The plan for Madame Bovary is set for October, the contest copies should be delivered to the hands of winners in the next week or so, and now I want to firm up the November plans for Doctor Zhivago. Plenty of you were excited about this new translation by Pevear and Volokhonsky when I posted about it a few weeks back. Some of you have even signed on already, and will find your names below in the participants list. The plan?
Well, Dr. Zhivago is divided almost equally into Book One and Book Two, a little less than 250 pages per section. The discussion of the first section will start on Tuesday, November 16, and the discussion of the second section will start on Tuesday, November 30. I say start because we need not confine our remarks to just the first day of posting, and often times, people need to post later than others and we don't want them to feel as if the ship has sailed without them.
Not only was there controversy surrounding the publication of this novel (we can revisit that topic later), but there was much controversy about that original English translation in 1958. The buzz around this new translation is that it honors Pasternak's voice in an occasionally radically different take on his words than in prior English translation. I admittedly do not know much of Russian literature but am really curious to see how this edition compares with the very old one I have from my grandparents.
So join us? Just comment below, and I will add you to the participant list and enter you in the contest for one of ten copies of the book that Pantheon Books is making available to our group read.
Participants:
Sandy of You've Gotta Read This!
Rachel of Book Snob
JoAnn of Lakeside Musing
Trisha of Eclectic/Eccentric
Claire of Kiss a Cloud
Jill of Rhapsody in Books
Kristen of We Be Reading
Emily of Seriously Reading
Carolyn of A Few of My Favorite Books
Bellezza of Dolce Bellezza
Becca of Ravenous Reader
Richard of Caravana de Recuerdos
Allie of A Literary Odyssey
Jessica of Park Benches and Bookends
Eva of A Striped Armchair
Trevor of The Mookse and the Gripes
Iris of Iris on Books
Jenny of Jenny's Books
Carina of Reading Through Life
Stu of Winstonsdad's Blog