Oliver Ready

Summary

Oliver James Ready (born 17 April 1976) is a British Slavist, Russian-English translator.

Oliver James Ready
Born (1976-04-17) 17 April 1976 (age 47)
Pembury, Kent
CitizenshipUnited Kingdom
Alma materUniversity of Oxford

Biography edit

In 1994–1998, he studied Modern Languages (Russian and Italian) at Worcester College, University of Oxford. In 2000–2001, he did MA in Russian Studies at SSEES, University College London. In 2007, he completed his DPhil at Wolfson College, Oxford.[1]

In 2008–2017, he was Consultant Editor for Russian and East-Central Europe at The Times Literary Supplement.[2]

Since 2010, he has been a Research Fellow at St Antony's College, Oxford.[3] In 2011–2014, he was director of the Russkiy Mir Program.

Since 2014, he has been working as a teacher of Russian literature at the University of Oxford.[2]

Literary translation edit

Oliver Ready came to the attention of the general public in 2014 when his translation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment was published. In a review with the telling title "This new translation of Crime and Punishment is a masterpiece", the writer and critic A. N. Wilson writes: "Sometimes, though, a new translation really makes us see a favourite masterpiece afresh", which is followed by claims that Ready's translation is better than the classic translations of Constance Garnett and David Magarshak.[4]

Bibliography edit

Author edit

  • Persisting in Folly: Russian Writers in Search of Wisdom, 1963–2013 (Peter Lang: Oxford, 2017) (Russian Transformations: Literature, Culture and Ideas). ISBN 978-1-78707-401-9.

Translator edit

  • Yury Buida: The Zero Train = Дон Домино (London: Dedalus, 2001; ISBN 978-1-903517-01-7)
  • Yury Buida: The Prussian Bride = Прусская невеста (London: Dedalus, 2002; ISBN 978-1-903517-06-2)
  • Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Crime and Punishment = Преступление и наказание (London: Penguin Books, 2014; ISBN 978-0-14-119280-2)
  • Vladimir Sharov. Before and During = До и во время (London: Dedalus, 2014; ISBN 978-1-9076-5071-0)
  • Ivan Maisky: The Maisky Diaries: The Wartime Revelations of Stalin's Ambassador in London = Дневник дипломата (Лондон, 1934–1943) (edited by Gabriel Gorodetsky, translated by Oliver Ready and Tatiana Sorokina. — London: London Yale University Press, 2016; ISBN 978-0-300-22170-1)
  • Vladimir Sharov: The Rehearsals = Репетиции (London: Dedalus, 2018; ISBN 978-1910213148)
  • Nikolai Gogol: And the Earth Will Sit on the Moon = Рассказы (London: Pushkin Press, 2019; ISBN 9781782275152)
  • Vladimir Sharov: Be as Children = Будьте как дети (London: Dedalus, 2021)

Acclaim edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ "From Aleshkovsky to Galkovsky: the praise of folly in Russian prose since the 1960s". Search Oxford Library online.
  2. ^ a b "Dr Oliver Ready". Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages. University of Oxford.
  3. ^ "Dr Oliver Ready". St Antony`s College. University of Oxford.
  4. ^ A. N. Wilson (September 20, 2014). "This new translation of Crime and Punishment is a masterpiece". The Spectator.