Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
Oh, I completely agree. Eg, "The Count of Monte Cristo" is one of my favourite novels, and I'd recommend its translation to anyone as a cracking good read.
My point is, though, that much as I enjoy the English translation of "The Count of Monte Cristo", I don't feel able to make any judgement of the merits of Dumas as an author because I have no idea how much of what I'm reading is Dumas' work, and how much is that of the anonymous translator of the 1847 English translation.
|
Sorry to interject in this discussion, but I think for the purposes of this thread debating the merits of the author is irrelevant. This thread asks which is the greatest classic novel, not who is the greatest classic novelist. If you read a book and it is brilliant, does it matter that it is brilliant because of the translator or not? If its brilliant its brilliant. Still, I think it is a good idea to the note the translation if you didn't read a book in the original language (or to note which language you read a book in). For my part, I'm throwing my hat in with the Crime and Punishment crowd as the greatest classic novel that I have read. I've never read a book with more philosophical or psychological depth. Unfortunately, I've only read the Constance Garnett translation and not the newer and supposedly superior pevear and volokhonsky translations.