I've been reading AK one or two sections at a time, especially, since I found out this was originally put out serialized over almost 4 years -- from wikipedia: "...a novel by the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, published in serial installments from 1873 to 1877 in the periodical The Russian Messenger. Tolstoy clashed with its editor Mikhail Katkov over issues that arose in the final installment; therefore, the novel's first complete appearance was in book form." -- I can see how this would do well when published over time like that. For myself, I need the time to think about it, as I read.
I am also curious as to the translated word choices and became even more intrigued by the comments by bobertson, arkietech, Ben G, and CharlieBird. So, of course, instead of doing what I am suppose to be doing, I did some searching based on the below quote from CharlieBird.
Spoiler:
Quote:
Originally Posted by CharlieBird
My curiosity overcame my frugality upon discovering a Pevear/Volokhonsky translation on Amazon.
P/V:
" All her life, all her desires and hopes were concentrated on this one man, still incomprehensible to her, with whom she was united by some feeling still more incomprehensible than the man himself, now drawing her to him, now repulsing her, and all the while she went on living in the circumstances of her former life. Living her old life, she was horrified at herself, at her total, insuperable indifference to her entire past:..."
Garnett:
"All her life, all her desires and hopes were concentrated on this one man, still uncomprehended by her, to whom she was bound by a feeling of alternate attraction and repulsion, even less comprehended than the man himself, and all the while she was going on living in the outward conditions of her old life. Living the old life, she was horrified at herself, at her utter insurmountable callousness to all her own past,..."
<snip>
|
I found the Russian book and
the passage under discussion, below. Google translate doesn't do it justice and I would love to know how a native Russian speaker would translate it.
Spoiler:
"Вся жизнь ее, все желания, надежды были сосредоточены на одном этом непонятном еще для нее человеке, с которым связывало ее какое-то еще более непонятное, чем сам человек, то сближающее, то отталкивающее чувство, а вместе с тем она продолжала жить в условиях прежней жизни. Живя старою жизнью, она ужасалась на себя на свое полное непреодолимое равнодушие ко всему своему прошедшему: к вещам, к привычкам, к людям, любившим и любящим ее, к огорченной этим равнодушием матери, к милому, прежде больше всего на свете любимому нежному отцу. То она ужасалась на это равнодушие, то радовалась тому, что привело ее к этому равнодушию. Ни думать, ни желать она ничего не могла вне жизни с этим человеком; но этой новой жизни еще не было, и она не могла себе даже представить ее ясно. Было одно ожидание — страх и радость нового и неизвестного."
google translates: All her life, all the desires, hopes were focused on this one I do not understand yet for her man, which was associated with it some more incomprehensible than the man himself, then closer, then the repulsive feeling, and yet she continued to live in former life. Living the old life, she was horrified at myself for my complete overwhelming indifference to his passed: to things, to habits, to the people who loved and loving it, to the chagrin of those indifferent mother, dear, before most of all loved the gentle father. She was horrified at this indifference, then rejoice that led her to this indifference. Neither think nor desire she could not out of life with this person, but this new life was not there, and she could not even imagine it clearly. There was one expectation - fear and joy of new and unknown.
I am not familiar with Tolstoy enough to know what his "voice" would be or what his style would be in the word phrasing or choices, so of course, I am now wondering how much I am really missing when reading a translation.