Penguin Classics Crime and Punishment

A fine translation. Raskolnikov wants to be an ubermensch, "to be a man, not a louse," yet ironically molds himself after Napoleon - willing to sacrifice OTHERS for his own purposes, and thus making himself less like a human and more like a parasite - that lives off the blood of others. My only minor beef with the edition I have is the cover art - although it is super cool, Raskolnikov is pictured as a scary crusty older guy, while in the book he is young, attractive, and yes, disturbed. (This review was written for the "Oliver Ready" translation - I don't know but perhaps should assume that when it shows up under the audiobook narrated by Nigel Anthony, that it is the same translation. There's no indication - does anyone know?

This translation is quite acceptable and does the text justice. Penguin never disappoints. On a personal note, the cover is absolutely an eye-catcher: I got so many questions about what I was reading on the first day I received it! A great option for the first time reader or a lover of the old Constance Gardner version.

You’ve heard about how great this book is. Just go ahead and buy it now and read it. It’s truly a masterpiece.

I read this book just for fun and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but the protagonist, Roskolikov, is a childish, unlikable jackass. I get the Internal struggle and the supposed justification for his crime in the context of mid-nineteenth century Russia. But I couldn't bring myself to sympathize with a young man who comes off as an egocentric, irrational, silly little boy whose inability to comprehend the basic laws of nature results in two murders. I wanted him to be punished and frankly life in Siberia wasn't punishment enough. The kid was just a creepy little jerk.

I agree with all the enthusiastic reviews--I loved the book. I also found it easier to read and understand than I'd anticipated and believe the translator, Oliver Ready, deserves much of the credit for that. I also found his footnotes to be very helpful and surprised myself by reading almost every one as I went along. I'd love to find an audio version of this translation but haven't had any luck so far. In answer to reviewer marcus1's question, the version narrated by Nigel Anthony looks to be severely abridged and I think is a reading of the Constance Garnett translation. It's really disappointing that that's the version Amazon links to this translation. There are so many versions of the book available on Audible that the company might not be willing to do another. But maybe if enough of us show interest in a reading of this translation, they will consider it.

I love this Dostoyevsky novel and this translation by Oliver Ready is superlative. I emphatically recommend this version!

It is a melodrama, no doubt about it; but it is his departures from the norm and his insights into aberrant psychology that makes it such a fascinating book. It also has unforgettable (if highly contrived) scenes, such as the one when Sonya is accused of stealing a hundred-ruble note. Tormented characters, abject poverty, squalor, madness, passion, philosophy, murder, drunkenness ... it has everything, except for gratuitous sex scenes.

Dostoyevsky brilliantly demonstrates the ultimate fate of individuals, and states, which remove the foundation of the divine from human consciousness. His masterful work indicates that the act of removing God removes the Imago Dei. As a result, human life has no intrinsic value. Raskolnikov's existential punishment, far more than his legal punishment, reveals that there is a reality deep within himself that disagrees with his nihilistic philosophy. I believe that Dostoyevsky's novel predicts the death and destruction that such philosophies wreaked on humanity when given opportunity through Marxist and communist regimes.

I first read Crime and Punishment in 1988 in the Penguin Classics edition that was available at the time by David Magarshak. It must have been done in the 1960s but it read well and it made Crime and Punishment my favourite novel alongside Kafka’s The Trial. Penguin went on to publish a newer translation by David McDuff in the 1990s but that passed me by. I stuck with my old edition, which I’ve now read several times. I decided to read this edition by Oliver Ready for two reasons. First, my old edition is in a box somewhere in my storage unit and I’ve no idea where it is. Second, I heard Oliver Ready talking about his translation on the radio a few months ago, and I thought I would give him a chance. I will get my pedantry out of the way early. A translator has no business using poor grammar, no matter what the original text might be doing, so, please, no more “sat” where we should have “sitting” and no more “there’s” where we should have “there are”. These horrors may have crept into the vernacular, but there is no need to spoil a literary text with sloppy grammar. Having said that, the translation on the whole does justice to a fantastic novel in that it “feels” like Dostoyevsky. Oliver Ready provides a very good introduction setting out key aspects of the author’s life that helped produce the novel, and the all-important political and cultural environment of Russia in the 1860s that led to all these “new ideas” that Luzhin tries to acquaint himself with. The translator also provides many useful notes explaining the geography of Petersburg and illuminating various topical references. These alone make this translation worthwhile. When I think about my favourite writers, I find that most of them suffered in some way. In Dostoyevsky’s case, he lost his mother at 15, then his father was murdered by one of his serfs a couple of years later. Dostoyevsky was arrested for being a member of a liberal discussion group and he knew what it’s like to stand in front of a firing squad believing that in a few moments you’re going to be shot. He was reprieved at the last moment but then endured years of forced labour in Siberia, loaded with chains and manacles. I’m not saying anything about the plot because either you know it or you don’t; and if you don’t know it, you ought to find out. I’m not in the habit of pestering people to read works by dead white males, but this is one book I would urge anyone to read.

Quick disclaimer: I am a completely novice reader and this is actually the first book I have willingly decided to purchase and read, and therefore all the opinions below are through that lens. The quality of the book is great, pages are a bit thin but not too thin, I think they are just right. The cover is also really cool- I think from all the versions of this book I have seen online, this is one of the best looking ones. The translation is also very solid, I read Garnett’s version before this and it took me a few chapters to get used to. I have also heard that this translation (by Oliver Ready) is one of the best for English readers who want something close to the original Russian book. In my opinion that checks out because it is very easy to digest. Also, what I really like, is that there is a thorough explanation for uncommon words or phrases that might not make sense at first, at the end of the book, containing insightful and helpful information that you might not find by just googling. I have no idea if this is standard for all books like this, but that’s a pro of this book that you can keep in mind. The text is also the perfect size, not too big and not too small. Anyway, I think this book is totally worth it.

I think everyone who is buying such a book knows what the content is and talking about the book, is printed clearly. Everything as expected.

I’ve heard a lot about this book, and I decided to get this version specifically because it came highly recommended by Jordan Peterson and Andrew Klavan. I haven’t read it yet, but I’ve heard great things, particularly about Oliver Ready’s translation. This is going to be an incredible read. From what I understand, you need a strong command of advanced English and familiarity with academic vocabulary to truly grasp the depth of this work. That’s all for now—looking forward to diving in!

Amazing condition and an amazing novel