Crime and Punishment

Penguin Classics

By: Fyodor Dostoevsky, Oliver Ready

Narrated by: Don Warrington

Length: 25 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

Brought to you by Penguin. 

This Penguin Classic is performed by Don Warrington, known for his roles in Death in Paradise and The Five as well as his multiple Shakespearean performances. This definitive recording includes an introduction by Oliver Ready.   

Times Literary Supplement Books of the Year 2014.

This acclaimed new translation of Dostoyevsky's 'psychological record of a crime' gives his dark masterpiece of murder and pursuit a renewed vitality, expressing its jagged, staccato urgency and fevered atmosphere as never before. Raskolnikov, a destitute and desperate former student, wanders alone through the slums of St. Petersburg, deliriously imagining himself above society's laws. But when he commits a random murder, only suffering ensues. Embarking on a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a suspicious police investigator, Raskolnikov finds the noose of his own guilt tightening around his neck. Only Sonya, a downtrodden prostitute, can offer the chance of redemption.

Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881) was born in Moscow and made his name in 1846 with the novella Poor Folk. He spent several years in prison in Siberia as a result of his political activities, an experience which formed the basis of The House of the Dead. In later life, he fell in love with a much younger woman and developed a ruinous passion for roulette. His subsequent great novels include Notes from Underground, Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, Demons and The Brothers Karamazov.

Oliver Ready is Research Fellow in Russian Society and Culture at St Antony's College, Oxford. He is general editor of the anthology, The Ties of Blood: Russian Literature from the 21st Century (2008) and Consultant Editor for Russia, Central and Eastern Europe at the Times Literary Supplement.

Translation Copyright: Oliver Ready 2014.

Public Domain (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"A truly great translation.... This English version really is better." (A. N. Wilson, The Spectator)

Reading long classics is very hard for me

I enjoyed the voice actor greatly, he has the magic of making the story real. This story requires much attention to the details or you will be lost quickly. So glad I took the plunge!

Narration too quiet and muffled

I had the volume on my phone and in my car turned up as high as it could go, and the narration was still too quiet and too muffled to understand clearly. This book took far longer to finish than it should have, because I kept having to replay things 4 or 5 times just to discern what was being said. The dialogue was atrocious. Several times I had to stop what I was doing to pull my hardcopy from the bookshelf and read it for myself.

Masterpiece

Outstanding thank you, such a treasure this book is, narrator was excellent too, I loved it.

Voice gets irritating after a while

The story is great but the voice of Don Warrington did not agree with me. After a while, it became too irritating, particularly when he read lines by female characters.

A masterpiece performed by a marvelous reader

The first few words uttered by Mr. Warrington immediately transported me to the vibe and scene of the story. Don Warrington is a great voice talent, capable of effortlessly carving out distinct figures with all their characters and personalities.

I used to assume Crime and Punishment is great but dull or inaccessible. Mr. Warrington’s rendition now proves how wrong I have been.

Brothers Karamazov is my next book to explore. Unfortunately, I haven’t come across a version featuring Don Warrington.

dostoevsky improved. good translation.

the translation is smooth and accurate. reading good, but a little monotone. great audiobook and wonderful walking companion.

A crucial text, but...

...Dostoevsky must have been paid per word. And reviews here must be a certain number of words. Raskolnikov laughed. Then burst into tears.

A Classic Finished

I had chosen this book decaded ago for my final paper in AP English my senior year in high school. I never finished it. Reading it was tiring and confusing for me because of the elaborate Russian names and surnames used. This recording helped me keep each character in mind with the narrator's change in voice character. Dostoevsky is a brilliant and detailed writer. He helps you to feel the stiffling poverty, the suspense and anxiety of each character brilliantly. I am so happy that I could finally finish this beautiful classic!

A welcome new translation.

I'm so glad this is not the 25th audio version of the old Constance Garnett English translation. Oliver Ready's translation is excellent.
The narration by actor Don Warrington is often hard to understand. He speaks in a half-whisper much of the time. A hoarse whisper with very soft (inaudible) consonants. He doesn't attempt to have different 'voices' for different characters.

Awesome!

What a great book to listen to when listening to when hearing the author for the first time.
The narration was great except it was much quieter than other books, and my volume was on full blast on my vehicle and on my phone. aaaaaaand slightly muffled.
A great idea would be to have the listener be able to control treble, mid, and bass, for when the recording isn't quite what it should be.