The Books of My Life: War and Peace (Translated by Louise and Aylmer Maude and revised by Amy Mandelker)

 

I recently read Amy Mandelker's 2010 excellent and very readable revised translation of Louise and Aylmer Maude's 1922 and 1923 translation of Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy's classic and innovative Russian novel Voyna i Mir/War and Peace. War and Peace, of course, as many commentators have noted, is a fascinating mixture of social theory, historiography, history, romance, epic, and reflection on Russianess and Sermon on the Mount Christianity, a type of internationalist Christianity lost in the merger between Christianity and state beginning in the fifth century C.E. except among Christian groups like the Quakers and the Anabaptists.

Before I read Mandelker's revision of the Maude's translation of War and Peace I spent a bit of time persuing the "comments" on this recent Oxford World's Classics translation on Amazon. Like so much "criticism" these days, a "criticism" made sadly more common thanks to the rise of social media sites like Amazon, the criticism of the Maude-Mandelker War and Peace was characterised by a lack of context and by emotionalism rather than reasoned contextual analysis. Some "critics", for example, whinged about the fact that Mandelker decided in her revision to restore the French text to War and Peace, something many if not most translators of War and Peace do not do. They generally translate it into English instead. Others complained about the difficulties of reading the English translation of the French passages of War and Peace contained in footnotes at the bottom of the page. Still others whined about Mandelker's revision and paring of the Maude's notes, which are contained at the back of the book. Still others complained about the lack in quality of the hardback edition of Mandelker's revised translation of War and Peace.

Personally, I found and find this "criticism", if you can call it that, misplaced and ridiculous. I had no problem with the restoration of French to War and Peace. In fact, I appreciated it. Incidentally, the Maude/Mandelker translation contains Tolstoy's 1868 "Some Words About War and Peace" from Russian Archive as an appendix. In "Some Words About War and Peace", Tolstoy, somewhat ironically,  defends his use of French in the text of War and Peace against contemporary criticism. I had no problem reading the English translations of the French at the bottom of each relevant page when necessary. I had no problem with Mandelker's paring of the notes to War and Peace and appreciated her updating of the mostly historical references in the text. And I had no problem with the quality of the hardback edition of the book. I don't think, after all, anyone with a knowledge of book economics can reasonably expect a book that retails for £18.99/$31.13/$24.95 and was printed in the United Kingdom to be of Folio Society quality. What I did and do have a problem with is the contextlessness rubbish that passes for "criticism" in these narcissistic me me me and dumbed down days.