For example, Nikolai Rostov is Nikolai, Nikolushka, Rostov, and Nikolai Ilyavich depending on where he is and who is addressing him. Most characters are called by several different names. So, if you use any external sources while reading the novel, you will need to recognize slightly different spellings of characters and places.ģ) Keep track of the characters' nicknames. Every version of the novel transliterates (i.e., spells) the characters' names differently. For more on this, see the 'Translation Wars' section of this ClassicNote.Ģ) Learn a little about Russian sounds and transliteration. Many translations abridge or alter the novel substantially. Here are a few words of advice for students about to undertake this novel:ġ) Choose your translation wisely. Though mostly an entirely readable book (depending on your translation - see the note on "Translation Wars"), it can also prove daunting. For all these reasons, it initially baffled many critics, though it did find fame within the author's lifetime, and its enduring reputation is almost ubiquitous. Famous for its girth and sprawling ambition, it merges historical fact with invented characters, and philosophy with fiction. War and Peace was published as a serialized novel, completed in 1869.
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