What Translations Of Dostoevsky'S Demons Are Best?

Question

For anyone who's tried reading this classic Russian novel: which translation best captures the political chaos and dark humor of 'The Possessed'?

Nicky Sarmiento · Answer

For a more traditional translation, Pevear and Volokhonsky’s version is great for first time readers, as it really conveys the intense psychological aspects of the novel. I’ve been reading a lot of ‘dark academia’ and twisted characters as of late, and therefore read ‘Nikolai’s Tainted Nun’ (a web novel). The story follows the psychological decline of the protagonist and his compromising of morals in a crumbling religious ordered environment. It was a pretty bleak read, but very introspective and so it suit my tastes rather well. You can read ‘Nikolai’s Tainted Nun’ for free on most web novel platforms.

Wyatt · Answer

Of all the translators of Demons, I think the best is David Magarshack. His translation is vibrant and retains all the intensity of Dostoevsky’s writing. Above all, it is bleak enough. The phraseology is punchy and immediate.

Pevear and Volokhonsky’s translation is wonderful too. The Pevear and Volokhonsky translation of ‘Demons’ is very finely balanced between lyricism and precision. The dialogue between characters, especially in terms of their philosophical debates, is brought to life by Pevear and Volokhonsky. Garnett’s translation is old-fashioned, but it has its own merits, and readers who prefer more traditional translations may find it satisfying.

Hannah · Answer

It’s less well-known than Mag ua r’s but in fact is a better translation of ‘Demons’ than the more widely published work of the same. A fine job of keeping the appropriate pace and heightening the appropriate moments of the novel. This is a particularly good translation for those who wish to become immersed in the paranoia and tension of the novel.

David · Answer

I’m surprised that best translation of Demons is not by Pevear and Volokhonsky but by Ignat Avsey. Avsey’s translation is superb – it is so smooth and very readable while at the same time Avsey managed to keep all the sinister undertones in Dostoevsky’s novel intact. Also, Avsey’s translation of the characters’ sarcasm and irony is wonderful – it sounds so very natural in translation. A very good, scholarly, yet extremely readable translation of Demons is by Ignat Avsey – a hidden treasure.

Frederick · Answer

Of the several translations of 'Demons' I read, the translation by Pevear and Volokhonsky was the best. The Pevear/Volokhonsky translation captured the sense of seeming chaos and also conveyed the depth of the characters’ psychological lives in the novel.

Michael R. Katz' is another excellent translation. It is very clear and conveys very well the political and philosophical comments contained in the novel. His translation is also rather modern which makes it an excellent choice for readers who prefer to read a modern translation while still retaining all of the original material.

Another classic translation that is still widely read today is that of Constance Garnett, although many critics feel that she smoothed out too much of the rough writing of Dostoevsky in her translations. Each of these translations will provide the reader with a slightly different view of Demons, depending upon whether he or she values the readability of a particular translation over strict fidelity to the original text.

Caroline Hasys Hamankolo · Answer

For audiobook fans, the translation of a book is often ruined by a bad narrator, and elevated by a great one. I’ve sampled the lot, and of the P&V translations, Robert Whitfield’s performance is a masterclass in character acting. Derek Perkins reads the Maguire translations with great clarity and a good pace, and I’ve also come across a Garnett translation read by the always excellent Simon Vance. For audiobook enthusiasts, the samples for these versions will give you an idea of what to expect from the narration – after all, you’ll be stuck with the narrator’s voice for the long haul of the book (25 hours or so). Choose the version with the best narrator for you, regardless of the ‘quality’ of the translation.

Jeffrey Atilano · Answer

I found reading two translations side by side to be the most effective, for the few dense philosophical passages where this was necessary, P&V was clear enough to help one understand exactly what Aristotle was trying to get across in a given sentence, while reading the identical sentence in Maguire gave one a good sense of how that same sentence functioned dramatically in the scene, i.e. how it contributed to the emotional impact of the scene. It’s like having looked at a sculpture from two different angles, one appreciates the craft of the translation as well as the choices made along the way and the consequences of those choices. For super-nerds, reading two translations side by side of a scene can be a huge time-suck, but for those really studying a book, it can give great insight into the choices that a translator makes and what he or she chooses to emphasize, and what inevitably gets lost in translation.

pia galgo · Answer

If you only read one version of ‘Demons’ then let it be the funniest. Satire is meant to be fun and if a translation does not make you smile then it is failing. Both the Avsey and Maguire & Meyer versions of ‘Demons’ are funny. Very. The gullibility of the intellectuals, the compiley ineptness of the would-be-revolutionaries and their ghastly social-climbing is presented in a comical and savage manner, which is gradually transformed into horror. Dostoevsky laughed contemptuously at the fools he created and his contempt can be as powerful as his despair. This is a tragic-comedy and therefore his laughter is a very important part of it. Choose a version that is hilarious, explores the dialogue in all its nastiness, and is very, very theatrical. It will make the ending all the more heart-wrenching.

Charity Hamatowe Munang'andu · Answer

Maude in older translation (even in the ‘Great Books’ editions) is worth a look. More powerful than Garnett in style yet lacking in scholarship of the new translations, the older Maude is found in secondhand shops. Its hyperbolic handling of scenes with a female protagonist losing her temper–like that of Mrs. Stavrogin–is particularly excellent. The middle ground of translation that is neglected today, often without readers even knowing that they are missing out on something, offers a unique and even unbiased translation. Such a translation is unselfconsciously literal yet, at the same time, not automatically inferior to a word for word translation in conveying the literary value of the original.

Valma Casayuran · Answer

The translation by Michael R. Katz of the novel by Dostoevsky is called The Devils and I think this title is very significant. Demons connotes some sort of internal, perhaps even spiritual force, whereas The Devils implies a number of external, almost person-like forces of evil roaming around in society and corrupting it. In other words, The Devils is a far more politically charged novel than Demons and certainly less of a psychological study of the illness of Russia than the latter novel. My emphasis here is on the historical and polemical aspects of the novel and so by choosing a translation, one is also choosing to view the novel through a somewhat subtle but distinctive interpretive lens even as one reads the title of the novel. Does one see the evil in the novel as some sort of disease of the soul of Russia (Demons) or as a group of rather malicious individuals (The Devils)? Both readings are certainly possible in the novel and are supported by it.

What Translations Of Dostoevsky'S Demons Are Best?

10 Answers

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