I am in the middle (not quite, on page 160) of Crime and Punishment. I picked the book up used for 48 cents. I just now got to thinking though, and am curious how good this translation is. It is translated by David Magarshack and it appears to now be out of print. It is a "Penguin Classic," so I figured it can't be a bad translation. What is the best translation? And is the one I'm reading now any good?
Thanks,
Dan
Philip Reuben
03-10-04, 06:34 PM
I'd be interested to know about this as well. I read it a couple of months ago, but the translation I read was by Jessie Coulson.
Beaver
03-13-04, 10:40 PM
The one I have (unread) is by Constance Garnett. It is a cheapo B&N version.
aasimon
03-24-04, 03:00 PM
I would have to say that the best translation of Crime and Punishment is the one done by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. I've tried to read other translations, including the Penguin Classics, but they fail to capture the feeling that Dostoevsky was trying to convey.
If you are interested, Pevear and Volokhonsky have also translated some of Dostoevsky's other works such as The Brothers Karamazov and Demons, both of which I would highly recommend.
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