Introducing an article series on Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace", one of the world's greatest novels.
War and Peace is not the least intimidating book I’ve ever opened. At 1215 pages, it makes a time-consuming read. At 4 lbs, it makes a formidable doorstop.
But I’m excitedly making my way through it. My interest in Russian literature was first sparked by a class on Leo Tolstoy, and he has remained a favorite writer ever since. Though I’ve read Anna Karenina and many of Tolstoy’s novellas and short stories, I always knew that I’d have to take on War and Peace to call myself a true lover of Tolstoy. After all, how can I know that it is true love if I don’t test it?
The timing is perfect; a new translation was printed in 2007 by the renowned translating couple, Richard Pevar and Larissa Volokhonsky, who have been making fresh translations of Russian classics, like Crime and Punishment and Dead Souls. Their translation of Anna Karenina in 2000 was a popular pick in Oprah’s Book Club.
In War and Peace, they have managed to translate Tolstoy’s words into smooth English without compromising the vitality of the text. Pevear and Volokhonsky are known for staying true to the original, and have kept the large French passages, often translated into English along with the Russian, in the original language. A translation is in the footnotes at the bottom of the page.
The first 150 pages have not left me disappointed, neither in the novel nor the translation. Let’s hope that I can say the same after the next 1,050 pages. In weeks to come, look to the World Literatures site for a series of articles breaking down the book’s plot and themes, such as my first article, War and Peace: Volume I, Part I, as well as some updates on my progress.
And wish me luck.
