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Doctor Zhivago

Doctor Zhivago Hardcover - 1971

by Boris Pasternak; Richard Pevear (Translator); Larissa Volokhonsky (Translator)


About this book

Doctor Zhivago is a 20th century novel by Boris Pasternak, first published in 1957 in Italy by Feltrinelli after being refused publication in the USSR. A French translation was published by Éditions Gallimard in June 1958, and the English translation published in September 1958 by Collins & Harvill, London, and Pantheon in the US.

The novel takes its name from the protagonist, Yuri Zhivago, a medical doctor, and poet. It tells the story of a man torn between two women, set primarily against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the subsequent Russian Civil War of 1918-1920. More deeply, the novel discusses the plight of a man as the life that he has always known is dramatically torn apart by forces beyond his control.

The plot is long and intricate, with the book being well over 500 pages and including many characters that are referenced using various names. 

First Edition Identification

Doctor Zhivago was first published in Italian, in 1957 by Feltrinelli. A French translation was published by Éditions Gallimard in June 1958, and the English translation published in September 1958 by Collins & Harvill, London, and Pantheon in the US.

Details

  • Title Doctor Zhivago
  • Author Boris Pasternak; Richard Pevear (Translator); Larissa Volokhonsky (Translator)
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Pages 544
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Vintage Books
  • Date 1971
  • ISBN 9780099596035 / 0099596032
  • Reading level 1010
  • Dewey Decimal Code 891.734