The Brothers Karamazov Paperback – June 14, 2002

Most people know that The Brothers Karamazov is an amazing novel, so I will only be criticizing the translation; however, I haven't read any other translations to verify my knowledge on the subject, and I would suggest going getting samples of different translations in order to best suit your needs.The Richard Peaver & Larissa Volokhonsky translation of The Brothers Karamazov is good. It's being marketed as the best, but it really isn't. There is not a 'best' translation of Dostoyevsky, or really, any other Russian author I've researched; no, there isn't a 'best' translation of a book that I know of. To my understanding the Peaver translations usually stick incredibly close to the original source material, which is a double edged sword; most people want a translation that doesn't loose something or other in translation. This one is very close to doing so, but as I said it's a double edged sword; they leave in the syntax, and a very foreign syntax at that. This can cause problems for a casual reader, but it wasn't a problem for me. What really matters is the readers personal preference. I will add the first sentence of the P&V, McDuff, and Garnett translations to see which one you'd most like:"Alexei Fyodorovich Karamazov was the third son of a land owner from our district, Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov, well known is his own day (and still remembered among us) because of his dark and tragic death, which happened exactly thirteen years ago and which I shall speak of in its proper place." - P&V"Aleksey Fyodorovich Karamazov was the third son of a landowner in our district, Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov, so noted in his time (and even now still recollected among us) for his tragic and fishy death, which occurred just thirteen years ago and which I shall report in its proper context." - McDuff"Alexey Fyodorovich Karamazov was the third son of Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov, a landowner well known in our district in his own day, and still remembered among us owing to his gloomy and tragic death, which happened thirteen years ago, and which I shall describe in its proper place." - GarnettMoving on to the edition I have. It's ISBN is 978-0374528379, but it is the best selling edition as of 8/1/2017; you probably won't have any trouble finding it. This paperback is a great durable edition. I kept it in my backpack for school each day for basically the entire second semester without too much serious wear (check the photos to judge yourself). The font is big enough to read well without straining your eyes... or at least it was for me. It's still holding together nicely is what I'm trying to say. The binding is glued, too; if you didn't know. This edition has a cover in which I will describe as rough-soft feeling; I enjoyed holding it in my hands.Finally, sorry for the poor camera quality. The soda can piece is there to show how big the text is in comparison. The torn piece on the back is from a mishap I am accountable for not the book, although it says something about the books durability; it happened near the end of my usage with it.

I got turned on to Russian literature by a friend who is in fact a well read, real Russian. Dostoyesky was one of his favorites and it's easy to see why after reading a few of his books. I still have to read Crime and Punishment but keep getting sidetracked by all the other great Russian authors out there. It's a shame and a sin that U.S. universities (or High Schools) do not make Russian literature required reading for students - it's so good and rich and just plain spellbinding. The Brothers Karamavoz is definitely one of those books with a lesson that, although it has been touched upon by other authors in a variety of books, is presented here in a unique and "Russian" way. Highly recommend this book.

I've read and listened to the Dickens-esque Garnett translation several tines over. As a Ort Christian, I wish everyone woukd read this book. This particular translation might be easier for someone who already knows the story and is more familiar with Russian language - it's not quite what I would call literal per se, just less "cleaned up." This novel is one with themes that surapss time and culture but also paints us picture of the pre-revolution period in Russia. Dostoevsky writes himself in as the narrator, inserting witty, non sequitur, sometomes in appropriate light-hearted commentary on characters and situations, and opinionated "side notes" that results in a polyphonic, awkwardly narrated tale, but leaves you feeling like you are curled uo with a cup of tea listening to a man with an interesting story tell it all while two drinks deep. His comments keep the story amusing and make it feel as though you're acquainted with these people. Below the surface of a gossipy tale from an acquaintance about the neighbors lies a philosophical and theological description of the Characters' major existential and minor, petty personal crises into a deeply intimate description of the war within every man and woman between intellectualism and faith, cynicism and hope, expectations and reality. After some 900 pages my first read thru, I set the kindle down, turned on the Audible version and started looking for another translation to ruminate on. After Rea all of the good, bad and ugly reviews I settled on this ons and so far I'm not disappointed. However, if you want the story, try another translation first. If you're like me and can't get enough of the characters and their stories, this translation adds depth and new insights to the story, turning it from Garnett's turn-of-the-last-century Brit-Lit style narrative, into a candid story story being told to you by the old Russian man next door.