My 5-year punishment must come to an end...

April 7, 2010 10:04 AM

Bookish mystery: Help me identify the translation of Crime and Punishment I was reading.

I am searching for a particular translation that I started reading during a summer sublet in 2005, but didn't finish and left in its rightful owner's apartment. Sadly, my taking of moral high ground has resulted in five years of 'punishment'.

Here's what I recall:

- The translation was NOT written in British English
- To follow up on the above, I'm sure it wasn't the popular Constance Garnett translation
- This version had a map in the beginning, and a foreword
- It *could* be the Sidney Monas translation, but I'm not sure if any of these have a map in the beginning. Anyone have a copy with a map in the beginning? I also don't recall there having been so many sentences...with ellipses...and I think I would have noticed that...
- The style, as best I recall, was clean, crisp, and matter-of-fact

I really, really loved this translation but have not found it in any bookstore since (B&N, Borders).

I also welcome your reflections and resources on this classic - your recommended translation (and why?), companion guides, thought-provoking essays, and such would be lovely.

Please help! You will be my heroes and heroines. Thank you.

posted by xiaolongbao to media & arts (5 answers total)

The Norton Critical Edition has a map of 19th century Petsersburg and uses the Jessie Coulson translation, which is known to be better than Garnett's.
posted by zizzle at 10:22 AM on April 7, 2010

Possibly Pevear and Volokhonsky? I don't have the book with me, but it's the one I read, and I'm pretty sure it fits your description (in particular, the map).
posted by likedoomsday at 10:45 AM on April 7, 2010

I have a first edition hardbound copy of the translation likedoomsday mentions. No map, but there is foreward, and a section of the translators' notes concerns the topography of St. Petersburg. It's possible they added a map to later editions.

"Clean, crisp, and matter-of-fact" describes this particular translation perfectly. It was a joy to read.
posted by halcyon_daze at 11:50 AM on April 7, 2010

I've got the Coulson translation (Norton Critical Edition that zizzle mentions above). It has a preface, but the map is on page 467 and not at the beginning.
posted by pushing paper and bottoming chairs at 3:36 PM on April 7, 2010

I looked at the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation and Norton Critical Edition at a B&N today, but I don't think either were the version I was reading. The map in the Norton Critical was more elaborate and not in the right place...though of course this might've been a change made in a later edition.

I'll probably pick up one of these, though. So, thanks for the recs!
posted by xiaolongbao at 4:09 PM on April 11, 2010