Michael Plant wrote:

> Yes, thanks muchly, I'm very interested. Curiously, the author of the
> article wrote that the Garnett translations clean up much of the rough edge
> that Dostoyevski purposely placed into the prose, the mouths of his
> narrators, while the Pevear-Volokhonsky versions maintain the rougher spirit
> of the original. So, it's interesting to hear you refer to their
> translations as beautifully literary.

To me, "beautifully literary" doesn't in any way imply smooth or
cleaned up text, but rather refers to the translators' ability to
render the English-language prose in an artful (as well as
faithful) style. And it's the "rougher spirit" (I'd describe it
as "unmediated spirit") that I so appreciate in the
Pevear-Volokhonsky translations.

Did Dostoyevski drink tea? That is the question.

Yes, he did, and his characters drank tea, as well. In fact, in
"Notes from Underground" the narrator says something like, "The
world can go to hell as long as I can always have my tea," a
sentiment I'm sure many of us share.

Why? That being the second question.

Because he was a man of profound complexity and obviously good taste.

> I'm about to embark on some Stone Orchard Scented Luk On (Liu An?) supplied
> to a friend of mine by another friend of ours. So, here goes nothing.

I'm enjoying an aged bao zhong myself. I hope your nothing was
something.