MobileRead May 2011 Mobile Read Book Club Vote

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by grumpy3b

poor Jon, dude is a lightening rod, granted a self-inducing lightening-rod but a rod none the less...

Yeah, Jon, AK is not a fast paced action thriller but it is a true classic even if Tolstoy is not for everyone. But I love Tolstoy's imagery and how he wrote the human condition and life in Russia, a life we in the west might never have been aware of otherwise.

Sorry for losing my cool. The constant "fussing" gets to me; I have enough of that with my kids, I really don't need it with adults as well.

As for Tolstoy: Your description has helped to psych me up for reading it. I had every intention of starting it last night, but ended up not reading anything, at all.

[Hoyt Clagwell]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

I think people would grow suspicious of a blind ballot. How would folks know for sure the voting was fair? But it would be neat if we tried a poll where the results weren't visible until the vote was final. Of course, Alex would have to work some magic to make that an option.

That being said, is there a Reader's Digest version of Anna Karenina? There's no way in hell I'm going to read Annie K in three weeks with all I have on my plate.

Via Book-A-Minutes Classics:

http://rinkworks.com/bookaminute/classics.shtml

Spoiler:

Anna Karenina
By Leo Tolstoy
Ultra-Condensed by Samuel Stoddard


Anna Karenina

I am having an affair with Count Vronsky.

Alexey Karenin

I can only forgive you if you die afterward.

Anna Karenina and Count Vronsky

Then the cruel double standard of upper class Russian society shall have to tear us apart.

(It does.)



THE END

[dreams]

I'm about 2/3 the way through part 1 and found I am viewing it like a family saga or soap opera. It reminds me of when I was reading James Clavell's Shōgun or Isabel Allende's House of the Spirits. You get to know the characters and the life in that time period. You have to keep that in mind and try to see it from that point. I have a feeling it is one that may require more than one reading to fully appreciate the writing.

I will admit that I am both reading and listening to this. I listen while commuting or doing house or yard work and read when it is quiet. I find listening easier to be in the story right now.

[zespectre]

James Clavell's Shōgun

Oooh....there is a book I've been meaning to read for a long time.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Get the cliff notes and forget trying to read Anna unless of course you are having trouble sleeping. After a few pages, you'll be sleeping better then ever.

Have you read it?

BOb

[beppe]

Originally Posted by dreams

I'm about 2/3 the way through part 1 and found I am viewing it like a family saga or soap opera. It reminds me of when I was reading James Clavell's Shōgun or Isabel Allende's House of the Spirits. You get to know the characters and the life in that time period. You have to keep that in mind and try to see it from that point. I have a feeling it is one that may require more than one reading to fully appreciate the writing.

I will admit that I am both reading and listening to this. I listen while commuting or doing house or yard work and read when it is quiet. I find listening easier to be in the story right now.

Yes. I share this. I read it the first time when I was very young, in my early teens. What did I know about ... but still it left signs in me.

Shōgun is a very fine saga. Nicely written also. I reread it a few times, but its genre has been inflation-ed, both by books and by films. It would not be so vivid now.

AK has an incomparable depth, and the prose ... One can open it at random and be captured in the story again and again.

Originally Posted by zespectre

Oooh....there is a book I've been meaning to read for a long time.

Just do it. You'll be fascinated, and if you know little about Japan, so much the better.

Bitch, bitch, bitch. People the criteria for a book to be considered this month was that it be a classic and that it be in the public domain. Anna Karenina is a great classic and also in the public domain so just read it. Or don't if you don't care to. Any serious discussion will require more than a read of the Cliff Notes for the book, unless all you wish to do is retell the plot that anyone who has read it will learn nothing from.

On another note . . . Yes Shogun is pretty good but I would highly recommend the genuine thing if you are really interested in the culture and literature of Japan. I would recommend anyhing by Junchiro Tanizaki or Yukio Mishima (Kimitake Hiraoka). If you are feeling really ambitious you could even take on The Tale of Genji, though doing that and Anna Karenina in one month probably be too much.

[dreams]

Originally Posted by beppe

Yes. I share this. I read it the first time when I was very young, in my early teens. What did I know about ... but still it left signs in me.

AK has an incomparable depth, and the prose ... One can open it at random and be captured in the story again and again.<snip>

I think this will be the same for me. I wonder if the enjoyment of classical literature is related to exposure? I am having trouble to explain this. I mean, I have friends that just can't understand why characters in the older books act or say what they do. They feel it is "stupid" or "not realistic" or just boring that there is not a lot of action. As a child we were read stories by the teacher in the classroom from the "classics" and we discussed them. This began in early elementary and continued even through HS as we read parts and discussed them. I noticed in my son's early school years that this was not done and "fun" stories were chosen to be read. It was not until late elementary and only in the advanced section that classic works were assigned. I had to start his exposure to those works myself when he was younger. The same was true for classical music.

Shōgun is a very fine saga. Nicely written also. I reread it a few times, but its genre has been inflation-ed, both by books and by films. It would not be so vivid now.

Now, I have to rethink if I wish to reread this. I have such vivid memories also and do not wish to change that feeling.

[beppe]

Originally Posted by dreams

I think this will be the same for me. I wonder if the enjoyment of classical literature is related to exposure? I am having trouble to explain this. I mean, I have friends that just can't understand why characters in the older books act or say what they do. They feel it is "stupid" or "not realistic" or just boring that there is not a lot of action. As a child we were read stories by the teacher in the classroom from the "classics" and we discussed them. This began in early elementary and continued even through HS as we read parts and discussed them. I noticed in my son's early school years that this was not done and "fun" stories were chosen to be read. It was not until late elementary and only in the advanced section that classic works were assigned. I had to start his exposure to those works myself when he was younger. The same was true for classical music.

Now, I have to rethink if I wish to reread this. I have such vivid memories also and do not wish to change that feeling.

I am very interested in your experiences. Daughter is 4 and in 10 years we will see what catches her. My oldest daughter started to read literature late. But now she is hooked for good. I do not think that school had anything to do with actually reading books. In my times at school one had to study . Reading was in the personal leisure department.

Shogun is very vivid always, it is me that has been dulled ...

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Hoyt Clagwell

Via Book-A-Minutes Classics:

http://rinkworks.com/bookaminute/classics.shtml

Spoiler:

Anna Karenina
By Leo Tolstoy
Ultra-Condensed by Samuel Stoddard


Anna Karenina

I am having an affair with Count Vronsky.

Alexey Karenin

I can only forgive you if you die afterward.

Anna Karenina and Count Vronsky

Then the cruel double standard of upper class Russian society shall have to tear us apart.

(It does.)



THE END

Reader's Digest eat your heart out. That is totally awesome.

[sun surfer]

If anyone is interested, regarding the translations-

I've done a little research and there appears to be three major versions: one by Garnett, one by the Maudes, and one by Pevear/Volokhonsky.

The Garnett tranlsation - This one is apparently the most famous/used translation, and possibly the first English translation of AK. From around 1900. Browsing AK e-books, this is the translation most often used (if a translation doesn't mention the translator, it's probably Garnett). Still a popular version, but seems to also have the most criticism of any translation. It is criticised for being "out of date". Also, Garnett has been criticised for inserting her own style into translations more so than other translators. A good version of this translation is from B&N Classics.

The Maude translation - From around 1915 or so. The Maudes knew Tolstoy well and he gave his approval to their translation. Since it is from almost a century ago, the writing feels a bit "old world". This version translated some names from Russian to their English equivalent, i.e. Matvei becomes Matthew. A good version of this translation is from Carefully Crafted Classics (I also saw the Norton Critical version recommended too).

The Pevear/Volokhonsky translation - From the last decade, the one made famous by Oprah's Book Club. They are a Russian/American couple who work together to translate. Their translation certainly feels more "modern", but they've stated they are careful to not use "modern" words and expressions while translating a classic like AK. They've translated Tolstoy's sometimes harsher style (such as with word repetition or biting humour) more directly, which can sometimes make the writing feel rougher but also sharper than other translations. This translation is more costly, running around US $13.99 on all the sites I looked at while the other two translations are going for only a few dollars or free. Apparently there is only one version of this translation for e-book, from Penguin.


I originally, just a day or so ago, bought the Maude translation that VioletVal recommended by Carefully Crafted Classics. It is very nice, but personally I really dislike when translators translate foreign names to English names. It's a small pet peeve, but this is what caused me to do some research on the translation options.

Using e-book samples, I actually compared the first three chapters of all three translations. In the end I am shelling out the money to read the Pevear/Volokhonsky translation. I figure for a classic like this it is worth it. I don't think it is necessarily better than the other two (frankly I prefer the "old world" feel of the others) but what sold me is the use of all the real Russian names and the reviews saying the writing is slightly sharper, possibly closer to how it sounds it Russian. Who knows, since I now have both versions I may do more comparison reading at points. But I'll be honest, if it weren't for the names, I would've read the Maude translation alone quite happily.

Anyway, though I'm not sure if anyone else will care that much about which translation they read, since I already did the research for myself, I thought I should post it. If anyone hasn't gotten their copy yet and was wondering about translation options, I hope this helps!

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Have you read it?

BOb

I tried once. Gave up not long after starting. Found it uninteresting. I tried the cliff notes the other day. Didn't help.

[JSWolf]

So the best translated version is expensive yes?

[sun surfer]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

So the best translated version is expensive yes?

The one I ultimately chose is the more expensive one. I wouldn't necessarily say it's better though. They each have their own positives.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by sun surfer

Anyway, though I'm not sure if anyone else will care that much about which translation they read, since I already did the research for myself, I thought I should post it. If anyone hasn't gotten their copy yet and was wondering about translation options, I hope this helps!

Thanks! I was going to read the Maude, but you've convinced me to stick with Garnett--and I've already got hers loaded up on my devices, anyway. The name bit would have bugged me, too.