Preparing for War and Peace

[ions]

I searched for this book and of course found the sticky thread in the Book of the Month discussion but I wish to stay out of that for fear of spoilers until after I have read it. I also found these two threads: one , two . But in those threads I did not find the information I was looking for.

How do you prepare to read War and Peace? I wish to get as much from it as I can and don't wish to miss anything. Aside from reading dry history texts on the Napoleonic Wars what can I do? I have found Russka: the Novel of Russia by Edward Rutherfurd, which looks interesting, but I'm not sure how relevant that would be.

I have read Anna Karenina so I am prepared for Tolstoy's style. Any other thoughts on what one could do to prepare for such a monumental read?

 

[Kookamoor]

Can someone tell me (and maybe this will also answer ions' question) how Anna Karenina and War and Peace differ in terms of their complexity? Clearly you recommend reading the former first, ions? Why?

 

[ions]

First simple reason is Anna Karenina is shorter. Beyond that I can only speculate. Anna Karenina does not appear to be as encompassing as War and Peace. It also does not have as many characters making it easier to keep track of who is doing what. War and Peace takes place during the Napoleonic wars and includes them as a major part of the plot, at least that's my understanding. So I wanted some familiarity with that before I started as well. Other than that I chose Anna before War and Peace purely on the reputation of War and Peace. After reading War and Peace I hope to be better equipped to answer this.

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

 

[Kookamoor]

Thanks, ions. I'll bear this in mind when I'm ready for Tolstoy.

 

[Mari]

I recommend the annotated edition published by W.W. Norton. That way, you can get the historical background you need as you go, instead of reading history texts in advance.

 

[ions]

I'm also waiting for a translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. I read their translation of Anna Karenina and I'm currently reading their rendition The Brothers Karamazov. I once sat and compared their translation of Crime and Punishment to Constance Garnett's and found that the prose in the Pevear and Volokhonsky edition was much more poetic and lively. Garnett's translations seem a little dry to me. There are a few printings of War and Peace coming next year including one being called The Original Version. I can't find anything specific about Pevear and Volokhonsky making a translation. They have done almost every other major Russian work so I can't imagine why they wouldn't attempt the coupe de grace.

 

[Ell]

Ions, I don't think you need to know all the historical background before you start. It's helpful, but not necessary for the enjoyment of the book.

If you want to do some background reading on the Napoleonic Wars, it won't hurt, but I wouldn't spend an inordinate amount of time on it and forego the pleasure of reading the book. If you're really set on doing some pre-research, you might want to read up on the Freemasons and their original philosophies. You'll know why once you read the book.

Otherwise, if you've already read Anna Karenina and Crime and Punishment, I don't think you'll have any problem with War and Peace.

 

[Billy]

I haven't read Anna Karenina or Crime and Punishment, but I have read War and Peace. In my opinion, you don't need to prepare for it in any way because Tolstoy is very thorough. I don't want to say more in fear of saying too much. I enjoyed the novel thoroughly

 

[ions]

I'm also waiting for a translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. I read their translation of Anna Karenina and I'm currently reading their rendition The Brothers Karamazov. I once sat and compared their translation of Crime and Punishment to Constance Garnett's and found that the prose in the Pevear and Volokhonsky edition was much more poetic and lively. Garnett's translations seem a little dry to me. There are a few printings of War and Peace coming next year including one being called The Original Version. I can't find anything specific about Pevear and Volokhonsky making a translation. They have done almost every other major Russian work so I can't imagine why they wouldn't attempt the coupe de grace.

Just to follow-up. In the November 7th issue of The New Yorker Pevear and Volokhonsky are interviewed. They are currently working on War and Peace with a deadline of the end of 2006. Not being familiar with the publishing path the book will take I would guess that the book won't reach the shelves until maybe 2008. Sound about right to those in the know?

 

[Literati]

War & Peace

Has anyone read this book?

If so, I need some advice... how did you get thru it?
I've started it a couple of times and just can't get past the distraction of all the Russian names. Any advice???? I really want to read this book this summer.

 

[Literati]

Okay not sure why my post got moved, but whatever.

I don't want to know about preparing to read War & Peace, I want to know if anyone has read it and how they got thru it. The Russian names throw me off and I need to figure out how to get past it.

ANY ADVICE???

 

[1985viv]

Ive read it, its amazing, its just mind blowing, the 2 epilogues at the end really crystallise the philosophical points regarding, powers, wars, historical perspectives etc etc and the countless subjective and quasi objective views within and throughout all this.

I may have read the P&V edition, I dont have my volumes at hand but its the everymans library edition, with 3 vols in a box... eeerrrr no I havent, amazon tells me its a maude and maude translation.

Ive read 3 other tolstoy storys, but not Karenina so I cant compare.

 

[beer good]

Okay not sure why my post got moved, but whatever.

I don't want to know about preparing to read War & Peace, I want to know if anyone has read it and how they got thru it. The Russian names throw me off and I need to figure out how to get past it.

ANY ADVICE???

1) Accept that people have different names in different countries?
2) Make notes of who is called by which names?

What exactly throws you off about them? Russians usually - at least in Tolstoy's time - have three names: their first name, their patronymical (father's) name, and their last name. For instance, Tolstoy himself was Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy - "Lev Tolstoy, son of Nikolay". Add to this the complication that a lot of the characters in "War and Peace" are nobles in a time when the lingua franca was French, and therefore tend to use French versions of their first names (much like Chinese speakers today often use English versions of their names internationally); Piotr calls himself Pierre (both forms of "Peter"), etc. Plus a few familiar forms (Aleksey being Alyosha, etc). It's really no more difficult than the way an American called Robert Jones can be Robert, Rob, Robbie, Bob, Bobby, Jones, Jonesy or Mr Jones depending on who he's talking to.

 

[Literati]

I know and accept people in different countries have different names, that is not the issue. The issue is remembering them and keeping them all straight. Guess I'll have to take notes as I read. Thanks

 

[Stewart]

Okay not sure why my post got moved, but whatever.

Because there was already a post on it. Made sense to merge. If you want to know who has read it then there's the War & Peace discussion. Please aquaint yourself with the forum's search function. It helps answer redundant questions.

 

[Ell]

I know and accept people in different countries have different names, that is not the issue. The issue is remembering them and keeping them all straight. Guess I'll have to take notes as I read. Thanks

You can either make a list of the names as you go along or get a translation that includes all the names in an appendix or introduction.

I read the translation by Anne Dunnigan and it had an introductory portion that listed the names of the families, the characters within each family, their relationship to each other, as well their varying names.

I just kept a bookmark at those pages and referred back and forth until I got the names sorted out in my head.

 

[Inkheart]

I've just managed to get my mitts on a free copy of War and Peace, The Original Version. I had been keeping this book for when I got stuck on a desert island but since I now own a copy I have no excuse.

The only comparable text I have read so far is Crime and Punishment. I didn't find it difficult, just absorbing. However, the sheer size of W&P is slightly off-putting.

 

[beer good]

I've just managed to get my mitts on a free copy of War and Peace, The Original Version. I had been keeping this book for when I got stuck on a desert island but since I now own a copy I have no excuse.

Actually, if that's the recently released "Original" version, then you do have another excuse. Namely that that's Tolstoy's original draft, which he deliberately chose not to release and later re-wrote more or less from scratch. If you read it, you'll have read a book called "War and Peace" by Tolstoy, but you won't have read THE War and Peace. Seems like an awful lot of work to read a draft.

 

[Inkheart]

which he deliberately chose not to release and later re-wrote more or less from scratch.

All that is explained in the introduction. So I am aware of this. I think it would be nice to read this and then the "real one". An interesting comparison.

 

[silverseason]

Don't prepare to read the book, just read it. I read W&P in the Maude translation which was recommended to me by someone knowledgeable. There are newer translations, but Maude suited me just fine. My edition had maps and they were helpful.

I considered skipping the battles but decided the book is War and Peace, so the battles must be part of Tolstoy's scheme. They are, so stick with them.

Also there is a Russian film of W&P which is very long (4 or more hours?) which I was able to obtain from the library. After I finished the book I watched an hour of the film every night. Wonderful!

Tolstoy brought the book out in two parts, several years apart. I found the second half of the book more openly philosophical. We may think the generals control the war and we may think that we control our lives (peace) but that control is partial, at best.