The Brothers Karamazov (Bantam Classics) Mass Market Paperback – April 1, 1984

Translating anything from Russian to English is immensely difficult, let alone a singular work written by a towering master of the Russian language. I bought the Avsey translation after reading a reader's comment that it is better than the celebrated Pevear & Volokhonsky, which I had already begun. For a while, I read the two versions in parallel. For me at least, there was no comparison. Avsey's translation possesses directness and immediacy which greatly aided in understanding and enjoying this work. Pevear & Volokhonsky's version tries to replicate the Russian language's cadence and Dostoevsky's word-plays, but ends up with plodding, convoluted construction on too many occasions. This bogs down the flow of the story, which has tremendous momentum and whirlwind action. In addition, I really appreciated the fact that Avsey transliterated certain terms that have a unique meaning in Russian without equivalent in English. For example, the word Starets. A Starets is a religious personage that exists only in Russian culture. A Starets is a charismatic mystic. An ascetic holy man. The Starets exists in a somewhat uneasy relationship with the formal, organized church. Rasputin was a Starets. Avsey explains that meaning and keeps using the transliterated term. In contrast, Pevear & Volokhonsk translate it into a 'church elder', which is nowhere near to what makes a Starets so unique and powerful. Calling the Starets a 'church elder' completely obfuscates the role of a central (I'd say foundational) character, and meaningfully diminishes the understanding of the story. "Alyosha was passionately devoted to a church elder" imparts a very different notion from "Alyosha was passionately devoted to a mystic spiritual holy man". There are several more examples like this.In summary, I think that Pevear & Volokhonsk focused on details and got lost in the weeds. The Avsey translation captures the momentum of an action-packed murder mystery, without losing any of its powerful psychological, moral, philosophical, and religious teachings and insights.

The Brothers Karamazov is one of the greatest novels ever written. It is a book not simply to be read, but to be studied for its profound wisdom concerning the human condition. I am reviewing the Ignat Avsey translation which is titled The Karamazov Brothers. Just the fact that Avsey has given the book a new title, which he thinks is in keeping with what Dostoevsky had in mind, suggests to the reader that this translation will break with the more traditional approach taken by the reliable Constance Garnett, whose translation I have read twice.The Karamazov brothers could not be more unlike. Dmitry, the oldest brother, is a hothead who acts first and then learns to repent later for all his misdeeds; he is filled with anger and resentment and hurts deeply the people he loves most. He is the prodigal son who repents too late to be forgiven by a father he despises.Ivan, the middle brother, is an intellectual who lives in a world of ideas. He is profoundly affected by the suffering he sees in the world and rejects a God who will permit so much suffering to occur. The servant Smerdyakov listens to Ivan and then waits for a chance to put Ivan's ideas and suggestions into action. Ivan is horrified when Smerdyakov brags to him about the great crime he has committed.Alexei, the youngest brother, has decided to become a monk. He attempts to correspond to God's grace. He lives a life of self-denial and has the willingness to serve others. Like Prince Myshkin in The Idiot, another great novel by Dostoyevsky, he is an example of a good man who imitates Christ and appears, for that reason, childlike and unable to confront the evil of this world.Smerdyakov, the servant of old Karamazov, the disreputable father of the brothers, is thought to be an illegitimate son of the old man. He adores Ivan and hangs on his every word. Smerdyakov will take Ivan's philosophy and put it into practice with disastrous consequences.Three brothers, who could not be more unlike, a disreputable father, whose scandalous behavior is a driving force of the novel, an illegitimate brother, who watches and waits for his time to take decisive action, are the driving forces of perhaps the greatest psychological novel ever written. The patient reader is rewarded with a story that involves us completely in the lives of a cast of characters that represent all aspects of the human condition.The Avsey translation of this great book will take its place proudly beside the best novels in any person's library and will be taken down from time to time from the shelf, if not to be completely reread, at least to be reminded of the great genius of man.Added note. Constance Garnett has received much criticism for her translation of The Brothers Karamazov. Perhaps before deciding which translation to buy, the reader should sample a few pages from various translators to determine which seems best. As noted, I am recommending Avsey.