War and Peace Vol. 1 (Dole Translation)
Gelesen von MaryAnn
Leo Tolstoy
(4,63 Sterne; 184 Bewertungen)
”War and Peace” is a panoramic novel: It is its own justification, and perhaps needs no introduction. It always reminds the translator of a broad and mighty river flowing onward with all the majesty of Fate. On its surface, float swiftly by logs and stumps, cakes of ice, perhaps drowned cattle or men from regions far above. These floating straws, insignificant in themselves, tell the current. Once embark upon it, and it is impossible to escape the onward force that moves you so relentlessly. What landscapes you pass through, what populous towns, what gruesome defiles, what rapids, what cataracts! The water may be turbid, or it may flow translucent and pure, – but still it rushes on. Such to me is “War and Peace.”
“War and Peace,” like all of Count Tolstoi’s works, is a mighty protest against war. There is no arguing in it about the waste, and the demoralization, and the cruelty, and the unmanliness of it, but, like all Russian argument, it is by vivid pictures such as no one can resist.
The present translation has been made from the original Russian. Tolstoi has been felicitously called “the Russian Rembrandt.” It is not fair to reproduce Rembrandt as a Teniers. One may be sometimes tempted to substitute the curved line of beauty for the straight line of duty, or soften a harsh silhouette, but beyond certain unavoidable issues of the sort necessary for reproducing the impression given by the original, the translator ought to be as faithful as possible. Here the old law of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, repudiated by Count Tolstoi, ought to have a new application. (from the Preface by N.H. Dole)
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3 (to be recorded)
Volume 4 (to be recorded) (15 hr 2 min)
Chapters
Bewertungen
Best Reader!
Eugene P.
(5 Sterne)
MaryAnn's readings are a gift to this world. I highly recommend her reading of Anna Karenina also.
Maureen
(5 Sterne)
Really great narration. Timeless tale well told by writer and reader. Great experience all the way through.
great reader
(5 Sterne)
The reader does a marvelous job. A joy to listen to
Fifi C
(5 Sterne)
Thank you for your time and talent MaryAnn.
Mimi
(4,5 Sterne)
I’ve been trying to read this novel for years but the battle scenes and the horrific detailed descriptions of them always deterred me. But after listening to Mary Ann’s reading of Anna Karenina, I was keen to tackle this Tolstoy behemoth. As in my previous review of her reading, I find her voice calm and soothing, without a jarring accent — as some of the volunteers have — and she reads expressively and with correct punctuation and pauses. I am grateful to her and several of the LibriVox volunteers for their time and dedication, in providing us with excellent work. However, I remain mystified by the mispronunciation of common English words during Mary Ann’s reading! And I won’t even attempt to discuss her efforts to convey French words. After all it cannot be expected of the volunteer readers to also be polyglots
one of my favorite readers
Ms. Elizabeth
(1 Sterne)
I could not keep up with the flow of thought. Just when a plot was/about to be clarified, then characters began to bemoan about something else. I just don't see what the big deal is about this book. I believe it's only the "name brand" of the author. I will still try the other volumes. Hopefully there's improvement.
Thilina Samarasooriya
(3,5 Sterne)
Mary Ann's narration was quite good generally. However she, in a rather dyslexic manner, mispronounces a few words repeatedly. For example - each time the word 'cavalry' appears in the text, she invariably says "Calvary"!! There are some more words which she mispronounces always in this volume. That aside, a nice listen altogether. Thanks.
yikes
Snowed In Again
(3 Sterne)
one of my all time favorite readers who pirouettes effortlessly through all the Russian surnames can't pronounce viscount correctly. Had to stop listening early on coz I was shouting at the stupid tablet. Will drink a bit of wine and try again later when the viz counts are replaced by princes, I hope.