Crime and punishment - poor translation?

[Bakedcheesecake]

Hoping for other version recommendations, or opinions?

I have read Tolstoy (AK and W+P) and enjoyed both. So I ventured into Dostoevsky C+P and I'm 2/3 of the way through but the dialogue is so hard to follow, there's load of gaps and ".... .... ...." in everyone's speech/conversation/dialogue so it makes it really hard to figure out what point they are getting at, and even who is talking.

Is it my exhausted baby brain failing me? Is it a bad translation? Or do I just give up. Tia xx

Tolstoy is much more readable than Dostoyevsky so it might just be that. Which translation are you reading?

I don't know which translation you've got but, despite quite liking the story and being driven to stick with it, I found C&P the hardest to read of any book in my 40 years as a bookworm. It was a slog! I remember following which character was which was particularly tricky, as everyone's name began with 'R' and several characters had a full name and NN 😵‍💫 My copy is Oxford World Classics translated by Jessie Coulson if that helps.
If you aren't enjoying it and are struggling to follow the story, I would sack it off TBH. Life is too short, there is a world of books to better waste your time on, and no medals will be won by finishing it!

Wordsworth classics translated by constance Garrett - I'm glad it's not just me? I'm not overly determined to stick it out, but I thought if it's just the edition then that would be a simple fix.

I have less of a clear picture of Raskolnikov and Ruzumikhin etc in my head than say Vronsky (AK) or Bezukhov (WP) and they characters feel a bit flat.

I will try another Dostoevsky before I move on and admit defeat xx

I always wished I had learnt Russian at school so I could read the classics in the original. I think you should try another translation.Maybe there is a cheap one on Kindle?

It might be the translation, Constance Garrett did her translation over 100 years ago and fashions in translation change. Her translation is out of copyright so most cheap versions on kindle (or on paper like Wordsworth Classics) will use her translation. However, she pretty much single handedly introduced the 19th century Russians to the English speaking world and her translations do seem to be considered fairly readable, if a bit Victorian and she's been accused of using one voice for all writers.

For most classic writers there are multiple translations and there's usually some book blogger who has done the hard work and compared the translations so here is a comparison of the translations of C&P along with the same passage in the different translations.

@Rocknrollstar same re: learning russian. I've read good translations of Tolstoy and the annotations help but I think something is always missing even in a good version.

@JaninaDuszejko thank you!!! That's so fascinating! I think I'll take a look at that when baby sleeps and maybe try another one of C&P on kindle or see if my library has one on that list. Thanks again- I really wanted to like Dostoevsky so I will do some more research. The copy I've got is just one I found in our community book exchange. Xx

Translations do vary in quality. I read a translation of Madame Bovary, for example, by Eleanor Marx, which was awful. You have to do your research.

I'm not a fan of reading books in translation. I'm trying to read Proust atm, alternating between French and English. My French isn't great, but even I can see that much is lost in translation. Think of a writer like Dickens. How could you possibly capture his style – the bouncy energy, the strangely child-like way he has of viewing the world? Or think of P G Wodehouse. Again, how on earth could you reproduce Wodehouse's extraordinary language in Russian or Italian?

I don't have anything to compare it to but I have recently started a translation by Roger Cockrell published by Alma Classics.

It seems very readable so far; I had a quick flick through and can see any of the gaps you mentioned above.

Dostoevsky's Notes From Underground is much shorter, so it's an easier ride in that respect. Very disturbing, though!

omg stick at it, it’s so good!!! Try to find another translation maybe? I can read in Russian and love Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, the latter is more “depressing” and heavier but so worth pursuing

@JaneyGee the only languages I have are English & Hindi (and GCSE Spanish from 20 years ago) - I'd rather read the Russian authors than not, so translations are just necessary. I'm asking for a good version of C&P not a discussion of whether literature translation is worthwhile or not.

I've downloaded the McDuff @notmenothermoineyou it is seeming a more atmospheric translation so far, I've actually started from the beginning again even though I had almost finished- just to see if I do love it. I've enjoyed other C.19th Russian authors so I was looking forward to it but felt something was amiss and wondered if there was an alternative (was reading Wordsworth classics). Fingers crossed 🤞?!?

@Squiblet I'll try that next if I can find what else McDuff has translated. I think penguin or Oxford might be the way to go. Dostoevsky atm seems darker overall but it's still been worth a read - I'm just hoping to love c&P like I love Tolstoy, and atm I was enjoying it but not loving it iyswim.