About Peter Carson
Lived 1938 – 2013 (aged 74). Peter Carson was a linguist, translator, jurist and barrister.
Peter Carson (3 October 1938 – 9 January 2013) was an English publisher, editor and translator of Russian literature.
He was educated at Eton College and learned Russian at home from his mother and during his National Service years at the Joint Services School for Linguists. He first worked at Longman and later worked at Penguin Books from 1972 to 1998; from 1980 as an editor-in-chief. The latter was praised by reviewers in the Times and the Times Literary Supplement. Donald Rayfield wrote in the Times Literary Supplement: "If you want to get as close as an English reader can to enjoying Turgenev, Carson is probably the best". He completed translations of Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich, a story of a dying man, and A Confession shortly before his death; these were published together by Liveright in 2014 as The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Confession.
He was married to Eleo Gordon.
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Important facts
People in Peter Carson's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Peter Carson's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Peter Carson?
British publisher and translator (1938-2013)
When was Peter Carson born?
Peter Carson was born on 3 October 1938.
When did Peter Carson die?
Peter Carson died on 9 January 2013.
What was Peter Carson's occupation?
Peter Carson was a linguist, translator, jurist and barrister.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: Peter Carson (translator)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Peter Carson. https://biography.guide/peter-carson-linguist/
MLA: "Peter Carson." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/peter-carson-linguist/.
Chicago: "Peter Carson." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/peter-carson-linguist/.
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