Larissa Volokhonsky ( Russian: Лариса Волохонская) was born into a Jewish family in Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, on 1October 1945. After graduating from Leningrad State University with a degree in mathematical linguistics, she worked in the Institute of Marine Biology (Vladivostok) and travelled extensively in Sakhalin Island and Kamchatka (1968-1973). Volokhonsky emigrated to Israel in 1973, where she lived for two years. Having moved to the United States in 1975, she studied at Yale Divinity School (1977-1979) and at St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (1979-1981), where her professors were the Orthodox theologians Alexander Schmemann and John Meyendorff. She completed her studies of theology with the diploma of Master of Divinity from Yale University. She began collaboration with her husband Richard Pevear in 1985. Larissa Volokhonsky translated from English into Russian "For the Life of the World" by Alexander Schmemann (RBR,Inc, 1982) and "Introduction to Patristic Theology" by John Meyendorff (RBR,Inc, 1981) Both translations are still in print in Russia. Together with Richard Pevear she translated into English some poetry and prose by her brother, Anri Volokhonsky (published in: Modern Poetry in Translation, New series. Ed. Daniel Weissbort. Vol 10, Winter 196, Grand Street,Spring 1989, ed. Ben Sonnenberg). Together with Emily Grossholz, she translated several poems by Olga Sedakova (Hudson Review, Vol. 61, Issue 4, Winter 2009). Volokhonsky is mostly known for her work in collaboration with Richard Pevear on translation of Russian classics. The original translation of The Brothers Karamazov by Constance Garnett has been revised and reissued several times. In addition to the Garnett translation, there have been seven other translations, five of which are still in print. In the first production of “The Idiots Karamazov,” at the Yale Repertory Theatre, Garnett was played by a student at the drama school named Meryl Streep, who portrayed the aged “translatrix” as a muddled loon. The mangling of the translator’s craft is a main plot point. The Russian for “hysterical homosexual,” Mrs. Garnett insists, is “Tchaikovsky.” When she recalls for the audience the arduous process of translating “Karamazov,” she confuses the four brothers with the “Three Sisters,” a stumble that leads inevitably to the musical number “O We Gotta Get to Moscow!” Mrs. Garnett closes the proceedings by reciting a conjugation of the verb “to Karamazov.”

Richard Pevear was born in Waltham, Massachusetts, on 21 April 1943. Pevear earned a B.A. degree from Allegheny College in 1964, and a M.A. degree from the University of Virginia in 1965. He has taught at the University of New Hampshire, The Cooper Union, Mount Holyoke College, Columbia University, and the University of Iowa. In 1998, he joined the faculty of the American University of Paris (AUP), where he taught courses in Russian literature and translation. In 2007, he was named Distinguished Professor of Comparative Literature at AUP, and in 2009 he became Distinguished Professor Emeritus. Besides translating Russian classics, Pevear also translated from the French ( Alexandre Dumas, Yves Bonnefoy, Jean Starobinski), Italian ( Alberto Savinio), Spanish, and Greek ( Aias, by Sophocles, in collaboration with Herbert Golder). He is also the author of two books of poems ( Night Talk and Other Poems, and Exchanges). Pevear is mostly known for his work in collaboration with Larissa Volokhonsky on translation of Russian classics. Hm, is that two against one? But - and even though I can't read the original - I like McDuff's 'quest': I am convinced that Alyosha spoke in this old-fashioned, high-flown way, at this moment; besides, the 'torment' goes with the chapter titles where Mitya is first investigated (where the torments are a specific Christian metaphor). Earlier book covers for the Second edition had a brown, framed design; the current printings have the same cover image, but the design features a purple band across the bottom.Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky are literary translators best known for their collaborative English translations of classic Russian literature. Individually, Pevear has also translated into English works from French, Italian, and Greek. The couple's collaborative translations have been nominated three times and twice won the PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize (for Tolstoy's Anna Karenina and Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov). Their translation of Dostoevsky's The Idiot also won the first Efim Etkind Translation Prize. Dostoyevsky’s response to this question comes in the form of a speech by Father Zosima, an elder at Alyosha’s monastery. Zosima preaches a sermon on brotherhood to his fellow-monks: “You should know, my dear ones, that every individual is undoubtedly responsible for everyone and everything on earth, not only with respect to general guilt, but also each individual is responsible for every single person and all mankind on earth.” Zosima urges the monks, as Dostoyevsky urged readers, to see ugliness as a trait shared by the entire human family. We are all our brother’s keepers. No one, not Dmitry or anyone else, should ever stand trial alone.

Constance Garnett is a joke. Avoid at all costs. Here is a quote from her wikipedia article which summarizes why you shouldn't read her: Another example is the last sentence of the first paragraph in the book, describing Fyodor’s muddleheadedness. We work separately at first. Larissa produces a complete draft, following the original as closely as possible, with many marginal comments and observations. From that, plus the original Russian, I make my own complete draft. Then we work closely together to arrive at a third draft, on which we make our 'final' revisions." [8]Pevear and Volokhonsky are famous for reinventing Dostoyevsky’s translated language, and we can sense it in just this small text. Some people find this reinvigorating, while others shudder at the thought of translators trying to improve the language of Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, and more. Initially, I found the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation to be the best, but all the sharp remarks about this translation destroying Dostoyevsky’s text made me look around a bit more.