Read-along – Anna Karenina (0 of 14)

Introductions

All happy families are alike, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way . . .

Today we start reading Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy!

If you would like to join us, we’ll read Part One, Chapters 1 to 23 this month and we’ll discuss them on Friday 31st January.

These chapters formed the first instalment of Anna Karenina, which Tolstoy published in the January 1875 edition of Russkiy Vestnik (Russian Messenger), exactly 150 years ago.

Our full reading schedule and all the other details are here.

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Before we launch in, here is a brief note about Russian names.

In Russia people have a first name, a surname and a ‘patronymic’ ending either in ‘-ovich’ or ‘-evich’, meaning ‘son of’, or ‘-ovna’ or ‘-evna’, meaning ‘daughter of’. First names and patronymics can also be shortened to one or more familiar diminutives.

Characters can therefore be addressed in more or less formal ways. From most formal to least, these forms of address are:

• full name (title, first name, patronymic and surname);

• first name and patronymic;

• first name and diminutive patronymic;

• surname;

• first name;

• diminutive first name.

In this first instalment of Anna Karenina we are introduced to all the main characters. Here they are with the various versions of their names (and illustrations from the 2012 film adaptation).

Prince Stepan Arkadyevich Oblonsky
Stepan Arkadyich
Stiva

Anna’s brother, Levin’s friend, a civil servant

Princess Darya Alexandrovna Oblonskaya, nee Shcherbatskaya
Dashenka
Dolly
Dollinka

Oblonsky’s wife, Kitty’s sister

Konstantin Dmitrievich Levin
Konstantin Dmitrich
Kostya

Oblonsky’s friend, Kitty’s suitor, a landowner

Princess Ekaterina Alexandrovna Shcherbatskaya
Kitty
Katerina
Katya
Katenka

Dolly’s sister, loved by Levin

Count Alexey Kirillovich Vronsky
Alexey Kirillich
Alyosha

Anna’s lover, a cavalry officer

Anna Arkadyevna Karenina, nee Oblonskaya

Oblonsky’s sister, Karenin’s wife, Vronsky’s lover

Alexey Alexandrovich Karenin

Anna’s husband, senior statesman

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I hope you enjoy these chapters! I look forward to discussing them with you on Friday 31st.

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For reference, here are links to our previous Anna Karenina posts:

• The Schedule (18 December 2024)

• Leo Tolstoy (3 January 2025)

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And if you’re not planning to read Anna Karenina with us, remember you can choose to opt out of our conversation. Just follow this link to your settings and, under Notifications, slide the toggle next to ‘Anna Karenina’. A grey toggle means you will not receive emails relating to this title.