Why do people read poorly translated Dostoyevsky?

What is so bad about P&V

>>9805008
What translations do you suggest?

I started reading P&V, was frustrated with the strange sentence structures and somewhat wooden tone, then switched over to and read MacDuff.

On one hand, the latter is much easier to understand but on the other he makes the book even longer winded and I'd say removes a lot of the dry humor present in P&V and likely also Dostoyevsky's original. I think when I reread it I will pick the P&V version. I kind of understand the anti P&V circlejerk but honestly there's a lot of color there that's absent in MacDuff at the very least.

When I reread the book, I plan to read the P&V translation

Who fucking cares. I've had it with the constant fucking Dostoevsky translation threads, it's not like he's a difficult author to translate or that you'll miss anything in reading him in one translation over another. Yeesh.

>>9805058
That's not Dostoevsky though

>>9805064
This is true I've read p&v, avsey and macduff. They are all pretty much the same.

>>9805008
I like it so far. About a quarter of the way through the P&V translation.

How hard is Russian? Been meaning to learn some other language.

>>9805044
>mcduff

you people are so fucking annoying. Garnett is the tried and true Dosto translator. ANyone else is just a meme

>>9805297
I'm between japanese and russian to learn as a new language.

>>9806195
Garnett whose prose sounds the same whether you're reading Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky hmm wow really made me think there pal you might be into something

>>9806207
I've learned a few basic terms, nothing approaching conversational.

Is there a guide somewhere to the Cyrillic alphabet?

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I thought this was a good translation for the short stories (Magarshack) but i cant find any of the novels with this translator.
But then again it's the only translation I have

>>9806344
megashark is the worst.

>>9806319
no it doesn't you tard. Every major author read the garnet translations so it should be just fine for your spoiled ass .

>>9806359
what's wrong with it??

>>9806377
His translations are laughable. Garnets Dream of a Ridiculous man translation accurately captures the emotion that Dostoevsky was trying to convey but megasharks translation has no emotion and makes the narrator sound like he's mentally retarded.

>>9805064
Thank you. This shit is fucking ridiculous. I study Russian literature pretty seriously/speak a decent amount, and have always been fond of V&K. My reasoning:

1. I've examined excerpts of Anna Karenina in translation, and in terms of actual portrayal of the original text, P&V knock it out.

2. I've read half of Dostoevsky's novels in P&V translation, working with an old Soviet PhD. Presumably she would not recommend the translation if she found it inferior to others.

That said:

>>9806369
Agreed. There are better translations than others, and Garnett is not perfect. But on the other hand, every major writer you give a fuck about from the 20th century read her translation. Dostoevsky of all fucking writers is not known for his impeccable prose. You will be okay.

>>9806377
Megashark translation

>I am a ridiculous man. They call me mad now. That would be a step up in rank,
if I did not still remain as ridiculous to them as before. But now I’m no longer
angry, now they are all dear to me, and even when they laugh at me - then, too,
they are even somehow especially dear to me. I would laugh with them


Constance Garnet translation
I am a ridiculous person. Now they call me a madman. That would be a promotion if it were not that I remain as ridiculous in their eyes as before. But now I do not resent it, they are all dear to me now, even when they laugh at me - and, indeed, it is just then that they are particularly dear to me. I could join in their laughter--not exactly at myself, but through affection for them, if I did not feel so sad as I look at them.


Megashark's translation has no flow, it sounds like a robot is talking.

>>9806404
Mine has it (Magarshack)

I am a ridiculous man. They call me a madman now. That would be a distinct rise in my social position were it not that they still regard me as being as ridiculous as ever. But that does not make me angry any more. They are all dear to me now even while they laugh at me - yes, even then they are for some reason particularly dear to me.

Also i though the awkwardness was just how Dostoevsky wrote

>>9806421
holy shit that's even worse

Other than the original, is there any other kind?

As an ESL, I got myself to read the Garnett translation of C&P but it took me much longer to finish, and it was harder for me since I found the prose stilted. I preferred reading Macduff and other modern translations, it was easier to understand, but P&V's prose is too "colorful" and weird for me. In general though, I don't get the autism over translations of Dostoevsky of all authors, the modern translations (that aren't P&V) and even revised Garnetts give you the essence anyway.

>>9806404
What the fuck are you talking about? Magarshack is far better. He sounds like some sort of aspie--which is the fucking point, in case you might have missed it--while Constance sounds like a middle aged woman (which she was, I guess, but you're not supposed to let it show).

Why people read translated Dostoevsky?

>>9806907
Why do people read Dostoyevsky??

>>9805064
>P&V is the best translation
>I've never read any other translation

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>>9806404
What the literal fuck am I reading here

How bad is the Centaur Classics version?

>>9806195
Garnett's fuck awful, people only cite it because it's free

>>9805008
Just learn the language yourself are you a brainlet?

>>9806329
just memorise the symbols its not that hard, looks a lot like Greek. only shit like ш,щ,ч,ж is annoying to get used to.

>>9806403
I've read P&V Anna Karenina and it was far worse than the Marian Schwartz translation I read after it.

P&V can't into style. Might as well google translate

>>9806329
Cyrillic is just like the normal alphabet except everything is upside and backwards

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>>9806329
I gotchu mane.

It's simple.
If you're fluent in English and aren't a degenerate faggot then Constance Garnet is the way to go .
If you're brown or a fag then anyone else is fine.

>>9805008
How is the Constance Garnett one of Bros. K?
Idiot by Magarshack
C&P by Jessie Coulson

>>9805008
Stop this meme (unless you speak fluent Russian, in which case to the Gulag with you dirty Cozak).

Since we're on P&V, anyone know if their complete prose of Pushkin is any good?

>>9810810
If they use the same method as the other books they translated then I really doubt it.
I don't think any poetry should be translated unless it's by another poet, and in that case it's pretty much a different poem.
His prose may be done alright..

>>9805008
I read the Avsey translation and loved it. Now I need to read it again for a class this fall but I'm considering doing another translation - possibly P&V, since that's what the class is using and I could get more of a sense for dosto's sentence structure.