Childhood Boyhood Youth

Leo Tolstoy began his trilogyChildhood Boyhood Youth in his early twenties. Although he would in his old age famously dismiss it as an awkward mixture of fact and fiction generations of readers have not agreed finding the novel to be a charming and insightful portrait of inner growth against the background of a world limned with extraordinary clarity grace and colour. Evident too in its brilliant account of a young persons emerging awareness of the world and of his place within it are many of the stances techniques and themes that would come to full flower in the immortalWar and Peace andAnna Karenina and in the other great works of Tolstoys maturity. Review Tolstoys first published workChildhood is unquestionably one of his most engaging and profound narratives and he followed it in short order with the other two parts of the trilogy. We have several competent English translations but none of them comes close to matching Judson Rosengrants in capturing the young writers astonishing precision stylistic variety and range of moods [...] The introduction breaks new critical ground in presenting Tolstoys language and thought. The deft unpretentious annotations are the most thorough in any English-language edition. I cannot think of a better place to start for new readers of Tolstoy or a more insightful enjoyable refresher for experienced Tolstoyans -- William Mills Todd III Harvard UniversityThis superb new translation of the early trilogy intelligently introduced is a miracle of persuasive storytelling -- Caryl Emerson Princeton UniversityJudson Rosengrants stunning new translation of Leo Tolstoys first literary masterpiece reveals the Russian novelists talent in all its startling and visionary originality [...] RosengrantsChildhood Boyhood Youth is an example of the art of translation at its finest combining critical acumen a specialists understanding of Tolstoys art and a profound sympathy with the originals subtle narrative moods shifting melodies of language and deployment of stylistic registers. Thanks to Rosengrants passionate respect for the integrity of the text and the power of the precisely chosen word to illuminate experience Tolstoy has found an English voice worthy of his own. -- Lena M Lencek Reed College About the Author Leo Tolstoy was born in 1828 at Yasnaya Polyana in the Tula province and educated privately. He studied Oriental languages and law at the University of Kazan then led a life of pleasure until 1851 when he joined an artillery regiment in the Caucasus. He took part in the Crimean War and after the defence of Sebastopol he wrote The Sebastopol Sketches (1855-56) which established his reputation. After a period in St Petersburg and abroad he married Sofya Andreyevna Behrs in 1862. The next fifteen years was a period of great happiness; they had thirteen children and Tolstoy managed his vast estates in the Volga Steppes continued his educational projects cared for his peasants and wrote War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1877). A Confession (1879-82) marked a spiritual crisis in his life and in 1901 he was excommunicated by the Russian Holy Synod. He died in 1910 in the course of a dramatic flight from home at the small railway station of Astapovo.Judson Rosengrant has translated and edited a wide range of Russian literature and historiography including works by Olesha Lydia Ginzburg Iskander Limonov and Radzinsky. He has taught Russian language literature and culture at the University of Southern California Indiana University and Reed College in the United States and translation theory and practice at St Petersburg State University in Russia.