Reading & Comparing 3 "Anna Karenina" Translations + picking my favorite! 

As one who read (and fell in love with) this book in Russian, I can say that Maude translation felt closer to the original. I'm also a big Tolstoy's fan))

I have to show this video to my mum! She's a philologist specialized in russian so i know she's gonna love it 😊

I completely agree about the Maudes! I absolutely fell in love with their translation. So much so that when I was starting to read War and Peace (I had bought a new Penguin translation) all I could think was: "this does not sound like Tolstoy!"

I've read work from all of these translators and my favorite tends to depend on the Author. For Tolstoy I prefer Maude, Dostoevsky I like P&V and for Chekov, Garnett translates his poetic simplicity like no other. We're so fortunate to have so many choices to read these life-changing works!

I have read many translations of Anna Karenina as well. I prefer the Rosamund Bartlett translation. Anna sounds like Anna in the Bartlett translation. (Bartlett wrote an amazing biography of Tolstoy). Kyril Zinovieff's translation is a close second. Nabokov claimed that all Garnett’s attempts were “dry and flat, and always unbearably demure,” and that her many translations made their authors sound the same. Yet, the Maudes did meet Tolstoy and became his friends. Louise went over the text line by line with the author. Tolstoy knew English and took great interest in how his work would appear. So...if the translation has the blessing of the author.....then it is difficult not to appreciate that translation.

The nuanced beauty of the Maude translation in that opening is that "resemble" is a verb, whereas "alike" is an adjective. Immediately makes me a bigger fan of the Maude, because there is more variety, and greater human agency, in theirs. But also... "resemblance" often implies what can be easily noticed in the external; this is an important distinction in terms of how much more information we're getting right from the beginning, and what it means in the novel. That being said... the Russian word "похожий" literally means "similar," which is an adjective (although "resemble" and "similar" have a common root - Latin "similis"). So it becomes an age-old question of: Do we want a loyal translation, or do we want to read Anna Karenina in English? (Translators are always fighting over the middle lines in this argument, and it gets the most heated with poetry, because poetry is impossible to translate.) I get too much into this stuff.. but there's my 2 cents 😅

I finished the book A Man Called Ove, one of your suggested readings. You were absolutely right the author is a genius. I laughed hard and I cried hard I gave it a five star hands-down.

This might be the best booktube video ever! Each one has certain words or phrases that I prefer over the others. Like, “intrigue” seems to suggest so much more than “affair.” I also prefer “alike” over “resemble”

Thank you for doing this video. It really helped me to decide which translation to buy and read. You did a really good job with the video by not just reading the translations but also showing them on the video which helped me immensely.

Yess more Anna Karenina content!! Love to see it 😍

I love Oxford World Classics, so I read the Rosamund Bartlett translation for the book club last summer! I did a bit of research before I picked one. The Bartlett translation was definitely most similar to the P&V translation, i.e. it was very modern. I went with Bartlett/a modern translation over the Maud translation because my brief research told me that while the Maud’s were more true to Tolstoy’s syntax, it could read a bit awkward and I was told stylistic changes in modern translations make it easier to read. That said, hearing you read all three I think they all flowed well with different flavors! Cool video! I love languages and linguistics so I’m way into this haha

Thank You Carolyn! You really helped me out of the lurch of choosing translation to start this book 😊😊

Like your voice and thanks for comparing the differences between these books.📚 Also amazed by your drawing and look forward to see more of your videos in the future 👍

This was a fantastic video. You are so well-spoken and it was a joy to listen to you read each translation and to witness your excitement. I've now ordered the Maude translation and can't wait to read it! Love, a new subscriber

I prefer the translation by Maud according to the first lines.But then I liked modern translation and at last I enjoyed the last translation.Tolstoy is my favourite writer and I am lucky to read Anna Karenina in the original.Your video content is amazing and I love your videos.And I'm proud you enjoy Russian Literature.Not many people understand it.I'll watch these translation again and again.Thank you so much for your love to Tolstoy and your work !!!!!!You are motivating me to reread Anna K.Thanks!!!!

It's so enjoyable watching your video. I've just spent 30 minutes straight on it while going home. ☺

Can’t wait to watch this. I’m currently reading Anna Karenina for the first time (Pevear and Volokhonsky translation) and i’m loving it. I’ve also heard some great things about the Bartlett translation which comes in a really cool Oxford World’s Classics edition

I'm very fond of your fondness of Leo Tolstoy and Anna Karenina ! He is my favorite author too ! War and Peace is my favorite novel, I have it in several editions. You make me want to re-read Anna Karenina ! And I LOVE your shirt !!!! ❤

I began reading AK a few days ago. (Maude). I like it very much. Thank you Carolyn.

Masterfully put together video!! Will read the Maude translation soon :)

love this! it's a lot of fun to compare different translations! in a translation class we discussed pevear and volokhonsky's and garnett's translations but for dostoevsky. when i first read anna karenina i read pevear and volokhonsky's translation but switched to garnett's which i prefer. i definitely want to check out the maude translation now!

I'd buy the audiobook of you reading it. Beautifully done.

Hello from British Columbia,Canada 🇨🇦👋👍😎🌎♥️🐾 maybe the Garnett. I love your reading voice yes read along

Wow, what a great video ... Thanks for all of the research & Literary-Awesomeness!'

I had to like an commemt before even watch the video first: what an excellent exercise! ❤ Now to the surely amazing content.

I think I prefer the P&V translation, thankfully that's the one I purchased without even thinking about translations. It's still on the way. For an example, I didn't realize "intrigue" meant "affair." I'm not great at reading classics, as much as I want to read the Maude translation, I think I will start with the easier modern version first based on this video.

Wonderful for helping us decide. I read Anna Karenina in the 1993 Translated by David Magarshack. It’s a signet classic. And loved it. Quite approachable!!!

Just started reading today ! So excited

I read the Pevear and Volokonsky translation. There is also another translator, Rosamond Bartlett. She is on a RU-vid video explaining her approach to the translation. I also loved the book!😀

My Tolstoy sister-in-law!💞 I've only ever read the Pevear and Volokhonsky (twice) but I agree with you about the Maude feeling most like Tolstoy! That's interesting. Looks like I'll need to get my hands on that one for a reread😉 And I'd LOVE a readalong!!💗

Didn’t realize how much better the Maude translation was than mine. The opening paragraph perfectly captures the disorder, and the underlying theme of fate. If only the opening sentence was better.

MUCH NEEDED ❤️

This is such good content! I'm about to embark on a similar journey with Crime and Punishment, so I watched your video to get ideas of how I might approach it. Thank you for putting this out there! I'd like to do the same thing with Anna Karenina too at some point.

This was so helpful! Going with Maude, the tone intrigues me more than the others and gives me classic book vibes. Now while reading the penguin classic I was like - "oh, yeah it's translated literature", of course, the Maude didn't feel like this. As for the Garnett translation, well, it's not for me, I tried reading it but felt like the meaning behind the sentences was lost, the language and tone weren't portrayed as condescending as Maude's translation did. So an upvote to the Maude's translation 👍.

Good choice ❤. I too would have chosen the Maude one because, it sounds classic, I was so immersed in it while you were reading and you can find a clear difference between Maude and the second translation. Second translation feels modern. For those who are not into classics because they think the classics are too hard to understand, the second translation is best for them.

I have Anna Karenina in the Maude translation, so I guess this is the encouragement I need to start it 👀😅 edit: I would DEFINITELY join in a read-a-long 🎉

This is wonderful so informative, thank you ! The Maude translation to is the one I am most familiar with and it just trips off the tongue but the second one by Garnett is not bad once you get used to the fact that we no longer have "All " openly stated. I do agree that the second translation by Pevear and Volokhonsky is more modern but not always because of the tenses used, hey the skating scene is one of my favorite scene too; how did he do that.

I like Garnett best I think. It's the one I read and I really enjoyed it. I have enjoyed all of the translations that I've read from her. I like the way that both Garnett and Maude reader better than Pevear and Volokhonsky.

I read the Maude translation (in the Vintage Russian Classics edition) and loved it so much! I would definitely be down for a readalong.

I see what you mean about Garnett. When you were reading her translation i felt like the scene between Levin and Kitty was longer than the others. As if she was there living the scene and wanted us to join her through her own words.

I think the real issue concerns the consistency of the translation.How each translator translates episodes and dialogue surely creates a different tone.As long as the author's intentions are preserved.Thank you for sharing!✌️

I went with the Maude version too. Thanks for the video, and the information.

We love to read Anna Karenina with you.

I feel like all these translations lose a tiny bit of the original feeling. You see, here when you read "happy families are all alike" it can be understood as idea that all of them are the same whether in the original line meaning is more like idea that happy families have the same happiness but still not like each other. I'm not sure how to put it into words because it's so subtle to catch. I can just try to translate it closer: "All happy families are happy in the same way, but every unhappy family is miserable in their own way." I might have read too much russian literature but this line when read in original just reeeeally start some philosophical thinking. I also don't really like "everything was upset in the Oblonsky's house", in the original it goes like всё смешалось which means that things got all mixed up, some kind of chaos started. So, there's a slight difference in how you're going to build a picture of the events based on the wording. But even though I slightly disagree with these translations doesn't mean they're bad. They're actually very accurate and good. It's impossible to translate exactly as it is in the original because of the differences in language structure and the way people think in every language. English speaking person thinks differently than russian speaking person and someone speaking french thinks entirely different, that's the beauty of languages.

currently reading anna karenina for first time with pevear and volokhonsky translation and really enjoying it:))

I would love to do a read-along of Garnett! Please do host that!! 💌

Hi ... i love your videos and this does help a lot...since i am always soo confused about translations. Sometimes i feel like giving up on translations and just learn russian... but that's way too difficult 😅😅 then i come back and realise my present capabilities and again start looking through translations. I hv read only garnette and that too for dostoevsky books... but i wd really like if u cd do a comparison for translations of dostoevsky's work... tqq❤

А когда ты прочитаешь этот шедевр на оригинальном языке? :D

That section from the Maude translation is so charming

Thank you for such a great video! I just finished my fourth reading on Anna Karina and I kid you not I'm already looking forward to my next reread! I love it so very much. I love the audiobook by Maggie Gyllenhaal

I'm going for Maude as that's the one I just bought. LOL

I don't know but I am obsessed with this video

Excellent video! I have Magarshack right now and it seems to be in the middle of all these. I made a similar video on the Brothers Karamazov where MacAndrews came out on top.

The passage describing Levin's feelings towards Kitty is so beautifully written in the Maude translation.

I'm so pleased you said this because I really want the Macmillan edition

This video made me want to re-read Anna Karenina, but I've got so many books I have never read on my TBR, oh my Goddd (By the way, I've read it in Portuguese, which is my mother tongue, and I really liked the Maudes' translation! I wish I spoke Russian so I could tell which one I prefer...)

Thank you for this video. I'm from Kenya and we have limited copies of classic literature. I'm interested in reading classics and I would love to know which publications are better to get the "classics" experience just to be safe. I'd appreciate it if you'd give such recommendations in videos when you read classics

This is such. Great video! If you havnt compared it’s hard to realize either how different or how similar they can be. It’s essentially the same sentiment just the structure of the sentence- interesting. I feel like the casual reader really wouldn’t consider these things? Just read whatever they had acquired. I happen to have the Pervere edition, I’m so pleased! But I’m not sure I’m happy with the War and Peace edition I happened upon getting. It’s very tall! I think Id like the one Emmie read I’m not sure which edition that is. I won’t be reading it for quite a long time lol.

I’ve only read the Garnett translation. I’m interested in trying the Maude translation now.

i just finished the Zinovieff/Hughes translation yesterday !!

Great video as always! I have a slightly related question: in your vlog on your rereading of Anna Karenina you mentioned a previous vlog about your first read. I can't find that first vlog, perhaps I misunderstood the reference or the vlog doesn't exist anymore...? Could you post a link, if that's possible? Thank you!

I recently bought this book used and mine is "Rosemary Edmonds" I hope it doesn't negatively impact the reading experience 😫

I would love a read along. Have never read it.

I've watched quite a few videos comparing the 3 translators, including bartlett and I still prefer the Maude's translations.

The next time I read AK I'm going to try the Rosamund Bartlett translation. I read the P&V one before. Maude is my preferred W&P.

Hi Carolyn the persian or iranian translation of Anna Karenina is also interesting by Iranian translators. 👍👍👍👍👍

I've only read the Nathan Haskell Dole version, lol and would recommend it too! Should have researched and picked the Tolstoy approved translation '----'

Thank you so much! I also prefer the Maude translation, based on the passages you read; however, without being able to read the original, it’s hard to know which is closest in tone and tenor to Tolstoy himself. When translating, it seems you have to first get the words that convey the correct meaning, but you then have to translate the grammar, as well, which is more difficult. The third translation did seem to me to be less like the other two in this regard. In the last passage about looking at the sun, however, the second translation seemed to be less ‘poetic’ than the first and third. So, without knowing the language, the Maude translation spoke to me more than the other two. I’m 62 and haven’t read any Tolstoy yet, so I definitely want to find the translation I like best before investing the time it will take to read this novel, and War and Peace, which I will read first. Did the Maude’s translate that as well, do you know? It is so nice of you to go into this detail in comparing the different translations, which really gave us a flavor of the three. I would love to hear from someone who is fluent in both English and Russian, to see what they think. Thanks again! Update: (10 minutes later) I looked at another video comparing translations of War and Peace (not like your stellar actual passage comparison, though). It was interesting that she read the Maude translation, but that there were more credits. It turns out that her Maude version had later been ‘updated’ by yet other translators Needless to say, I didn’t want that. I found an Everyman’s Library edition (I’ve wanted to try them out) that was just the Maude translation, and it was done in 3 volumes (so I think it will be a better reading experience without either a) the weightlifting exercise or b) the impossible small font/tight line spacing that makes reading less fun for me. Thanks again for your video, as I’m sure I’ll be happy!

Peaver translation is easier for new classic literature readers because it is more modern Maude is better for those who have read more classics and want something more advanced

did I just sent you another translation for your collection while watching this video? yes, yes i did and i hope you enjoy it my favorite is still the Bartlett by Oxford University Press, the text just flows and the notes that go with the edition are superb, i like it so much that I actually first got the Kindle edition and then i ended up buying the hardback (i would like to send you this but the original printing bound in chocolate brown paper with a dust jacket seems to be out of print so the price has now doubled in comparison to the price tag printed on the dust jacket, and the blue clothbound edition with the fan on the cover is just not as nice specially when paying 25 uds (think of a lesser quality Penguin Clothbound))

The best translation is the one you will read 😍 I read from a different translation each time I reread. I have not found a favorite, but I do enjoy how the different translation make for a slightly different reading experience.

…”It was a bright, frosty day. At the gates there were rows of carriages, sleighs, drivers, and policemen. Well-dressed people, their hats shining in the sunlight, crowded about the entrance and along the well-swept little paths between the little old-fashioned Russian châlets with their carved eaves. The old curly birch-trees in the garden, the branches all laden with snow, looked as though they had been freshly decked in sacred vestments.” …””You mustn’t get excited. You must keep calm. What is the matter with you? What’s wrong? Quiet, fool! He conjured his heart.” …”He walked down for a long while averting his eyes from her, as though she were the sun, but seeing her, as one sees the sun, without looking.” Translation by Rosemary Edmonds. The Folio Society- 1975.

tHANK yOU very very much💌

I read the same passage in the Maude, Garnett, and P&V translations and based on that, I chose to read it in the Garnett. In retrospect I wish I had chosen Maude. I just started reading War and Peace Maude translation but the Oxford version with the French and Russian names restored.

I have not started Anna Karenina yet but i already bought 4 translations (Maude, Bartlett, Pevear and Volokhonsky, lastly the one translated in my native language) 😂 i hope im gonna love this book or else im gonna cry 😂😂

Another video, another day, but, Carolyn's love for ANNA KARENINA is the same... GOD bless Mr. Tolstoy.

I read the Rosamund Bartlett translation👍

I read Garnett first, then Maude and Maude is definitely my favourite. I once read one translation whilst listening to the audiobook of another one and it was fascinating to see the differences simultaneously. I found myself wanting to highlight different things depending on the translation 🤯. Another time I tried the Volokhonsky one, but I couldn't do it. It felt awkward for me so I DNF it 😅. That's why I think is very important to find a translation that you like! It can change your experience completely 😬 Can you tell it's my favourite book as well? Lol.

I’m still finishing this on audiobook, but much earlier mid-last year, I interacted with my crush, in-passing by and got back to my business, I was in the car, had my audiobook playing, sort off half-listening, because I was analysing my brief interaction from all possibilities that could’ve happened, then was SHOOKDT when I noticed all my thoughts about this girl was being narrated by Maggie Gyllenhaal 👀 (the Levin part that made you *SIGH*), it took me a second to realize that was the audiobook 😭😭

Maude and Garnett get it mostly right. Pevear comes across stilted and the language doesn’t seem to be “of the period,” an important factor if you feel, like me, that language is an important factor in creating a sense of time and place.

This Video arrives at the right time, my Book Club is going to read Resurrection next Month in April, do you think Maudes also standout?!

I’m reading the P&V translation of War and Peace right now as a reread and I think it’s a bit to thorough? This is my 3rd time reading W&P so it’s very easy for me to get through but if it were my first time reading it I wouldn’t reach the P&V translation. Reading it it is easy to get lost in all the technical parts of Tolstoy’s writing (the use of French and using spelling to show accents) and it can feel overwhelming at times. The P&V translation is “better” in a very technical sense I find the Garnett translation is much easier to read.

Please don't get me wrong. I have just found an error (it must be an unwanted error) in this video. Correction: In the Maude translation, the first sentence is: "All happy families resemble one another, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." There is no "but". As I said previously, your video was very helpful for me to buy the right translation for me. Thank you again 💌

When we were reading Anna Karenina for Dickens vs Tolstoy, I was reading 3 different translations (David Magarshack, Apple Books Classics, Marian Schwartz.) Also, I don't recommend reading different translations at once 😅 I 100% preferred Marian’s translation and her translation notes. - “All happy families resemble one another; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” “At four o’clock, feeling his heart pounding, Levin got down from the cab at the Zoological Garden and followed the path toward the ice hills and skating rink, knowing for certain that he would find her there because he had seen the Shcherbatskys’ carriage by the entrance. The day was clear and frosty. Carriages, sleighs, cabbies, and policemen were lined up at the entrance. A well-turned out crowd, their hats gleaming in the bright sunshine, was teeming near the gate and along the swept paths, among the Russian cottages with their gingerbread trim; the shaggy old birches of the garden, all their branches bowed under snow, looked as if they had been decked out in new holiday vestments. He took the path to the rink and told himself over and over: “Don’t get excited, calm down. What are you doing? What’s wrong with you? Be quiet, silly,” he addressed his heart. The more he tried to calm himself, the harder it was to breathe. He met an acquaintance, who called out to him, but Levin didn’t even recognize him. He approached the “Russian hill,” where the toboggans’ chains clanked going down and up and the sleds rumbled downhill and jolly voices rang out. He walked a few more steps and saw the rink before him, and immediately among the skaters he recognized her. He recognized she was there by the joy and terror that gripped his heart. She was standing, talking with a lady, at the far end of the rink. Seemingly, there was nothing particular about her clothing or her pose; but Levin recognized her in that crowd as easily as a rose among nettles. She lit up everything. She was a smile shining on everything around her. “Can I really go down there, onto the ice, and approach her?” he thought. The spot where she stood seemed to him an unapproachable shrine, and there was a moment when he nearly left, so frightened was he. He needed to master himself and to reason that all kinds of people were walking near her, that he too could come here and skate. He walked down, avoiding looking at her for as long as he could, as he would the sun, but he saw her, as he would the sun, without looking.”

I have marian schwartz edition of anna karenina and I love it

I have read Anna Karenina and The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky, both translated by Constance Garnett. For me, it is the voice in my head. I feel it much easier to read if the voice in your head is British.

really love this video, i prefer the maude translation but im curious about the letter size ? i cant afford to buy 5 different editions and nowhere on any website it states how big the letters are :P

I have the Maude translation. I got it from Goodwill but it was new. 😂

I enjoyed the Maude edition :)

I love your content thank you so much.i would like to say the following though...when the great Leo Tolstoy wrote this book,he had to be able to " be" the figure he is writing about.now these figures are to be found in every time and Avery place,and eventually the reader shouldn't be reading the book like reading a common novel,one of which the events are up to the author's imagination,but in this book the events are the "must be"results of the story,and of these personalities.and the reader is here to ride along 'seeing' the story.in other words Tolstoy would be the first one to tell us,hay,true I wrote this book,but it is no longer mine,it is nature's,it is your's.so.dont be too obsessed with translation,just as you wouldn't be obsessed with typos.but seek to" know" the carectures,and the energy that results from their meeting.

Omg where do you get that beautiful copy of garnett’s translation?

Have you read anything from Indian literature ? If yes, any recommendations ? I know the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, Silappadikaram, Mricchakatika, Abhijnanasakuntalam

I like the Maude translation best!

I can't find the quote now, but actually, the Garnett translation was the only one Tolstoy approved. He called it "perfect," if I'm recalling correctly. He died eight years before the Maude translation was published, but the Maudes were Tolstoy's personal friends, and he did approve their writing of a biography of his life. Aylmer Maude did say Tolstoy approved of the translation of Anna Karenina, but this was said after Tolstoy was dead and in defense when their translation was criticized. My favorite between these two is the Maude translation though

The garnett translation reads as if it’s not an English translation but an actual 19th century English novel. (Like as if a Russian author decided to write not in Russian but English to begin with) So I see what you mean when you say it doesn’t sound like Tolstoy’s own words.

Maude Levin: Ryan Gosling Volokhknsky Levin: Michael Cera Garnett Levin: Serial Killer

Everyone in the comments please try the Rosamund Bartlett!!! It is the most read-able and faithful one, it is amazing!!

Carolyn, I'm reading AK in the Marian Schwartz translation for the second time. Are you familiar with her?

A lot of people say the Garnett translation is their favorite. I am hesitating between the Garnett translation and the Maud translation.

Where can I get that copy that you said was your favorite?