b. 1943 / b. 1945
A husband-and-wife team known for close, texture-preserving versions of the Russians.
The most talked-about modern version, and the most divisive. Pevear and Volokhonsky work from a literal draft by Volokhonsky, then shape it, aiming to keep exactly what other translators remove: the repetitions, the awkwardness, the untranslated French, the un-English word order. Admirers say it is the closest you get to reading Tolstoy in Russian; detractors find it stilted. Well annotated. If you care about texture and do not mind a bumpier ride, this is the one to argue about.
The version everyone argued about, and the one Oprah sent up the bestseller lists. Volokhonsky drafts literally, Pevear shapes, and the aim is to keep exactly what smoother translators remove: Tolstoy’s insistent repetitions, the untranslated French of the salons, the un-English rhythms. Admirers say it is the closest thing to reading Tolstoy in Russian; detractors find the results stiff and self-conscious in English. The notes are good and the French is left on the page with translations. If you care about texture and want to feel the seams of the original, this is the one to own and quarrel with; if you just want the story to flow, look at Bartlett or Garnett.
The version that reopened the argument about how Dostoevsky should sound in English. Volokhonsky drafts close to the Russian, Pevear shapes, and the point is to keep what Garnett smooths: the nervous repetitions, the dashes, the unfinished sentences and colloquial jolts that make the prose feel feverish. Admirers say it finally lets English readers hear Dostoevsky’s actual voice; critics find it clumsy or literal in places. The notes are helpful. It reads rougher than Garnett or Ready by design, which is either the whole point or a barrier depending on your taste. A strong choice if you want texture over smoothness and do not mind the friction.
The version that launched the Pevear and Volokhonsky partnership and won them a following. Their whole method suits this book: keep the separate voices separate, preserve the repetitions and dashes and the narrator’s fussy digressions, and let the English stay a little foreign rather than smoothing everyone into one register. Admirers say the buffoonery, the sermons, and the family screaming matches finally sound as different as they should; detractors find the results awkward in spots. Well annotated, and it keeps the texture Garnett irons out. Rougher and more effortful than Avsey by design. The one to own if you want to hear the chorus of voices, and to argue about.