/lit/ - Literature

>>18901515
Buying translations without consulting revuews first is a big no no

>>18901525
Where to go for reviews? Goodreads is full of retards with no reading comprehension.

>>18901545
Generally just cross reference a bunch of Google search results of random forums when typing in best translation of *blank*. Then when i see which ones get recommended the most, i look for direct comparisons of the translations.

>>18901545
What the hell? I didn't know that Goodreads was a mirror store all along?

>>18901525
I trust /lit/ more than any other literature forum.

So, has anyone read it?

I bought some dover thrift editions from Amazon like 8 years ago and was not impressed. The paper is too thin and cheap, the margins too small. They were literally uncomfortable to read and the translations used are public domain, and translations 100 years ago weren't to the highest standard. You could "translate" a book and sell thousands of copies before someone called you out on your shitty work. I would rather read an ebook on my computer.

>>18901760
>public domain
so its the garnett translation nice.

>>18901515
dont worry op since anon said its pub domain there's a good chance that its the garnett translation. she does a good job and is sufficient enough. watch out for p&v shills, their going to shit on garnett for no fucking reason. they praise p&v for being accurate word for word but the way they do their translations are fucking retarded.

https://www.commentary.org/articles/gary-morson/the-pevearsion-of-russian-literature/

>>18901760
It's literally called THRIFT, did you expect expensive paper?

>>18901760
>>18901794
Thanks. It says Garnett, unabridged and corrected version. What does corrected mean?

>>18901856
Then why is it just as expensive as other publications?

>>18901909
last time i bought a dover, it was dirt cheap

>>18901916
When was that, old man? The '80s?

>>18901928
100+ page books are like $3 new.

>>18901902
it means that some of the minor errors is corrected. its good. if hemingway can read the garnett version then we can. also yo shoul've bought the kino wordsworth editions. its cheaper then the dover editions. its like 2 dollars a book.

Just go with the latest penguin

>>18901991
cringe.

>>18901986
>its cheaper then the dover editions.
Wow.

>>18901760
dover thrift editions are good for their math/physics books and for books that are otherwise out of print. they also did a few compilation type books (i believe they had a 'decadence' reader collection among a few others).

>>18902006
than* sorry i was being retarded anon.

Arent the Vintage Pevear and Vol translations considered the besr,?

>>18902026
Nah, I wasn't trying to correct your typo. I was genuinely suprised that they were cheaper than Dover's.

i never understood why people read Dostoevsky in english translation. Dostoevsky is the author who must be read in the original language and with dictionaries.

>>18902045
Bad opinion alert. Weee-oooo Weee-oooo

>>18902038
https://www.commentary.org/articles/gary-morson/the-pevearsion-of-russian-literature/

theres also some other articles regarding this

https://johnmcwhorter.substack.com/p/pevear-and-volokhonsky-are-indeed

>>18902043
oh lol yea they're really cheap. their quality aren't bad too. the print is fine and the paper is good for the price. so far i've only bought the dosto and tolstoy stuff they have, shakespeare, and joyce.

>>18902060
This is a little depressing but I'm glad I know now. I may have to re read Notes under a different translator

>>18901515
It's translated by Constance Garnett. Her Doestoevsky translations aren't good.

Try Ronald Wilks or Michael R. Katz.

>>18902038
Pevear & Volokhonsky are especially bad for Notes from Underground. They make a major mistranslation on the first page ("Wicked" in place of "Spite") and the rest of the book suffers from it.

The intro they wrote to the book is greaty though. Worth picking up just for the intro IMO. (And reading an actual translation from Wilks or Katz.)

>>18902118
why is garnett considered bad ?

>>18902045
Incorrect. He's a terrible stylist in native Russian. He's one of the few Russian authors that lose very little in translation.

>>18902136
She's not bad per se. She just makes all the Russians read in the same flowery style. (Akin to early 20th century British novels.) And she also omits details she finds distasteful.

This approach is fine for Turgenev or Chekhov. But it pairs poorly with Dostoevsky IME.

This is the Wilks.

>>18902171
Thanks.

>>18901986
>2 dollars a book
they're at least 8 to 9 dollars on Book Depository and 15 on Amazon for me

>>18902774
idk bro in my country its $2.50 i live in a 3rd world country (indonesia)

>>18901760
this is my same experience with penguin books, the paper is really thin compared to like vintage books where the paper is thick and comfortable to handle.

>>18902790
well the prices make sense since I live in Israel

>>18901515
Post incipit

Overrated shit book.

>>18903102
What do you like?

>>18903231
Karamazov Brothers

>>18903102
>>18903384
holy cringe

>>18902903
Sorry for the late reply.

>>18904472
No idea why image got rotated when I posted it.

>>18901515
The Ralph Matlow edition is all I need.

>>18901515
It's the one by Garnett, I have it. It's pretty good and way better than P&V.

>>18906005
Which publication is this?

>>18902060
>>18902127
is their translation of The Idiot ok?

>>18902065
Wordsworth books have a good quality especially considering the price. They print a lot of copies to reach that price point. I was surprised when I bought my first Ww book. Pretty decent books and some have notes. I have their complete Dosto set and some Conrad books. Will get their Dickens in the future.

>>18906348
Plume, 2003

https://www.bookfinder.com/search/?isbn=9780452285583&st=xl&ac=qr

>>18903102
no its good

>>18906837
Thanks.

>>18906599
i have a copy of dave copperfield its p good haven't got around to rreading it just yet tho. yeah i have the dosto set, looks nice with all of em being there. im just missing demons. ww is not bad desu idk why people like to shit on them. i guess its the covers. they also have another collection of world literature, i got my thus spoke zarathustra copy from WW. the paper is thicker the prin is the same quality and the priice of it remaiins the same (at least the one i bought was). they have spinoza and hume irc so i might get those if i manage to find them