The book is the product of a very big mind, who lost interest in almost everything war and peace was about before he died. Prince andrei bolkonsky, who leaves his family behind to fight in the war against. Count rostov, a generous, kind spendthrift, can deny his family nothing. On its surface, float swiftly by logs and stumps, cakes of ice.
Stt y title w this book should bcrcturned on or before the date last marked below. A book that you don t just read, you live simon schama. All of which is to say basically, it is what it is. War and peace reading, listening, watching wyatts world.
Born on r books, well read war and peace one chapter per day and well discuss it here. It is regarded as one of tolstoys finest literary achievements and remains a classic of world literature the novel chronicles the french invasion of. Were on the trail, preparing to ride 22 miles to a small college town. War and peace by leo tolstoy, trans anthony briggs 1,392pp, penguin classics. In my opinion, neither is really good, theyre both soso, but maude is the better one. The first two times i petered out for no reason in particular. How does the war and peace miniseries compare to the book. Nominated as one of americas bestloved novels by pbss the great american read set against the sweeping panoply of napoleons invasion of russia, war and peacepresented here in the first new english translation in forty yearsis often considered the greatest novel ever written. Pierre is awkward and strange, but hes his fathers favorite child, and. War and peace pevearvolokhonsky translation by leo. War and peace is as much an historical treatise as it is a novel and i became as engaged in the story of the napoleonic war in russia as in the lives of the principal characters. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. Anthony briggs claims leo tolstoy is comparatively easy to translate.
When he saw the first hussar with the unbuttoned uniform of his regiment, when he. The theme of war, however, is subordinate to the story of family. It is a living organism that is never quite the same as you remembered. War and peace by leo tolstoy translated by anthony briggs books. My copy has smaller text, so im at page 780 of 960 right now. Conquering this everest was the test of whether you were a manreader. But first i have to load my book in the pannier, the penguin deluxe classic edition of war and peace, translated by anthony briggs. But just as it takes specialized knowledge to understand exactly why a magnet. The initial expressions of discomfort had made me despair a bit of our company, but the final submissions that have so eloquently stood up for long,slow sentences. From the awardwinning translators of anna karenina and the brothers karamazov comes this magnificent new translation of tolstoys masterwork. Orlando figes is the prizewinning author of a peoples.
At over 1400 pages long, this book may seem daunting but i urge anyone to read it, and like me, you may find it the one of the most rewarding book you will ever read. Text fly within the book only tight binding book co uj ft m oup 2273 191 179 10,000 copies. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading war and peace. Penguin classics kindle edition by tolstoy, leo, briggs, anthony. It is first and foremost a cornucopia of compelling narrative entertainment on a grand scale, but on a more personal level there are a. A book that you dont just read, you live simon schama. It is hard to imagine that circumstances will ever again combine to make a more spectacular, expensive, and yes splendid movie.
Translated by richard pevear and larissa volokhonsky vintage classics kindle edition by tolstoy, leo, pevear, richard, volokhonsky, larissa. War and peace is what the author wished and was able to express in the form in which it is expressed. War and peace war and peace best translation showing 1. Set against the backdrop of a vast country under dire threat and containing fourteen hundred pages, five hundred characters, and a serious attempt to resolve the questions of how best to live life, this is the basis of the worlds finest novel, war and peace. When i first read war and peace i knew i was going to spend a long time with this book and wanted to make sure i picked a version that i would enjoy that time with. The reason why what machiavelli thinks is important to us today is that his writings have.
With no false modesty, war and peace is like the iliad, he declared after completing his 1,200page magnum opus. The briggs version is a great translation for a firsttime reader of war and peace. When i was growing up, the conventional wisdom was that war and peace was the sine qua non of difficult books. War and peace penguin classics paperback february 24, 2009. Pick a section and chapter and read a few paragraphs in each and see which one works better for you. Embracing the whole epoch, it is the grandiose literary event, showcasing the gallery of great men painted by a lively brush i tried for five months to write something more polished, less rambling. We personally assess every books quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. There is no arguing in it about the waste, and the demoralization, and the cruelty, and the unmanliness of it, but, like all russian argument, it is by vivid pictures such as no one can resist. If you choose to get a copy of the anthony briggs translation of war and peace, penguin has a beautiful hardback and clothbound edition.
It is its own justification, and perhaps needs no introduction. Well take pictures of the goldfinches, the llamas, and the cows along the way. It always reminds the translator of a broad and mighty river flowing onward with all the majesty of fate. War and peace pevearvolokhonsky translation by leo tolstoy. Even anthony briggs, its latest translator, tells us that this novel has been well served by its several his word. Free delivery on your first eligible order to uk or ireland. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Professor tony briggs is former professor of russian at the university of birmingham, and is the author of six books on russian literature. After marrying in 1862, he began writing war and peace, which was finished in 1869.
The characters may be wearing different clothes, but people are people. And war and peace is the definitive epic of all time. Theres pierre, one of the illegitimate children of count bezukhov. War and peace is a book by the russian writer leo tolstoy. War and peace by leo tolstoy, translated by anthony briggs viking. Adam thirlwell is a little suspicious of his version of war and peace. A strong attempt at staying faithful to the novel, it won an oscar for best. As lay readers, the specific qualities that make war and peace so great can be hard to assess.
We meet a lot of people at a party in petersburg a. Even anthony briggs, its latest translator, tells us that this novel has been well. It is regarded as one of tolstoys finest literary achievements. Pevear says he doesnt know what a translator would gain by this exercise, and makes clear his own preference for translations that do not go overboard for the. I ended up choosing the one that read the best to me which was briggs. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. A book may be called a classic, but being a classic does not mean that anyone who reads this book will enjoy it. Whats the best translation of war and peace by leo.
Ive only read one translation of war and peace the anthony briggs translation published by penguin in 2006 but i chose it after deciding it was the one that would best suit me. When one is adapting an epic 19th century, fourvolume, 1,255page novel containing dozens of characters from five aristocratic families and featuring reallife personas such as. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. From some words about war and peace, published in 1868 in russian archive. Hey, so im just about finished with reading war and peace right now. Jan 19, 2016 a book may be called a classic, but being a classic does not mean that anyone who reads this book will enjoy it. Mar 24, 2017 explore and expand your consciousness at quotes from the masterpiece war and peace by leo tolstoy, accompanied by 7 paintings and one image. Mar 24, 2010 the element is that conflict and peace is a famously long e book. War and peace, like all of count tolstois works, is a mighty protest against war. War and peace penguin classics by leo tolstoy paperback. On approaching it, rostov felt as he had done when approaching his home in moscow.
Pierre bezukhov, the illegitimate son of a count who is fighting for his inheritance and yearning for spiritual fulfillment. Jan 22, 2016 the book is the product of a very big mind, who lost interest in almost everything war and peace was about before he died. Pierre is awkward and strange, but hes his fathers favorite child, and his father is old and rich so hes got that going for him. I went to barnes and noble and read the same section from every translation that they had. When returning from his leave, rostov felt, for the first time, how close was the bond that united him to denisov and and the whole regiment. Anthony briggs has written, translated, or edited twenty books in the fields of russian and english literature. The book is very readable for nearly being 150 years old. Briggs in his afterword suggests we might try to imagine how the average russian reads war and peace and.
Translated by richard pevear and larissa volokhonsky vintage classics. Pernicious ambition and tolstoys war and peace on the. War and peace war and peace best translation showing 150. Antonys briggs acclaimed translation of tolstoys great russian epic. Defending pevear and volokhonsky the new york times. The novel chronicles the french invasion of russia and the impact of the napoleonic era on tsarist society through the stories of five russian aristocratic families. War and peace broadly focuses on napoleons invasion of russia in 1812 and follows three of the most wellknown characters in literature. According to niccolo machiavelli, the 14th century italian father of political science, there is no difference. Explore and expand your consciousness at quotes from the masterpiece war and peace by leo tolstoy, accompanied by. Jan 18, 2016 when one is adapting an epic 19th century, fourvolume, 1,255page novel containing dozens of characters from five aristocratic families and featuring reallife personas such as napoleon and tsar. There are differences of opinion as to which tolstoy actually meant when he authored the book, as you can read here or more at length here russian.
How does the war and peace miniseries compare to the. Sep 27, 2007 war and peace is as much an historical treatise as it is a novel and i became as engaged in the story of the napoleonic war in russia as in the lives of the principal characters. War and peace is a novel by the russian author leo tolstoy, published serially, then in its entirety in 1869. Briggs, on the other hand, writes devil knows why i had to take on that wotten wat, both better english and without the. If all else fails, head to a book store, look at two different translations side by side. Librivox public domain recording of war and peace, book 15, by leo tolstoy. War and peace is primarily concerned with the histories of five aristocratic familiesparticularly the bezukhovs, the bolkonskys, and the rostovsthe members of which are portrayed against a vivid background of russian social life during the war against napoleon 180514. War and peace includes many people, events, and ideas. The path taken to find the right translation for war and peace has been a winding one. Jan 01, 2009 war and peace is as much an historical treatise as it is a novel and i became as engaged in the story of the napoleonic war in russia as in the lives of the principal characters. War and peace and tolstoys other major prose work, anna karenina 187577, are considered tolstoys finest literary.
The novel charts the history of the french invasion of russia, and the impact of the napoleonic era on tsarist society, through the stories of five russian aristocratic families. War and peace and tolstoys other major prose work, anna karenina 187577, are considered tolstoys finest literary achievements. I am bilingual, englishrussian, and i could see the problems in both. His second great work, anna karenina, was finished in 1876. It is regarded as one of the central works of world literature. Oct 07, 2005 war and peace by leo tolstoy, trans anthony briggs 1,392pp, penguin classics. Jan 20, 2008 in russian, the book s name is voina i mir, which may mean war and peace but may also mean war and society, since peace and society are homonyms in russian. War and peace is positively what might be called a russian illiad. My older and battered edition of war and peace is penguins earlier paperback, with a portrait of a russian princess on the. In russian, the books name is voina i mir, which may mean war and peace but may also mean war and society, since peace and society are homonyms in russian.
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