War & Peace isn’t so much forgotten as ignored. This edition, translated by Anthony Briggs, weighs in at 1400 pages. Many readers are put off by the size of this tome. And, after reading War & Peace I can safely state that there’s more PEACE in War & Peace than WAR. Tolstoy details an aristocratic society threaten by invasion by Napoleon and his armies.
I read War & Peace because I’ll be seeing Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 tomorrow on Broadway, a play based on War & Peace.
If you’re thinking of reading War & Peace there are plenty of translations to choose from. I picked the Anthony Briggs translation of War & Peace after reading Patrick Crabtree’s blog here. Patrick Crabtree compares a dozen translations of War & Peace and gives the positives and negatives of each. Well worth a look! Have you read War & Peace? Do you want to?
Thanks for the link to the review of the translations – I have the older Rosemary Edmonds version for the way it handles the sections in french mostly.
Sergio, 10% of WAR & PEACE is in French. Briggs takes the seamless approach to that problem. Other translations provided the French and then provided a footnote of the passage in English.
I read it in 6th grade, along with a lot of other books I could understand and enjoy but not really appreciate. I should go back to it now in the wisdom of my advancing years.
Dan, the picture of Russian Society fascinates, especially as Moscow is burning.
Yes–but I like Anna Karenina so much more.
Iirc, there was a BBC adaptation from the early (?) 1970s with Anthony Hopkins. I think it was aired on Masterpiece Theatre but I could be wrong. I think I read W&P after watching that…but my timeline is hazy.
Deb, you’re right about the BBC version of WAR & PEACE with Anthony Hopkins. I have a 3-DVD box set of WAR & PEACE in a Russian version still to watch when we get back from New York City and dinner with the Meyersons.
“Many readers are put off by the size of this tome.” That would include me.
Bill, I haven’t read many 1,400 page books. This could be the last one of that length that I attempt!
and me.
I did read what I’m sure was an abridged version (the Garnett translation) back in high school and remember the basics. I did see the Anthony Hopkins as Pierre version (Alan Dobie, probably most well known in this country as Sgt. Cribb in the Peter Lovesey series, was Andre). Currently I have the Maudes’ unabridged version and yes, I do want to read it again.
Jeff, I won’t be reading WAR & PEACE again. Once was enough. But I am looking forward to seeing NATASHA, PIERRE, AND THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 tomorrow. I told Diane, Patrick, and Katie I can answer any of their questions about the plot and the characters since I read the book it’s based on.
I’m with Bill. I did see an adaption of it recently as a mini series, but don’t remember which channel. that was enough for me.
Maggie, the Russian DVD version is highly recommended by Patrick Crabtree (the guy who did the analysis of the 12 translations of WAR & PEACE).
Maggie, there is a 6-part 2016 BBC/A & E version with Paul Dano, Lily James, and James Norton. We decided not to watch it.
George, I didn’t mean read it again that way. I meant that I have the book unread and do mean to read it, but then I’ve meant to read it for a while now.
I can’t think of any reason to read it – I read an excerpted version somewhere during school days – I don’t have a copy. If I were going to read a Russian novel at this point it would be a reread of The Brothers Karamazov.
I think I saw a movie based on it (with Henry Fonda?) years ago, and found it slow slogging! I made a vow long ago to never read another Russian novel!
It’s my list of books to read when I am 114, George. I think I read the Classics Illustrated comic book version, but then again, maybe not.