War and Peace [Hardcover]

Leo Tolstoy (Author), Anthony Briggs (Translator)

Book Description

Release date: January 19, 2006

Widely considered the greatest novel ever written in any language, War and Peace has as its backdrop Napoleon’s invasion of Russia and at its heart three of the most memorable characters in literature: Pierre Bezukhov, a quixotic young man in search of spiritual joy; Prince Andrey Bolkonsky, a cynical intellectual transformed by the suffering of war; and the bewitching and impulsive Natasha Rostov, daughter of a count. As they seek fulfillment, fall in love, make mistakes, and become scarred by battle in different ways, these characters and their stories interweave with those of a huge cast, from aristocrats to peasants, from soldiers to Napoleon himself.

In this first English translation in more than forty years, Anthony Briggs faithfully reveals Tolstoy’s art in stirring prose, clearing up ambiguities that have plagued many modern translations. This volume also includes an afterword by eminent historian Orlando Figes, a list of characters, descriptions of the three main battles, chapter summaries, and notes. Both epic and intimate, a compassionate portrait of humanity and an engrossing read, this is the War and Peace of choice for a whole new generation.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

British scholar Briggs unveils his lucid new translation of Tolstoy's masterpiece-the first in almost 40 years-to a slightly anxious audience, from first-timers who, balking at the amount of time required by this massive yet startlingly intricate work, want to ensure they are reading the best translation available, to purists who worry that clunky modern prose will replace the cadences of earlier translations. But these concerns melt away after the first 100 pages of this volume. Briggs's descriptions are crisper and the dialogue is sharper, with fewer "shall's," "shan't's" and "I say!'s" than the Garnett, Maude, or Edmonds translations, leaving readers free to enjoy the rich and complex plot, vivid characters and profound insights into war and the nature of power. There are some awkward spots: Briggs claims his earthy rendering of soldierly banter is more realistic than earlier, genteel translators', but it reads distractingly stagy: "Give 'im a right thumpin', we did." It's also a shame to have lost Tolstoy's use of French, not only in the mouths of his characters, but also in the essays, as when he plays with Napoleon's famous "sublime to the ridiculous" quote. Briggs will face competition next year when Pevear and Volokhonsky release their new translation, but for now, this is the most readable translation on the market.
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Review

"There remains the greatest of all novelists--for what else can we call the author of War and Peace?"
--Virginia Woolf

"From the Paperback edition." --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1424 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; First Edition edition (January 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067003469X
• ISBN-13: 978-0670034697
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.7 x 2.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #467,852 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

106 of 116 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The latest in a very rewarding trend February 20, 2006

By David A. Heintz

Format:Hardcover

This excellent new translation continues the trend to retranslate the monuments of fiction. From Magic Mountain to Man without Qualities, from Don Quixote to Madame Bovary, this movement proves again that great art is timeless, but interpretaion changes. In this way translation can be likened to the way two conductors can approach say, Mozart. It is still Mozart. It is always Mozart. But these are two interpretations.

Further, just as Mozart sounds better on a state of the art stereo system (or at concert), the binding, layout, and paper selection can enhance the reading experience. In this case Viking has done a superb job. The paper even smells great!

There is, finally, amother interpretation: that of age, and experience. I first read all of these books in my 'teens and 'twenties. I loved them then, but what did I know of life, or art? I am now sixty. The new translations give me an excuse, really a mandate, to reread them, and I am better for it.

You will be too. Spending an evening with this marvelous translation of War and Peace is vastly more rewarding than reading anything on the bestseller lists, or, dare I say it, watching American Idol.

As for me, I will wrap up Tolstoy this week, and move to book two of In Search of Lost Time (new translation.) Maybe I will finish Proust before I am seventy!

Note to Amazon: perhaps you could develop a section on your web site for these new translations, so we know what is available and what is coming.

54 of 58 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Crystal-Clear Translation February 3, 2006

By Brady Kelso

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm thrilled with the new translation of Tolstoy's War and Peace. While I have grown up with the Garnett and Maude translations, I am pleased by the clear, smooth style of this new version, especially in the use of dialogue by the soldiers and the conversations in general. The publishers have also given us a clean type style and the pages have wide gutters for reading ease. It's a huge edition of over 1400 pages, but it's easy to hold and read. Long live Leo Tolstoy!

80 of 91 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Wait for the Pevear translation, if you can! July 2, 2006

By rater25

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am about one quarter through the Briggs version and I have had it! It would not be possible for a translation to be more parochially (even jingoistically) British. It has kept me running to my dictionaries, only to find that the words are not even listed in my Merriam-Webster. Only the Oxford has been somewhat helpful with the "Britishisms". Briggs claims the Maude translation was archaic. But when was the last time you said "o'er yonder" as he does? A Russian-speaking acquaintance assures me that the translation of the narrative sections is generally accurate. But the dialogue! Wretched cockney slang for the troops ("matey", "bloke", "'av at im" and such). And Tolstoy's French is translated without any notation. So we have no idea when or why a character slips into French. And yet, French and German characters spik wis zee accent. I wonder that he didn't have all the main characters speak with a Russian accent. A literally intolerable read. I can only think that the other reviewers here just skimmed a few pages.

I will be switching to the corrected Maude translation as published by Norton. Richard Peaver has informed me that the translation he is working on with his wife will be published by Knopf, hopefully in October of 2007. Based on their previous work (never less than HIGHLY respectable), that should be the version to read.

A note on the actual book: This huge tome weighs at least four pounds and the pages are rigidly bound in glue. It's a struggle to deal with, even in your most comfortable armchair. The British edition is half the size and yet has quite a readable typeface. Best in this respect is the Everyman's Library edition. The original Maude translation is divided into three separate, portable volumes.... The sewn bindings open flat for easy reading. Read more ›

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, but Penguin/Viking needs to rethink the one-volume format January 31, 2007

By M. J. Newhouse

Format:Hardcover

This is a lovely new translation of Tolstoy's great work. It reads beautifully, although I must note that it is not tremendously better than other first-rate translations that are already available, e.g., the mellifluous translation by Rosemary Edmonds or even the time-tested translation by Louise and Aylmer Maude. I give it five stars because it is such a pleasure to read. However, Penguin and other publishers need to rethink how they produce a book of this heft. Penguin used to issue War and Peace in two volumes. They should go back to that practice. For the serious, dedicated reader, a book of this huge size and weight is a horrible inconvenience. It is simply impossible to carry around and read when one can--which is essential if one is a serious reader. Second, Penguin and other publishers should rethink having notes at the end of the book. New computer technology makes it easy to put notes at the bottom of the page. This would have two great advantages. First, it would increase readers' pleasure and build up ther loyalty to the publisher. For example, I have the 1938 two-volume edition of the Maudes' translation that was re-issued by the Heritage Press. The notes are at the bottom of the page and this makes reading so much easier. (As opposed to having to turn to the end of the vast Briggs volume or any other single-volume version.) Second, putting notes at the bottom of the page would force the editors to be succinct and (hopefully) to use notes only for those things that the educated reader might really want to know. In short, placing notes at the bottom of the page, where there is only limited space, would make the notes better in my view and more helpful.