Glad you address the difficulty at the outset. Tolstoy is incredibly skilled at balancing entertainment with poignancy. He's fun. More fun than I think most people expect of a classic. And this fun carries us forward into profound insights about history, war, human striving and failure and love-glad you included a short segment on his dry humor. I hope you get to Anna Karenina someday. There are sections in that book that feel almost like a sitcom, and yet it will then have suddenly long stretches of poetic longing and sadness. Such phenomenal emotional range. Great job with this one, Emily!
The first time I read “War and Peace” was as a teenager, many years ago, after having seen the epic Soviet film version of Tolstoy’s novel directed by Sergei Bondarchuk on the big screen at my local cinema. I was greatly interested in the era of the French Revolution/Napoleonic Wars at the time-a lifelong interest, it turned out-and I read everything about the period I could lay my hands on, fiction and nonfiction. The edition of “War and Peace” I read was from Modern Library Books and was the Constance Garnett translation. Some decades later, I read it again, just to relive the experience of a family caught up in major events at a critical point in history. If anyone wants to see a film version of “War and Peace” before tackling the novel, I would recommend the Soviet version from the mid-1960s, which I’m pretty sure is available on RUclips. A couple of years ago, I was poking around the assortment of books at a local thrift store and came across a big, fat hardcover book describing itself as the “original version” of “War and Peace”, translated by Andrew Bromfield. Without going into too much detail, this version of Tolstoy’s novel represents his initial thinking of how he thought his story should unfold, and is about 200 pages shorter than the standard edition of the novel available today. I found three main alterations from the later, longer edition. For one thing, we spend a lot more time with Anatole Kuragin and his family. Secondly, during Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, the scene shifts to the Bolkonsky estate at Bald Hills for much of the time. Third, and most significant (SPOILER ALERT!), in the original version of “War and Peace” Prince Andrey is wounded at the Battle of Borodino, but does not die. Instead, he survives and lives to give his blessing to the marriage of Natasha and Pierre, acknowledging that he and Natasha were not really suited to one another. Apparently, Tolstoy became dissatisfied with this happy ending to his story. Perhaps it didn't feel Russian enough.
But if Andrew survived and didn't end up with Natasha I would have a fit, lol, I mean I just can't picture it! Thank you so much for sharing this delightful tidbit, I had no idea the 'original manuscript' existed, I have to find a copy now.
@@TheLinguistsLibrary The publication info on the edition I have is as follows: "War and Peace" Original Version by Leo Tolstoy, Translated by Andrew Bromfield, Introduction by Nikolai Tolstoy, ecco An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 2007. It's available on Alibris.
While I have never read this book, it is one of those books that I am saving to read when I grow older, I am not ready for this yet but I definitely will read this someday and I know it will be impactful. Loved your review of it and thanks for cautioning me against the Wordsworth edition
Thank you. I hope you get around to it one day. But yes, absolutely, it was meant to be published as series it is much more manageable that way. Have a great day
have read it four times now. it's easily my fav novel ever--and I've read too many novels to count: all of Proust, James many times, Nabokov's oeuvre, etc. it's THE most fun text to compare and contrast different translations. your reviews are very engaging and you are quite eloquent and I applaud you, Emily CP! nice one.
Thank you so much for saying that. I'm about to finish Anna Karenina and I've become a certified Tolstoy fan. I love Nabokov and I should start reading Proust as soon as finish AK, and I hope to review some on them the channel so we can dive deeper into the discussion!
@@TheLinguistsLibraryyes, I actually got the Penguin Classics Deluxe edition. If you like deckle edge paper, it’s great. The paper is high quality, and the font is large with good spacing between lines.
@@mohieddinebilalamraoui1259 I love Maude's translation, I just had a problem with this Wordsworth edition. I'm going buy the Three-Volume Boxed Set by Everyman's Library for my reread because it is easier to carry around.
Check 'The Master and Margarita' by Bulgakov. One of the most loved books in the Russian speaking world. The story of the book's creation is also amazing.
Great review!. I commend you wanting to reread this gargantuan size of a novel 😆. I’d recommend the Pevear and Volokhonsky edition for your reread. Hopefully no typos 😊
Sadly, I am not much of a reader. I’ve read maybe fifteen novels in my life (and I’m 40!), but I committed to reading “War and Peace” in 2012. It took me eighteen months to finish the book. I must say that I really enjoyed it! His views on history in the epilogue were really interesting to me. Thanks for the review!
{possible spoiler} my favorite part was when Natasha bonks her head on the door it was just so random and funny .. it somehow made my mind think of everything each character went through in that moment it was bitter sweet
I'm curious, what you didn't like about the end? It was one of the best ending I read in a book in my opinion. (SPOILER BELLOW) I thought one of the characters (Sonia) had a sad and harsh ending, and I felt sorry for her situation, a little bit sorry for Denissov too, but Sonia situation was way worst, even so I understand that he wanted to end like this, because that's how life can go sometimes.
I gave it 5 stars on goodreads, it was a great ending, just not what I pictured for Natasha and Sonia. Why did she have to stop singing? Couldn't she grow from his enchantress to a mature lady who still kept her talent?
Oh yes, I forgot about that detail of Natasha. Well, I agree, she could have kept singing. Maybe the reason of why Tolstoy wrote this way is because he saw himself in Pierre and probably made Natasha in the way he saw what a perfect wife would be, witch include this kind of sacrifice. Tolstoy had an unhappy marriage and wrote in other books same weird ideas about the ideal marriage.
@@igoralmeida4677 Yes, Katie: Family Happiness and Anna Karenina deal with that. Also, I know Pierre was based on Tolstoy and I liked his character arc but I was team Andrew all the way.
sorry to say, but you did not scratch even the surface of the novel yet...footnotes are kind of dictionary, but to understand Tolstoy you must do your research thoroughly, that is if you do not speak Russian, which i believe you do not. Vayna (war) i (and) mira (both means world and peace, intentionally chosen)... Bezukhov means without ears ;) so good luck if you really want to get what Tolstoy is talking about.
That is what's great about a classic like this, there's so much to unpack. Of course, there's no comparison between a translation and something in the original language. Thanks for your comment. Maybe I'll read this in Russian one day if I ever get around to it.
@@TheLinguistsLibrary you are welcome beautiful human, even Russians get hard time to read it in Russian because of the old style, you don't need to read in Russian, just be more careful with names, cause they are chosen for a reason, and there are lots of metaphors everywhere, If I am not mistaken, the copy that you have read keeps lots of items' names in Russian. One last tip, Tolstoy didn't believe in anything(religion,politics) except life, which means technically he believed in everything, hence the paradox of his character, therefore, of his novel.
@@TheLinguistsLibrary would that be self-pompous of me to say that my writing will be reminded in the history of coming present? Let it be an arrogant remark, but I am self-assured to the fact of the success the book will amass.
An amusing fact is that Tolstoy wrote three full length novels and while the first two (War and Peace, Anna Karenina) are all time greats, the third (Resurrection) is notoriously awful.
Just looked it up. I don't know much about it but it is brave to write a redemption arc so soon after Crime and Punishment. It's rated at 4.16 on goodreads, why didn't you like it?
@@TheLinguistsLibrary well it was over 30 years after C&P. I have never read it. It just has an abysmal reputation. I’ve never met anybody who liked it.
4:01 Of course they knew Russian perfectly. It was just a popular trend for the Russian Aristocracy to speak French. The French culture was very popular and they admired Napoleon.
@@evgeniytsarkov5679 Very true. But I do believe it was part of their character arc to stop using French so much and incorporate a bit more Russian into their daily lives. That's why I mentioned it in the video.
@@TheLinguistsLibrary Well, maybe... Haven't read War and Peace for quite a time. What I know for sure is that the Russian Aristocracy used to speak French to look like Europeans whom they considered to be advanced in every regard - fashion, lifestyle, education etc. At some point some of them may have wanted to start using Russian more frequently to be closer to common folk - Tolstoy himself abandoned his high-society life in Moscow and moved to the countryside to spend more time with nature and teach peasant kids how to read.
Emmelie made a great video compering editions of famous classics, you should check it out:
ruclips.net/video/uSjSTIU-vDY/видео.html
Glad you address the difficulty at the outset. Tolstoy is incredibly skilled at balancing entertainment with poignancy. He's fun. More fun than I think most people expect of a classic. And this fun carries us forward into profound insights about history, war, human striving and failure and love-glad you included a short segment on his dry humor. I hope you get to Anna Karenina someday. There are sections in that book that feel almost like a sitcom, and yet it will then have suddenly long stretches of poetic longing and sadness. Such phenomenal emotional range.
Great job with this one, Emily!
I will be reading Anna Karenina in August, I have to finish a few books till then lol. Thank you so much for watching!
The first time I read “War and Peace” was as a teenager, many years ago, after having seen the epic Soviet film version of Tolstoy’s novel directed by Sergei Bondarchuk on the big screen at my local cinema. I was greatly interested in the era of the French Revolution/Napoleonic Wars at the time-a lifelong interest, it turned out-and I read everything about the period I could lay my hands on, fiction and nonfiction.
The edition of “War and Peace” I read was from Modern Library Books and was the Constance Garnett translation. Some decades later, I read it again, just to relive the experience of a family caught up in major events at a critical point in history. If anyone wants to see a film version of “War and Peace” before tackling the novel, I would recommend the Soviet version from the mid-1960s, which I’m pretty sure is available on RUclips.
A couple of years ago, I was poking around the assortment of books at a local thrift store and came across a big, fat hardcover book describing itself as the “original version” of “War and Peace”, translated by Andrew Bromfield. Without going into too much detail, this version of Tolstoy’s novel represents his initial thinking of how he thought his story should unfold, and is about 200 pages shorter than the standard edition of the novel available today.
I found three main alterations from the later, longer edition. For one thing, we spend a lot more time with Anatole Kuragin and his family. Secondly, during Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, the scene shifts to the Bolkonsky estate at Bald Hills for much of the time. Third, and most significant (SPOILER ALERT!), in the original version of “War and Peace” Prince Andrey is wounded at the Battle of Borodino, but does not die. Instead, he survives and lives to give his blessing to the marriage of Natasha and Pierre, acknowledging that he and Natasha were not really suited to one another. Apparently, Tolstoy became dissatisfied with this happy ending to his story. Perhaps it didn't feel Russian enough.
But if Andrew survived and didn't end up with Natasha I would have a fit, lol, I mean I just can't picture it! Thank you so much for sharing this delightful tidbit, I had no idea the 'original manuscript' existed, I have to find a copy now.
@@TheLinguistsLibrary The publication info on the edition I have is as follows: "War and Peace" Original Version by Leo Tolstoy, Translated by Andrew Bromfield, Introduction by Nikolai Tolstoy, ecco An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 2007. It's available on Alibris.
@@user-bn9kr6nz5h Thank you🙂
While I have never read this book, it is one of those books that I am saving to read when I grow older, I am not ready for this yet but I definitely will read this someday and I know it will be impactful. Loved your review of it and thanks for cautioning me against the Wordsworth edition
Thank you. I hope you get around to it one day. But yes, absolutely, it was meant to be published as series it is much more manageable that way. Have a great day
have read it four times now. it's easily my fav novel ever--and I've read too many novels to count: all of Proust, James many times, Nabokov's oeuvre, etc. it's THE most fun text to compare and contrast different translations. your reviews are very engaging and you are quite eloquent and I applaud you, Emily CP! nice one.
Thank you so much for saying that. I'm about to finish Anna Karenina and I've become a certified Tolstoy fan. I love Nabokov and I should start reading Proust as soon as finish AK, and I hope to review some on them the channel so we can dive deeper into the discussion!
Your manner of speaking is truly captivating. It seems you have a natural ability for storytelling.
Thank you so much for saying that, it means a lot.
Video on a book review? A rarity these days!
Glad some of us never stopped enjoying them!
Great choice of the book! Timeless favourite☺️
Thank you, I'm going to buy a better edition for my home library because I love it so much.
I read the Anthony Briggs’ translation last year. It’s terrific.
Did you get the Penguin's edition? I want to buy a different edition with a bigger font.
@@TheLinguistsLibraryyes, I actually got the Penguin Classics Deluxe edition. If you like deckle edge paper, it’s great. The paper is high quality, and the font is large with good spacing between lines.
@@jbriaz Thank you, will add it my wish list.
do you recommend the Anthony Briggs?
@@mohieddinebilalamraoui1259 I love Maude's translation, I just had a problem with this Wordsworth edition. I'm going buy the Three-Volume Boxed Set by Everyman's Library for my reread because it is easier to carry around.
Check 'The Master and Margarita' by Bulgakov. One of the most loved books in the Russian speaking world.
The story of the book's creation is also amazing.
Hopefully I'll get to it soon, thanks for the rec. I'm reading Anna Karenina next.
Great review!.
I commend you wanting to reread this gargantuan size of a novel 😆.
I’d recommend the Pevear and Volokhonsky edition for your reread.
Hopefully no typos 😊
Thank you, I'll look them up. I really liked Tolstoy so I'll probably read it again, not this year but maybe the next.
Great video!! War And Peace is on my reading bucket list
Thanks for watching!
I mean the doctors 'bled him'? No wonder he's surprised to have recovered.
I know, right?
Sadly, I am not much of a reader. I’ve read maybe fifteen novels in my life (and I’m 40!), but I committed to reading “War and Peace” in 2012. It took me eighteen months to finish the book. I must say that I really enjoyed it! His views on history in the epilogue were really interesting to me. Thanks for the review!
Thank you for watching! If his epilogue was your favorite part you should try The Prince by Machiavelli by the way.
Getting close to 700 subscribers. Best wishes with what you read and to your channel.
Thank you, same to you!🙂
Thank you for your review of the Russian classics! The question is off topic, but could you tell me the name of your beautiful haircut?
Thank you! It's just a normal layered haircut, I believe.
Read Dostoyevsky - Karamazov brothers!🎉🎉🎉
Yes, soon hopefully!
Can someone tell me if this Wordsworth copy of war and peace has French parts or if the French is already translated in English 😊
This keeps all the French parts, I could be wrong but I think all editions of Maude's translations keep the original French dialog.
{possible spoiler} my favorite part was when Natasha bonks her head on the door it was just so random and funny .. it somehow made my mind think of everything each character went through in that moment it was bitter sweet
I remember that, it was funny. Natasha was supposed to be his perfect woman and it shows, she kind of reminds me of that song 'Beautiful Disaster'.
by 311?
@@emiliodelira42 by Kelly Clarkson
@@TheLinguistsLibrary wow, yeah, thanks for the song
Are you from Chilean descent?
I'm Brazilian-Italian
I'm curious, what you didn't like about the end? It was one of the best ending I read in a book in my opinion. (SPOILER BELLOW)
I thought one of the characters (Sonia) had a sad and harsh ending, and I felt sorry for her situation, a little bit sorry for Denissov too, but Sonia situation was way worst, even so I understand that he wanted to end like this, because that's how life can go sometimes.
I gave it 5 stars on goodreads, it was a great ending, just not what I pictured for Natasha and Sonia. Why did she have to stop singing? Couldn't she grow from his enchantress to a mature lady who still kept her talent?
Oh yes, I forgot about that detail of Natasha. Well, I agree, she could have kept singing.
Maybe the reason of why Tolstoy wrote this way is because he saw himself in Pierre and probably made Natasha in the way he saw what a perfect wife would be, witch include this kind of sacrifice.
Tolstoy had an unhappy marriage and wrote in other books same weird ideas about the ideal marriage.
@@igoralmeida4677 Yes, Katie: Family Happiness and Anna Karenina deal with that. Also, I know Pierre was based on Tolstoy and I liked his character arc but I was team Andrew all the way.
sorry to say, but you did not scratch even the surface of the novel yet...footnotes are kind of dictionary, but to understand Tolstoy you must do your research thoroughly, that is if you do not speak Russian, which i believe you do not. Vayna (war) i (and) mira (both means world and peace, intentionally chosen)... Bezukhov means without ears ;) so good luck if you really want to get what Tolstoy is talking about.
That is what's great about a classic like this, there's so much to unpack. Of course, there's no comparison between a translation and something in the original language. Thanks for your comment. Maybe I'll read this in Russian one day if I ever get around to it.
@@TheLinguistsLibrary you are welcome beautiful human, even Russians get hard time to read it in Russian because of the old style, you don't need to read in Russian, just be more careful with names, cause they are chosen for a reason, and there are lots of metaphors everywhere, If I am not mistaken, the copy that you have read keeps lots of items' names in Russian. One last tip, Tolstoy didn't believe in anything(religion,politics) except life, which means technically he believed in everything, hence the paradox of his character, therefore, of his novel.
@@sarkisdrejian5395 ☺🤗
De los muchos problemas en el mundo, cual de ellos quitarias
El hambre. Habreia mucho menos caos en mi opinión.
@@TheLinguistsLibrary Es un problema y gordo, como lo harias?
I'm halfway through the video and I'm wondering, "has she mentioned the translator yet?"
Yes, at 3:32 I mention that this is the Maude translation
@@TheLinguistsLibrary , oops, sorry about that. Thanks!
@@erichodge567 That's okay. Thank you for watching!
My debut novel is coming soon, congratulate me.
Congratulations! Wonderful accomplishment
@@TheLinguistsLibrary would that be self-pompous of me to say that my writing will be reminded in the history of coming present? Let it be an arrogant remark, but I am self-assured to the fact of the success the book will amass.
I don't judge your attitude at all. Everyone who has ever changed the world had to believe they could first.
@@TheLinguistsLibrary so me of you to say that. Have fun, have life.
An amusing fact is that Tolstoy wrote three full length novels and while the first two (War and Peace, Anna Karenina) are all time greats, the third (Resurrection) is notoriously awful.
Just looked it up. I don't know much about it but it is brave to write a redemption arc so soon after Crime and Punishment. It's rated at 4.16 on goodreads, why didn't you like it?
@@TheLinguistsLibrary well it was over 30 years after C&P. I have never read it. It just has an abysmal reputation. I’ve never met anybody who liked it.
@@Tolstoy111 To be honest, those themes don't really interest me. But thanks for the tidbit.
4:01 Of course they knew Russian perfectly. It was just a popular trend for the Russian Aristocracy to speak French. The French culture was very popular and they admired Napoleon.
I exaggerated a bit, but I was surprised to see some characters have to hire tutor to improve their written Russian.
@@TheLinguistsLibrary Many Russians struggle with the Russian language. One of the toughest in the world :)
@@evgeniytsarkov5679 Very true. But I do believe it was part of their character arc to stop using French so much and incorporate a bit more Russian into their daily lives. That's why I mentioned it in the video.
@@TheLinguistsLibrary Well, maybe... Haven't read War and Peace for quite a time.
What I know for sure is that the Russian Aristocracy used to speak French to look like Europeans whom they considered to be advanced in every regard - fashion, lifestyle, education etc.
At some point some of them may have wanted to start using Russian more frequently to be closer to common folk - Tolstoy himself abandoned his high-society life in Moscow and moved to the countryside to spend more time with nature and teach peasant kids how to read.
No, they didn't necessarily know Russian perfectly. A great portion of them weren't even of Russian descent.