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Carol Apollonio

Professor of the Practice Emeritus of Slavic and Eurasian Studies
Slavic & Eurasian Studies
Box 90259, Durham, NC 27708-0259
310 Languages Bldg, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


Specialist in Russian literature, Russian and Japanese translation, and language pedagogy; have worked as a conference-level interpreter for the U.S. Government in nuclear weapons negotiations and other talks. My most recent books are Simply Chekhov (2020); translations of Alisa Ganieva's novels Offended Sensibilities (2022) Bride and Groom (2018), and The Mountain and the Wall (2015); and Chekhov's Letters, co-edited with Radislav Lapushin (2018). Most of my recent articles are about translation of Russian literary classics. In the fall of 2019, I took a slow trip across Siberia, following in the footsteps of Russian writers from Moscow to Sakhalin Island, and reporting about it in the blog "Chekhov's Footprints" (https://sites.duke.edu/chekhovsfootprints/). For rants, see my Duke Chronicle columns, "Rants from the Podium" (https://www.dukechronicle.com/staff/carol-apollonio). Until fall 2023 I served as President of the International Dostoevsky Society (https://dostoevsky.org/); I continue on the IDS Board and as Honorary President. In the fall of 2022, as a response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I turned down a Dostoevsky Bicentennial Medal from the Russian Ministry of Culture (https://dukeuniversity.medium.com/a-letter-to-the-russian-ministry-of-culture-18ae8b0b4f0c). In times of trouble, take a break and read a little Chekhov or a lot of Tolstoy.

Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations


Professor of the Practice Emeritus of Slavic and Eurasian Studies · 2026 - Present Slavic & Eurasian Studies, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

Recent News Items


Published November 17, 2022
Carol Apollonio: A Letter to the Russian Ministry of Culture

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Recent Scholarly Works


CHEKHOV BECOMES CHEKHOV The emergence of a literary genius

Journal article TLS-THE TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT · February 17, 2023 Link to item Cite

SMALL FRY And other stories

Journal article TLS-THE TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT · February 17, 2023 Link to item Cite

In Translation: Chekhov’s Path into English

Book section · January 1, 2023 Carol Apollonio orients Chekhov’s English-language readers by surveying the plethora of available translations of Chekhov, exploring the history of Chekhov in English, and discussing the elements of his style that pose the greatest challenges to the Englis ... Full text Cite
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Education


University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill · 1987 Ph.D.