The Brothers Karamazov
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translation or style?
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I always always read, and have been insisted to always read by past Russian lit professors and friends who studied it, to get the Pevear/Volokhonsky translations.
I tend to like the Pevear/Volokhonsky translations also. When I first started “slogging” (if I may use that word) through Russian literature I was extremely confused by places, politics and culture. What I came to admire about the Pevear/Volokhonsky translations were the extensive notes. In the beginning, I found the endless flipping back and forth annoying, but as became more “educated” to the era of writing, it became far easier and helped immensely when I switched to other Russian authors where the translations had few if any notes. Try going to a book store and sit down with 3 or 4 translations of say “Crime and Punishment” and start comparing. It will soon become evident that they have different styles, choose the translation that fits you. If you're just reading to read, maybe the woody English style of Garnett will work, if you're looking to get more out of the author and the era, try the P/V version.
I did something along those lines...I got samples on my kindle from some of the other translations. I've been studying them when I have time, and as far as I can tell, all of them are better than the Gernett translation. I do seem to like the Volokhonsky version best.
Always go for the Pevear/Volokhonsky translations.
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I had several years of Russian in college, and read lots of the lit along the way, but it was years ago. I'm trying to pinpoint what this feeling is. I thought maybe folks had some experience with differences in translation.