Best English Translation Crime And Punishment. I ve heard that dostoyevsky is notoriously hard to translate because of his idiosyncratic and erratic russian prose so i d like to be well informed about how different translators approach his style. The contemporary translation by richard pevear american and larissa volokhonsky russian is the best and most accurate.
It has earned a very good reputation from the readers. I had never given any thought to the effect a translation has on the enjoyment of a book in a foreign language but i was so irritated with crime and punishment that i eventually solved the mystery. The married couple has won several prizes for their translations of russian classics.
David mcduff among others is well regarded among english translators.
I ve heard that dostoyevsky is notoriously hard to translate because of his idiosyncratic and erratic russian prose so i d like to be well informed about how different translators approach his style. In both translations you ll find the same people doing the same things but if you value flowery language and such the garnett might appeal to you more. And this english version of crime and punishment really is better than say david magarshack s excellent penguin or constance garnett s old heinemann translation. The contemporary translation by richard pevear american and larissa volokhonsky russian is the best and most accurate.