PEN Translation Prize
2 appearances
-
Edition 31 (1991) Winner
-
Edition 42 (2002) Winner
Richard Pevear
リチャード・ペヴェア
Richādo Peveā
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1943-04-21 （Waltham, Massachusetts）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English, Russian, French, Italian, Greek
- Residence History
- United States → Paris, France
Career
- Occupations
- literary translator, university professor, poet
- Active Years
- 1974-2024
- Affiliations
- University of New Hampshire, The Cooper Union, Mount Holyoke College, Columbia University, University of Iowa, American University of Paris
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegheny College | — | — | B.A. | — | United States |
| University of Virginia | — | — | M.A. | — | United States |
Allegheny College
Degree:
B.A.
Year of Graduation:
1964
Country:
United States
University of Virginia
Degree:
M.A.
Year of Graduation:
1965
Country:
United States
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize | The Brothers Karamazov | — | PEN | Winner |
| 2001 | PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize | Anna Karenina | — | PEN | Winner |
| 2003 | Efim Etkind Translation Prize | The Idiot | — | European University at St. Petersburg | Winner |
PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize
1991
Work:
The Brothers Karamazov
Organization:
PEN
Result:
Winner
PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize
2001
Work:
Anna Karenina
Organization:
PEN
Result:
Winner
Efim Etkind Translation Prize
2003
Work:
The Idiot
Organization:
European University at St. Petersburg
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Translations by Author
- The Brothers Karamazov
- Crime and Punishment
- Notes from Underground
- Demons
- The Idiot
- Anna Karenina
- War and Peace
- The Master and Margarita
- Dead Souls
- Doctor Zhivago
- The Cherry Orchard
- Aias
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Literal translation faithful to original syntax and stylistic peculiaritiesCapturing the rough and vulgar edge of the original
Legacy
Renowned for collaborative English translations of Russian classics with wife Larissa Volokhonsky. Won PEN Translation Prizes for 'The Brothers Karamazov' and 'Anna Karenina', and Efim Etkind Prize for 'The Idiot'. Praised for fidelity but criticized for awkward literalness by some scholars.
In Popular Culture
- Their 'Anna Karenina' selected for Oprah's Book Club, boosting sales significantly
Quotes
-
Larissa produces a complete draft, following the original as closely as possible... From that, plus the original Russian, I make my own complete draft. Then we work closely together to arrive at a third draft.
Source: Interview (2007)
Trivia
- Met Larissa Volokhonsky in the US in 1976, married in 1982. Live in Paris with two trilingual children.