Product Description

Anna Karenina tells of the doomed love affair between the sensuous and rebellious Anna and the dashing officer, Count Vronsky. Tragedy unfolds as Anna rejects her passionless marriage and must endure the hypocrisies of society. Set against a vast and richly textured canvas of nineteenth-century Russia, the novel's seven major characters create a dynamic imbalance, playing out the contrasts of city and country life and all the variations on love and family happiness. While previous versions have softened the robust, and sometimes shocking, quality of Tolstoy's writing, Pevear and Volokhonsky have produced a translation true to his powerful voice. This award-winning team's authoritative edition also includes an illuminating introduction and explanatory notes. Beautiful, vigorous, and eminently readable, this Anna Karenina will be the definitive text for generations to come.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1851 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05
• Released on: 2004-05-31
• Original language: Russian
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 864 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780143035008
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
Some people say Anna Karenina is the single greatest novel ever written, which makes about as much sense to me as trying to determine the world's greatest color. But there is no doubt that Anna Karenina, generally considered Tolstoy's best book, is definitely one ripping great read. Anna, miserable in her loveless marriage, does the barely thinkable and succumbs to her desires for the dashing Vronsky. I don't want to give away the ending, but I will say that 19th-century Russia doesn't take well to that sort of thing.

About the Author
Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) wrote two of Russia's greatest novels, War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1877), as well as many short stories and essays.

Customer Reviews

A beautiful mosaic of interlinked stories ...
"Anna Karenina" (1873-7) is a book that could be compared to a beautiful mosaic of interlinked stories. Thanks to Tolstoy's book, we get to know characters who sometimes seem so real that we cannot help but living with them the series of events that are recounted in this book.

Who are the main characters?. Well, we might begin by telling something about Anna Karenina, the woman who gives this book its title. Anna is someone who has found some satisfaction in a marriage to a husband she doesn't love. Her life isn't exciting, but she is comfortable, and has a son that means everything to her. Her world will be shaken when a nobleman, Count Vronsky, falls in love with her. He pursuits Anna until he convinces her to become his lover, indulging in an adulterous affair. But... will he go on loving her, even after she risks all for him?. And did she do the right thing, by following her heart without thinking about the consequences of her actions?.

There are many more characters, but I would like to highlight one of them: Levin. Levin is a rather eccentric gentleman farmer, who worries about things like the meaning of life, and allows the reader to share with him the kind of doubts that many have had, but few voice. He ends up finding happiness, but his path is not easy, especially because he is prone to reflect on issues that cause him anguish. His story is linked at the beginning of the book to that of Anna and Vronsky because the woman he loves, Kitty Shcherbatskaya, thinks she loves Vronsky. However, as the story advances, you will probably end up comparing Anna and Vronsky's relationship to that of Kitty and Levin. One is all drama, and passion; the other, calm and contentment. Which one is better?. And according to whom?.

I want to point out how well Tolstoy depicted 19th century Russian society, especially the differences between social classes and how much hypocrisy permeated the moral codes of polite society. If you pay close attention you will notice that several themes also to be found in other classics are recurrent in "Anna Karenina". One of them is fate, and some of the others are the omnipresence of death, the meaning of life, and the power of faith. There are many more things I would like to say about this book, but I think you will do better if you start to read "Anna Karenina" right now, instead of spending more of your time reading a long review such as this one :)

On the whole, I highly recommend this book. It is one of those few books that don't allow you to remain indifferent. You might hate it or love it, but it will necessarily make you think about several important subjects, whilst reading a good story.

Belen Alcat

Greatest Novel Ever Written
I read this book in 1993, and I still remember the experience. It has been called the greatest novel ever written and I agree.

It is a very long book: I read a few chapters a day over a long period of time. Over time the feeling developed that the characters, and Tolstoy himself (in Levin), were people I knew -- people with whom I spent some time each day. The philosophy was mind-expanding; I'm sure my views were affected.
For me, the important thing in reading this book was not to try to "get through" it, but to "visit" it as I would visit congenial neighbors. When I finished, I felt loneliness over loss of contact with the characters.
I'm going to read it again some day.

Requires patience
How can anyone argue with Virginia Woolf, who believed that Tolstoy was one of the world's greatest novelists?

I agree with her in part. Anna K is a significant work of art. But, with all due respect to Tolstoy, it's too long to be a "novel". Anna K was actually written and published in small installments for a magazine, over a 4 year period. It is meant to be digested as small savory morels, over a long period of time. So, if you think that you are going to finish this in a few days or even weeks, don't be fooled! It took me a year. Most college courses that require this novel to be read, do so over a 12-16 week period.

I recommend this classic novel for those who want to know more about Russian culture during the life and times of Tolstoy. If you are not a seasoned reader, don't be convinced by the critics who hail this to be the "greatest novel ever written", or by the other reviewers who rave on and on about how they "can't put it down". Most people run out of patience when they approach the novel from that perspective. It mostly appeals to readers who have a vested interest in Russian culture, or who are reading classics for the sake of reading classics.

I appreciate Tolstoy's depiction of country life as far more wholesome and preferable to city life. The reason that this is a classic, is because of it's cultural significance. You will understand Tolstoy's point of view on some key political and philosophical issues during his lifetime, such as the societal roles of serfs versus Russian aristocrats, education reform, and women's rights.

At first, it was challenging to learn to read the names of the Russian characters...Anna Arkadyevna Karenina, Count Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky, Prince Stepan Arkadyevitch Oblonsky,Darya Alexandrovna Oblonskaya, Alexei Alexandrovich Karenin, Konstantin Dmitrievitch Levin, Ekaterina Alexandrovna Shcherbatskaya, Lydia Ivanovna, Countess Vronskaya , Sergei Alexeyitch Karenin, and the list goes on. But, there is a helpful audio guide online that can help you to learn the pronouciation.