Doctor Zhivago

The first work of genius to come out of Russia since the Revolution – V.S. PritchettThe English-speaking world is indebted to these two magnificent translators * New York Review of Books *One of the great events in man’s literary and moral history – Edmund WilsonBelongs to that small group of novels by which all others are ultimately judged – Frank Kermode * Spectator *Not since Shakespeare has love been so fully, vividly, scrupulously and directly communicated – Isaiah Berlin * Sunday Times *“Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky have once again provided an outstanding translation of a major Russian novel. They capture Pasternak’s ‘voice’ with great skill. Thanks to their sensitive rendering, those reading Doctor Zhivago in English can now get a far better sense of Pasternak’s style, for they have produced an English text that conveys the nuances (along with the occasional idiosyncrasies) of Pasternak’s writing. Notably as well, their version includes some phrases and sentences that inexplicably were omitted by the original translators. The text is accompanied by useful (but not overwhelming) notes in the back that provide information about many historical and cultural references that would otherwise be obscure for those coming to the novel for the first time. Without a doubt, their version will become the standard translation of the novel for years to come.” * Barry Scherr, Mandel Family Professor of Russian, Dartmouth College *As well as a gripping story, Doctor Zhivago is a work of meditation and a quiet challenge. Pasternak meant every word of it. I believe he would be pleased with the powerful fidelity of the translation now before us – Angela Livingstone * Times Literary Supplement *

Boris Pasternak was born in Moscow in 1890 and after briefly training as a composer resolved to be a writer. He published a large number of collections of poetry, written under the burden of Soviet Russia’s stringent censorship, before publishing his most famous work, Dr Zhivago, in 1958. This novel won him the Nobel Prize for Literature but the USSR’s hostility to the West meant he was forced to turn it down. He died in 1960.

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