
What’s the best translation of Solaris by Stanislaw Lem?
Now you can read Solaris, Stanislaw Lem’s best-known novel, in an English translation made directly from the original Polish!
What’s the best translation of Les Miserables?
I like big books and I cannot lie! Wordsworth Classics presents the Wilbour translation in two volumes, but Signet Classics still sells what may be the thickest mass-market paperback in existence. More pages than their War and Peace!
What’s the best translation of Anna Karenina?
I read and enjoyed the Maude translation, but most people will have heard of the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation, as it was chosen for Oprah’s book club in 2004. Supposedly it sounds more like Tolstoy than, say, Garnett…
What’s the best translation of The Plague by Camus?
The Plague is popular these days because of the pandemic; that’s a good thing, because it’s an essentially hopeful book.
What’s the best translation of The Tale of Genji?
If you have never read The Tale of Genji, my advice is, DON’T START WITH TYLER. That’s what I did: I started with Tyler. That was a mistake.
What’s the best English translation of Rizal’s novel Noli Me Tangere?
“The Noli” has been abridged, adapted, bowdlerized, and translated with several different titles, so there’s definitely some potential for confusion.
What’s the best translation of The Dream of the Red Chamber?
If you don’t want to read all 120 chapters, there’s a 60-chapter abridgement. And a kids’ version that’s only 64 pages (including the illustrations)!
What’s the best translation of Crime and Punishment?
“Not to have read it is a crime, and reading it is the punishment.”
What’s the best translation of The Count of Monte Cristo?
So you want to read Alexandre Dumas’ classic adventure, and you don’t read French. There are a host of publishers offering a myriad of paperback and hardcover editions and dozens of digital versions. What’s the difference?
