What is the best translation of The Brothers Karamazov?

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For most readers, the Ignat Avsey translation (1994) of The Brothers Karamazov is the best place to start: For a first read, this is the one I'd hand you. Avsey writes in idiomatic modern English that moves, and the Oxford edition opens with a character chart and a guide to the Russian names and nicknames — which, in a novel where everyone has three names, is worth more than it sounds. He titles it 'The Karamazov Brothers,' closer to the Russian. Looser than P&V, and the better way in. This is where I'd start. For newest, consider Michael R. Katz (2023). For most faithful, consider Pevear & Volokhonsky (1990). For best balance, consider David McDuff (1993). For the classic, consider Constance Garnett (1912).

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