Tolstoy's prose is the opposite of ornate. It is precise, accumulative, and often deceptively simple — a single scene building across 20 pages through small observed details until it becomes overwhelming. The question for translators is not how to handle difficulty but how to preserve the effect of that precision in English.
This guide covers the major English translations of War and Peace and Anna Karenina, with a verdict on each.
The best Tolstoy translation: the key decision
The main choice is between the free public domain translations (Maude, Garnett) and the modern paid translations (Briggs, Pevear & Volokhonsky, Bartlett). For most readers, the Maude translation is an excellent starting point. warpread's library uses the Maude translation for War and Peace and Anna Karenina.
The translators: War and Peace
Aylmer & Louise Maude (public domain)
The Maude translation (1922–1923) was produced by Aylmer Maude, who spent years in Russia as a close friend of Tolstoy. Tolstoy reviewed and approved it — making it the only major Tolstoy translation with the author's endorsement.
Style: Clear, dignified English prose. Preserves Tolstoy's narrative precision without Victorian affectation. Best for: First-time readers; free reading on warpread. Available free: Yes (public domain).
Anthony Briggs (Penguin, 2005)
Widely considered the most readable modern translation of War and Peace in English.
Style: Natural, contemporary English rhythms. Accessible without sacrificing scope. Best for: Readers who want a modern translation that reads smoothly as a novel. Available free: No (Penguin).
Richard Pevear & Larissa Volokhonsky (Knopf, 2007)
The P&V version of War and Peace is their most ambitious project and has received mixed critical reception — some reviewers consider it too literal; others praise its fidelity.
Style: Close to Tolstoy's syntax, including his sometimes awkward repetitions. Best for: Readers who want maximum fidelity to the Russian. Available free: No (Knopf).
Rosemary Edmonds (Penguin, 1957)
The Penguin Classics standard for decades before Briggs, Edmonds' translation remains readable and widely available in libraries.
Style: Mid-20th-century English; less modern than Briggs. Best for: Library readers; those without access to the Briggs edition. Available free: No.
| Translator | Year | Diction | Fidelity | Readability | Free? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maude | 1922 | Classic, clear | High (author-approved) | High | Yes |
| Briggs | 2005 | Contemporary | Moderate-high | Very high | No |
| P&V | 2007 | Literal | Very high | Moderate | No |
| Edmonds | 1957 | Mid-century | Moderate | High | No |
Verdict for War and Peace: Maude for free reading; Briggs for the most enjoyable modern translation; P&V for maximum fidelity.
The translators: Anna Karenina
Constance Garnett (public domain)
Garnett's Anna Karenina is readable and has been the standard English version for much of the 20th century. She smooths some of Tolstoy's deliberate stylistic effects.
Available free: Yes (Project Gutenberg).
Aylmer & Louise Maude (public domain)
A more precise alternative to Garnett for the same public domain price: free.
Available free: Yes.
Richard Pevear & Larissa Volokhonsky (Penguin, 2000)
Their Anna Karenina is widely considered their finest Tolstoy translation — less contested than their War and Peace. Preserves the famous opening sentence's ambiguity and the novel's shifts in register.
Best for: Readers who want the best currently available translation. Available free: No.
Rosamund Bartlett (Oxford, 2014)
A scholar of Russian culture, Bartlett's 2014 translation is closely argued in her introduction and offers a fresh perspective on the text.
Best for: Academic readers and those who want a recent scholarly translation. Available free: No.
Verdict for Anna Karenina: Maude or Garnett for a free first reading; P&V for the critical favourite; Bartlett for a scholarly approach.
What warpread uses
warpread uses the Maude translation for both War and Peace and Anna Karenina, and the Garnett translation for The Death of Ivan Ilyich. These are public domain texts that are freely available and consistently well-regarded. For most readers coming to Tolstoy for the first time, they are the right place to start.
For translation context on Dostoevsky's novels, see the best Dostoevsky translations guide.
FAQ
Q: What is the best translation of War and Peace? A: For a free first reading: the Aylmer and Louise Maude translation (public domain, available on warpread). For the most readable modern translation: Anthony Briggs (Penguin, 2005) — widely praised for natural English rhythms. For maximum fidelity to Tolstoy's Russian: Pevear and Volokhonsky (Knopf, 2007). The Maude translation was approved by Tolstoy himself, which gives it a unique authority.
Q: What is the best translation of Anna Karenina? A: The Pevear and Volokhonsky translation (Penguin, 2000) is the most critically praised modern version. Rosamund Bartlett's 2014 Oxford translation is also highly regarded. For a free option, the Constance Garnett or Maude translation is available via Project Gutenberg and warpread. All four versions are adequate for a first reading.
Q: Is the free Tolstoy translation on Project Gutenberg good? A: The Maude translation — the main free version on Project Gutenberg and warpread — is excellent. Aylmer Maude was a personal friend of Tolstoy who spent years in Russia, and Tolstoy reviewed and approved the translation. For War and Peace in particular, it is arguably the most authoritative English translation, even if more recent versions are more stylistically polished.
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