In brief
Andrew Tesoriero, under the pen name Ander Louis, has created a 'bogan' version of Leo Tolstoy's War & Peace, reinterpreting the classic tale with a uniquely Australian flair. Set in Russian high society, Louis swaps out highfalutin language for everyday Aussie slang, making the text accessible and humorous. This extraordinary project, which began as a light-hearted hobby, is gaining traction and could lead to a book deal.
Just then, Prince Andrei rocked up to Anna's joint. He was the pregnant sheila's hubby. Like his missus, he was pretty good looking himself. These lines are straight from a new translation of Leo Tolstoy's epic novel War & Peace, set in the world of Russian high society in the early 19th century.
Except this is a bogan version translated by Ander Louis, the pen name of a Melbourne IT worker who moonlights as a writer. He's poured a metaphorical can of Australian beer over the novel by converting Tolstoy's prose into a lingo that wouldn't sound out of place in the popular Aussie sitcom Kath & Kim.
It's how you'd tell it down the pub, Louis, whose real name is Andrew Tesoriero, told the BBC. The 39-year-old started the project in 2018 as a joke. He turned Russian princesses into sheilas and princes into drongos, and is now on the cusp of signing a book deal.
The number one reason I started doing it was to make me laugh, and I thought if it's making me laugh, maybe other people will too so let's put it out into the world, he explained.
Bogan, a term which first emerged in Australia in the 1980s, initially meant an unsophisticated and uncultured person with negative connotations, but not for Louis. His version of the Russian literary masterpiece starts with the phrase bloody hell and features characters saying g'day and friends being called mates.
Louis argues that bogan language is the ultimate equaliser, working across various social spectrums, whether in Australia or the aristocratic realms of Tolstoy's time. The project began in earnest when he joined an online community pledging to read War & Peace and fell in love with the novel's depth.
I became a bit of an accidental expert, he shares. With bounds of humour and slang, Louis hopes to open the world of difficult classical literature to a wider audience through his accessible and entertaining translation.
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