Best unabridged English translation of The Possessed/Devils by Dostoyevsky

[Katie]

Hello,

I'm thinking about buying this book as a present to a friend who's an American and was wondering which translation would be the best.
I have access to translations by Constance Garnett, David McDuff, David Magarshack - that's only those editions where I was able to find out the name of the translator online but there're also several others without this info (outrageous!).
Could you please recommend one, not necessarily one of those above?

Also I'd like to know whether all English editions nowadays include those fragments which (as far as I remember) were removed in some original editions and hence were missing in some translations (into other languages that EN, at least), or whether I have to watch out.

Will be very grateful for your advice!

Katie

[Anton Shepelev]

Katie:

> I'm thinking about buying this book as a present
> to a friend who's an American and was wondering

> which translation would be the best. I have ac-

> cess to translations by Constance Garnett, David

> McDuff, David Magarshack - that's only those edi-

> tions where I was able to find out the name of the
> translator online but there're also several others
> without this info (outrageous!).
>
> Could you please recommend one, not necessarily
> one of those above?

This question is better asked of a native speaker of
Russian with English good enough to judge whether a
translation is true to the original in meaning and
style.

I have not read this book but I would compare sever-
al random fragments for you if you would send me the
English texts.

--
() ascii ribbon campaign - against html e-mail
/\ http://preview.tinyurl.com/qcy6mjc [archived]

[Katie]

Thanks, Anton, for your reply.
The question isn't valid anymore, since the friend ceased to be a friend (or rather never was one). :///
Providing samples of texts would be difficult anyway, it would require me to go to a bookstore and write them down... in which case I think I'd be able to see for myself which translation I like more (without comparison with the original, since I don't know Russian, but still (being a translator), I'd trust my gut feeling ;)).
Btw. it's only 2 of them, since David Magarshack translated Brothers Karamazov. I mean, I have been able to find out only 2 names in internet, but the editions were many, many more... only there wasn't any info on who translated it. Apparently it doesn't matter to those "online bookstores". Even ISBN is a rare occurrence, some don't even have a picture. I wonder who buys those books which barely have an author's name and a title... Maybe they're meant to level table legs.
Ok, enough complaints ;)
Thanks again for your answer and your willingness to help.
Have a nice pre-Christmas time,
Katie

[Anton Shepelev]

Katie:

> The question isn't valid anymore, since the friend
> ceased to be a friend (or rather never was one).
> :/// Providing samples of texts would be difficult
> anyway, it would require me to go to a bookstore
> and write them down...

Oh, that wouldn't be worthy of your time in our pre-
cyberpunk era. Don't they provide scanning and com-
puter-aided transcribing services, i.e OCR?

Constance Garnett's translation is available legally
and for free at Project Gutenberg:

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/8117/8117-h/8117-h.htm

At a glance, she seems to take great care in preser-
ing the original meaning and often wording (wish I
could translate Russian texts and thoughts so well),
but sometimes introduces modifications justified
neither by the languages' incompatibility nor by the
considerations of euphony.

Garnett renders the conclusion of the fist paragraph
as:

I trust that these details may at least serve as
an introduction, while my projected story itself
will come later.

imparting additional modesty and insecurity to the
original, which I translate word-for-word as:

Let these details serve as only an introduction
to the proposed chronicle, while the story itself
that I am going to describe is yet to follow.

The next paragraph she begins with

I will say at once that [...]

where it says

I shall put it straight: [...]

Maybe the translator's art is to make a meal more
palatable to an unaccustomed stomach by adding
familliar spices?

> in which case I think I'd be able to see for my-
> self which translation I like more (without com-
> parison with the original, since I don't know Rus-

> sian, but still (being a translator), I'd trust my
> gut feeling ;)).

Can't agree here, because a retelling of a folk tale
however well polished, edited, and decorated, is a
retelling still.

> Thanks again for your answer and your willingness
> to help.
> Have a nice pre-Christmas time,

Same to you and yours and theirs.

[Anton Shepelev]

I wrote:

> Maybe the translator's art is to make a meal more

> palatable to an unaccustomed stomach [...]

Woops -- malapropism here. Replace "palatable" with
"agreeable", or "stomach" with either "person",
"mouth", or "tongue".

[katarzyna...@gmail.com]

On Wednesday, 17 December 2014 12:08:54 UTC+1, Anton Shepelev wrote:
> Katie:
>
> > The question isn't valid anymore, since the friend
> > ceased to be a friend (or rather never was one).
> > :/// Providing samples of texts would be difficult
> > anyway, it would require me to go to a bookstore
> > and write them down...
>
> Oh, that wouldn't be worthy of your time in our pre-
> cyberpunk era. Don't they provide scanning and com-
> puter-aided transcribing services, i.e OCR?
>
> Constance Garnett's translation is available legally
> and for free at Project Gutenberg:
>
> http://www.gutenberg.org/files/8117/8117-h/8117-h.htm

Thanks, now I realize I actually looked only for paper editions in stores. Somehow I imagined, for such a famous (and fabulous) book, it will be everybody here promoting their own favourite translation and I'll get plenty of feedback.

Ok, so maybe I shouldn't overestimate my "gut feeling". ;)
Your examples are very interesting to me, firstly as a translator and secondly, as a big admirer of Dostoyevsky. I myself like to make those comparisons within my languages, when I have a chance. You always find those incomprehensible differences or worse, clear mistakes and omissions (which tend to only be repeated in later editions). It taught me to be very suspicious towards translations in general, for some time even spoiling me the pleasure of reading those books where I have to rely on them. But restricting yourself to the literature in your mother tongue(s) only would be a pity (unless you're an English native speaker), so I'd say, it's a necessary evil.

Thanks again for your comments,
Katie

[katarzyna...@gmail.com]

On Wednesday, 17 December 2014 13:23:12 UTC+1, Anton Shepelev wrote:
> I wrote:
>
> > Maybe the translator's art is to make a meal more
> > palatable to an unaccustomed stomach [...]
>
> Woops -- malapropism here. Replace "palatable" with
> "agreeable", or "stomach" with either "person",
> "mouth", or "tongue".
>

LOL, I haven't noticed that, or maybe thought it's permissible in English. ;) Though if it was said in my mother tongue it'd definitely sound ridiculous to me. :D

[professo...@gmail.com]