For whatever reason, the LA Times has shortened their bestseller list to 10 titles instead of 15. The tightening of book section belts has been widely publicized, so this might be a side effect. There are no debut novels on the bestseller lists this month, which is always a little sad. The good news, however, is the whopping number of literary fictions making an appearance: The Almost Moon, by Alice Sebold; The Choice, by Nicholas Sparks; Bridge of Sighs, by Richard Russo; The Abstinence Teacher, by Tom Perrotta; Pontoon, by Garrison Keillor; Loving Frank, by Nancy Horan; Away, by Amy Bloom; Breakfast with Buddha, by Roland Merullo; and winner of the No Kidding? Award goes to War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy. I never thought I would see the day that War and Peace made it to bestseller lists, but it has certainly gotten tons of publicity. Here’s an NPR clip featuring the translators. Here’s an article written by Richard Pevear, one of the acclaimed translators, entitled “Tolstoy’s Transparent Sounds” for the New York Times: To many readers, Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” is the most intimidating of literary monuments. It is there, like a vast, unexplored continent, and all sorts of daunting rumors circulate about life in the interior. But once you cross the border, you discover that the world of “War and Peace” is more familiar and at the same time more surprising than the rumors suggested. That is as true for the translator as it is for the first-time reader. Larissa Volokhonsky and I spent three years working on our translation of Tolstoy’s novel, and in that time each of us read it some five times in Russian and in English. Yet even in my final checking of the proofs, I still found myself delighting, laughing or holding back my tears as I read. An example of this last is the moment near the end when Pierre and Natasha, after all the harrowing experiences they’ve lived through, finally meet again in Princess Marya’s drawing room. Pierre sees that Princess Marya has someone with her, but he doesn’t realize who it is. Princess Marya is perplexed: She again shifted her gaze from Pierre’s face to the face of the lady in the black dress and said: “Don’t you recognize her?” Pierre glanced once more at the pale, fine face of the companion, with its dark eyes and strange mouth. Something dear, long forgotten, and more than sweet looked at him from those attentive eyes. “But no, it can’t be,” he thought. “This stern, thin, pale, aged face? It can’t be her. It’s only a reminiscence of that one.” But just then Princess Marya said: “Natasha.” And the face, with its attentive eyes, with difficulty, with effort, like a rusty door opening — smiled, and from that open door there suddenly breathed and poured out upon Pierre that long-forgotten happiness of which, especially now, he was not even thinking. It breathed out, enveloped, and swallowed him whole. When she smiled, there could no longer be any doubt: it was Natasha, and he loved her. What makes this passage so moving is not only the drama of the moment itself, but also the way Tolstoy has sensed it and captured it in words. It can’t be paraphrased; the translator has to follow as closely as possible the exact sequence and pacing of the words in order to catch the “musical” meaning of the original, which is less apparent than the literal meaning but alone creates the impression Tolstoy intended. I’ve said “translator,” and in a sense my collaboration with Larissa is so close that the two of us make up one translator who has the luck to be a native speaker of two languages. We work separately at first. Larissa produces a complete draft, following the original almost word by word, with many marginal comments and observations. From that, plus the original Russian, I make my own complete draft. Then we work closely together to arrive at a third draft, on which we make our “final” revisions. That working situation has its advantages. Translators are always in danger of drifting into the sort of language that is commonly referred to as “smooth,” “natural” or, as they now say, “reader friendly,” but is really only a tissue of ready-made phrases. When that happens to me, as it sometimes does, Larissa is there to stop me. Where I have my say is in judging the quality of our English text, that is, in drawing the line between a literal and a faithful rendering, which are not at all the same. If the translation does not finally “work” in English, it doesn’t work at all. I’ll take an example of what that collaboration can produce from Tolstoy’s description of the Russian Army crossing the river Enns. After a good deal of confusion, the hussar captain Denisov finally manages to clear the infantry from the bridge and send his cavalry over. As the first riders move onto the bridge, Tolstoy writes, “On the planks of the bridge the transparent sounds of hoofs rang out.” The Russian is unmistakable — prozrachnye zvuki, “transparent sounds” — and I find its precision breathtaking. It is pure Tolstoy. To my knowledge, it has never been translated into English. What we find in other versions is the “thud” or “clang” of hoofs, and it is likely that I would have done something similar if Larissa had not brought me back to what Tolstoy actually wrote. His prose is full of such moments of fresh, immediate perception. Coming upon them and finding words for them in English has been one of the most rewarding aspects of our work. Read more.
New York Times Hardcover Fiction: 1 BOOK OF THE DEAD, by Patricia Cornwell. (Putnam, $26.95.) The forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta opens a private practice in Charleston, S.C. Agent: Esther Newberg | ICM 2 A LICK OF FROST, by Laurell K. Hamilton. (Ballantine, $24.95.) In the sixth Meredith Gentry paranormal romance, Meredith’s wicked uncle presses charges against her guards. Agent: Merrilee Heifetz | Writers House 3 PLAYING FOR PIZZA, by John Grisham. (Doubleday, $21.95.) An American third-string quarterback joins the Italian National Football League’s Parma Panthers. Agent: David Gernert | The Gernert Company 4 WORLD WITHOUT END, by Ken Follett. (Dutton, $35.) Love and intrigue in Kingsbridge, the medieval English cathedral town at the center of Follett’s “Pillars of the Earth.” Agent: Al Zuckerman | Writers House 5 THE ALMOST MOON, by Alice Sebold. (Little, Brown, $24.99.) A woman murders her mother; from the author of “The Lovely Bones.” Agent: Henry Dunow | Dunow, Lerner & Carlson 6 THE CHOICE, by Nicholas Sparks. (Grand Central, $24.99.) How a North Carolina man’s choices play out in his life. Agent: Theresa Park | Park Literary Group 7 A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS, by Khaled Hosseini. (Riverhead, $25.95.) A friendship between two women in Afghanistan against the backdrop of 30 years of war. Agent: Elaine Koster | Elaine Koster Agency 8 NOW AND THEN, by Robert B. Parker. (Putnam, $25.95.) What looked like a simple matrimonial case for the Boston P.I. turns out to involve a group that sponsors terrorists. Agent: Helen Brann | Helen Brann Agency 9 DARK OF THE MOON, by John Sandford. (Putnam, $26.95.) Virgil Flowers, a character from “Invisible Prey,” investigates three murders in a small Minnesota town. Agent: Esther Newberg | ICM 10 YOU’VE BEEN WARNED, by James Patterson and Howard Roughan. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) An aspiring photographer working as a nanny has terrible visions. Agent: Robert Barnett | Williams & Connolly 11 PANDORA’S DAUGHTER, by Iris Johansen. (St. Martin’s, $25.95.) An Atlanta doctor discovers she is part of an ancient family of psychics and searches for the book of its secrets. Agent: Andrea Cirillo | Jane Rotrosen Agency 12 BRIDGE OF SIGHS, by Richard Russo. (Knopf, $26.95.) The entangled lives of an upstate New York couple and their best friend, from the author of “Empire Falls.” Agent: Nat Sobel | Sobel Weber Associates 13 THE ABSTINENCE TEACHER, by Tom Perrotta. (St. Martin’s, $24.95.) Culture war in the suburbs Agent: Maria Massie | Lippincott Massie McQuilkin 14 BLOODFEVER, by Karen Marie Moning. (Delacorte, $22.) MacKayla attempts to avenge her sister’s murder; the second part of the Fever trilogy. Agent: Deidre Knight | The Knight Agency 15 RUN, by Ann Patchett. (Harper, $25.95.) Two young black men, adopted in childhood by a Boston politician, encounter their birth mother and sister; from the author of “Bel Canto.” Agent: Lisa Bankoff | ICM 16 SHOOT HIM IF HE RUNS, by Stuart Woods. (Putnam, $25.95.) Stone Barrington, the New York cop turned lawyer, tracks a rogue C.I.A. agent on a Caribbean island. Agent: Anne Sibbald | Janklow & Nesbit Los Angeles Times Fiction: 1.The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold (Little, Brown: $24.99) A depressed divorcée kills her mother, then tries to understand what drove her to it. 2.A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead: $25.95) Two Afghan women struggle to survive jihad, civil war and Taliban tyranny. 3.World Without End by Ken Follett (Dutton: $35) Four children of the Pillars' families struggle in 14th century England during the Black Death. 4.Playing for Pizza by John Grisham (Doubleday: $21.95) A down-on-his-luck pro quarterback finds refuge on a football team in Parma, Italy. Agent: David Gernert | The Gernert Company 5.Run by Ann Patchett (Harper: $25.95) A widower faces complications when one of his children is shadowed by the birth mother. 6.The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta (St. Martin's: $24.95) A church group forces abstinence-only sex education on a high school. 7.Blonde Faith by Walter Mosley (Little, Brown: $25.99) Easy Rawlins, torn up at losing his longtime love, must track down two missing friends. Agent: Gloria Loomis | Watkins Loomis 8.Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo (Knopf: $26.95) The slow death of a Northeast factory town shapes the lives of its inhabitants. 9.You've Been Warned by James Patterson and Howard Roughan (Little, Brown: $27.99) Trouble ensues when a nanny falls for her employer. 10.The Choice by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central: $24.99) A veterinarian determined to play the field falls hard for his next-door neighbor.
Booksense Hardcover Fiction: 1. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Hosseini, Khaled
Splendid characters and plot indeed, once again set in Afghanistan, by the author of the wondrous The Kite Runner. A June Book Sense Pick. 2. Book of the Dead
By Cornwell, Patricia
Forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta and her team tackle murder #15. 3. The Almost Moon
By Sebold, Alice
The latest novel from the author of The Lovely Bones is an October Book Sense Pick. 4. World Without End
By Follett, Ken
Follett brings us back to Kingsbridge, the setting of his bestselling, Pillars of the Earth. 5. Playing for Pizza
By Grisham, John
An American footballer takes his game to Italy. 6. Run
By Patchett, Ann
An intimate domestic drama that touches on the big themes of our day, from the author of Bel Canto. A Book Sense Pick. 7. Bridge of Sighs
By Russo, Richard
Unforgettable portrait of vanishing small-town America, from its poet laureate. A Book Sense Pick. 8. Now and Then
By Parker, Robert B.
Solid Spenser -- getting the bad guys, loving Susan, and making all right in the world. 9. The Abstinence Teacher
By Perrotta, Tom
Perrotta's new satiric novel is a November Book Sense Pick. 10. The Choice
By Sparks, Nicholas
A new moving love story from the bestselling Sparks. 11. War and Peace
By Tolstoy, Leo/ Pevear, Richard/ Volokhonsky, Larissa (Trans.)
What some believe to be the greatest novel ever written is back in a new edition. 12. A Lick of Frost
By Hamilton, Laurell K.
A fast-paced, paranormal, romantic, thrilling adventure, and sixth in the Meredith Gentry series. 13. Pontoon
By Keillor, Garrison
Top-notch Lake Wobegon homespun fun. Agent: Ellen Levine | Trident Media Group 14. Loving Frank
By Horan, Nancy
This fictionalized account of Mamah Borthwick Cheney and Frank Lloyd Wright is an August 2007 Book Sense Pick. Agent: Lisa Bankoff | ICM 15. Away
By Bloom, Amy
An extraordinary trek across America, and through unsentimental emotional landscapes. Agent: Phyllis Wender | Rosenstone/Wender 36. Breakfast With Buddha
By Merullo, Roland
Self-discovery on a road trip across America. A Book Sense Pick. Agent: Marly Rusoff | Marly Rusoff & Associates
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