War and Peace - Simplified Names Edition
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Reason #1 people don’t read War and Peace: Too many names.
In earlier versions of War and Peace, a single character might be called by half a dozen different names—and some characters even share the same name! While 19th-century Russian readers had no trouble with this style, it can be confusing in modern English. In this edition, each character is referred to by just one name, making the story easier to follow without losing any of its meaning, humor, or depth.
Reason #2: Too many phrases in French and other languages.
In this edition, I translated all foreign words into English and marked them with italics. Readers no longer have to refer to footnotes or look up foreign phrases that past translators assumed readers knew the meaning of.
Reason #3: Too many awkwardly translated phrases.
In this edition, I corrected the most egregious mistranslations. Examples include “rudenesses,” “scarriages,” and “beshashed.” I also adjusted many sentences that I felt were awkwardly translated by Louise and Aylmer Maude in their 1922 translation.
Reason #4: Too long.
With these changes, War and Peace becomes so clear and engaging that modern readers may not want it to end. After all, few people complain that The Lord of the Rings is too long—and the two are about the same length. My hope is that the simplified names and other edits in this edition will make War and Peace just as enjoyable for today’s readers.
-Tomkin Coleman
December 2022
More Resources:
- Wikipedia page about War and Peace
- Wikipedia's list of War and Peace characters:
- Information about public domain and the free Creative Commons licenses