Leo Wiener

Leo Wiener

Leo Wiener was an American historian, linguist, author and translator. He is best known for his historical works on slavic languages as well as his works on Yiddish culture. Furthermore, he is well known for his books "The History of Yiddish Literature in the Nineteenth Century" (1889), "Africa and the Discovery of America" (1922), and "Mayan and Mexican Origins" (1926). His complete edition of Tolstoy's works provided a very literal translation of the text from Russian. While his edition holds value, his translations of Tolstoy's most popular novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina were largely overshadowed by Constance Garnett and Aylmer Maude.