Aussie IT Guy Turns Tolstoy’s War & Peace into Hilarious Bogan Banter

Ander Louis, an Australian writer whose real name is Andrew Tesoriero, has created a unique and humorous version of Leo Tolstoy's classic novel War & Peace. Instead of the formal language used in the original, Louis rewrote the story using Australian slang, making the characters sound like they belong in a local pub rather than Russian high society. For example, Russian princesses are called 'sheilas', princes are 'drongos', and important events are described with phrases like 'bloody hell' and 'he's cactus'. Louis, who works in IT in Melbourne, started this project in 2018 as a joke to make himself laugh. He thought that if he enjoyed it, others might too, so he decided to share it with the world. Now, his playful translation is gaining attention, and he is close to signing a book deal.

The term 'bogan' is central to Louis's version of War & Peace. In Australia, 'bogan' originally meant someone who was unsophisticated or uncultured, but Louis sees it as a term of endearment. He believes that using bogan slang makes the story more relatable and fun, changing the tone from serious to lighthearted. For instance, nobles are called 'fair dinkum', and when a character dies, Louis writes 'he's cactus'. This approach makes the story feel less formal and more accessible, allowing readers to enjoy Tolstoy's epic in a new way.

Louis admits that he avoided reading War & Peace for years because of its length and reputation as a difficult book. The novel has over 1,200 pages and is divided into 15 books plus an epilogue. However, in 2016, he joined an online group where members read one chapter a day, and he ended up reading the entire book twice. During this time, he was also working on another novel with dark themes, so he started rewriting War & Peace in a funny, irreverent style to lighten his mood. For six years, his bogan version was a little-known hobby, and he self-published the first two books, selling only a few copies. Everything changed when a tech writer in New York discovered his work and shared excerpts online, leading to a sudden surge in interest and sales. Louis believes that the popularity of Australian culture in the US, especially due to the children's show Bluey, has helped his book gain attention.

The word 'bogan' is uniquely Australian and doesn't have a direct translation in English. According to Mark Gwynn, a researcher at the Australian National University, bogans can be wealthy, poor, or anywhere in between. It's more about their behavior, style, and way of speaking than their social status. Louis's varied background, including jobs as a kitchen hand, energy analyst, Uber driver, punk rocker, and time living in Tokyo, makes him well-suited to capture the bogan spirit. In his version of War & Peace, characters greet each other with 'g'day', call friends 'mates', and refer to dishonest people as 'shonky'. Beautiful women are 'chicky babes', and one is described as 'hot as a tin roof in Alice', referencing the heat of Alice Springs. Princes are 'true-blue legends' or 'yobbos', and those acting foolish are 'carrying on like a pack of galahs'.

Louis says the best feedback he receives is from readers who find his version easier to understand. He compares himself to Pierre, the main character in War & Peace, who is an ordinary man thrust into high society. Louis feels like an outsider in the world of traditional publishing, joking that he has pulled off a 'literary heist' by taking a revered book and bringing it to the pub. He believes that Tolstoy, who eventually rejected his own privileged background, would appreciate the humor and accessibility of the bogan version. Louis's work shows how language and culture can transform even the most serious literature into something fun and approachable for everyone.