Dostoevsky, Fyodor

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dark and beautiful
Pleasing suspense and great literature
russian writer
To Forgive Is Divine
The Essense of the Criminal's Conscience

Crime and Punishment (Bantam Classics)
Fyodor Dostoevsky , and Constance Garnett
Manufacturer: Bantam Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0553211757
Release Date: 1996-10-15

Amazon.com

The talented Alex Jennings creates an atmosphere of gripping psychological tension and brings a variety of characters to life in this new audio edition of a crime classic. When the student Raskolnikov puts his philosophical theory to the ultimate test of murder, a tragic tale of suffering and redemption unfolds in the dismal setting of the slums of czarist, prerevolutionary St. Petersburg. While Jennings's adept repertoire of British accents works to demonstrate the varying classes of characters, it occasionally distracts the listener from the Russian setting. However, Dostoyevsky's rendering of 18th-century Russia emerges unscathed, bringing the dark pathos (such as wretched poverty and rampant suffering) to life. (Running time: 315 minutes; 4 cassettes)

Book Description

A desperate young man plans the perfect crime -- the murder of a despicable pawnbroker, an old women no one loves and no one will mourn. Is it not just, he reasons, for a man of genius to commit such a crime, to transgress moral law -- if it will ultimately benefit humanity? So begins one of the greatest novels ever written: a powerful psychological study, a terrifying murder mystery, a fascinating detective thriller infused with philosophical, religious and social commentary. Raskolnikov, an impoverished student living in a garret in the gloomy slums of St. Petersburg, carries out his grotesque scheme and plunges into a hell of persecution, madness and terror. Crime And Punishment takes the reader on a journey into the darkest recesses of the criminal and depraved mind, and exposes the soul of a man possessed by both good and evil ... a man who cannot escape his own conscience.

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This epic tells the story of Raskolnikov, a student who believes he is superior and entitled. He commits a crime and the book traces his downfall. After being shipped off to Siberia for a prison sentence, Raskolnikov finds suffering to be a means by which the soul is purified of all its sins.

With the help of CliffsNotes you'll understand the overall structure of the work, actions and motivations of the characters, and the social and cultural perspectives of the author.

Customer Reviews:

dark and beautiful .......2007-05-21

what can be said this is a very dark story full of pain and sorrow. But it is a beautifully written story of Russia and its common people. A must read for all lovers of great lititure.

Pleasing suspense and great literature.......2007-05-10

In this most excellent work, Dostoyevsky handily delivers us into a fascinating period of enclave urban Russian culture. I've read everything I can find in terms of Russian literature (and all other literature too!) and the writing and story in this one is just tops.

Of course, it's a story of crime but, maybe more importantly, it's an account of how human rebellion against the unjust facets of flawed leadership can culminate in tragedy for the masses and for individuals. We also get an historic peep at how anarchist and like philosophies of the period all over Europe may have been sparked.

As far as gratification for the reader goes, thanks to a shrewdly-placed epilogue, most of us are sated with an ending which we can all live with. The book is not entirely about human misery, though -- there are long moments of hope and even some intermittent humor. My favorite character of the entire work is the loveable scoundrel, Marmeladov.

So, what is the story about? The principal character, a dour, poor, off-and-on scholarly student by the dubious name of Raskalnikov (in English, it's wonderfully ironic that this name closely resembles the word "rascal"!), perhaps as a result of an entire life of pure misery, mentally evolves two demented ideas: the first is that, for certain "great leaders" (e.g., Napoleon), it's really a matter of destiny that they might, along their rise to power, kill off some of the insignificants of the world, and this is acceptable if it ultimately leads to a positive, (or even negative), notable conclusion. Raskalnikov's second idea is that he might just BE one of these fated Napoleons and, in his own rise to right all the injustices around his poverty-stricken environment, he is faced with killing a very nasty old woman whose primary offense against her peers is unscrupulous "usury" -- she's the local pawnbroker. The old woman also grossly mistreats her half-witted half sister who is clearly a decent person, and so Dostoyevsky makes it easy for all of us to hate her adequately to be coshed in the forehead with the back of a shrewdly-wielded hatchet. And it's no spoiler to say that Raskalnikov DOES murder the old woman in just that manner. BUT, an UNFORTUNATE CAVEAT immediately follows this case of "somewhat-justified homicide" in Raskalnikov's not-so-well-thought-out plan and THAT is what really gives rise to, and further fuels, the main story. The ensueing pages detail Raskalnikov's mental wrestlings with himself, his family, his friends, his enemies, and with one very shrewd "homicide detective" (examining magistrate) who is clearly and quite literally a "proto-Columbo," and notably hilarious in his own mild-mannered way.

There are multiple sub-plots as well, all of which yield ethical "flavours" and elements. In the end, the reader is rewarded with much more than s/he pays for to say the least, and will find this master-work of literature to be just a darn good read, albeit just a little depressing at particular moments. I say it's a "Must-Read."

Acquire it, read it, and keep it in the bookcase for a re-read!

russian writer.......2007-05-09

grandson has an interest in Russia and introducing him to one of its authors.

To Forgive Is Divine.......2007-04-18

I've read this novel four times now, and it grows in strength each time. I only award it four stars because there is, presumably, a five-star novel out there existing in the minds of the Olympians. The only more perfect novel I can think of is Gustave Flabuert's "Madame Bovary."

Let me say this about my first reading of "Crime & Punishment." It was my senior year of high school. My teacher, Harriet Balle of University City High School in San Diego, was largely a waste of time in terms of her ability to teach us anything useful about the book. Fortunately, she had the good taste to recognize Dostoevsky as a author worthy of teaching to 12th-graders.

Upon starting the book at the time -- keep in mind I had read most of Shakespeare's plays, Graham Greene's "Power and the Glory," as well as Solzhenitsyn's "The First Circle" -- I thought it an immense waste of time. In fact, I can honestly say that I read through the bulk of its 400 plus pages without batting much of an eye until the very end, when Raskolnikov, such a [..]through most of it, suddenly begs the forgiveness of Sonya, the prostitute.

That's when I wanted to get down on the floor myself. It was quite unlike any other sensation I've ever experienced before or since, and no other art form has ever produced it in me. It was a "riding to Damascus" experience, and I, like St. Paul, had suddenly been knocked off my horse.

Other Dostoevsky novels have almost, but not quite, replicated the sensation of shock that this one produced in me.

The Essense of the Criminal's Conscience .......2007-04-06

Crime and Punishment examines one man's decision to kill and his ultimate punishment for it. After one man who feels a sense of desperation (Raskolnikov) decides to kill an old pawnbroker, he delves into a realm of psychological and spiritual anguish and despair. Beforehand he concludes at points that his deed will benefit humanity, for the woman was a despicable person, but the repercussions in the aftermath, namely the isolation from several people of his life--his mother and sister, as well as his friend Razumihin--serve as an avenue to conscientiously come to terms with the act's immorality.

Dostoevsky's work creates an atmosphere which is part crime drama and part psychological thriller, but it also has deep philosophical undertones about man's existence---physically and mentally--after the most extreme of crimes. Yet the crime of killing is not the pinnacle of the story (it is committed in the early part of the book), but rather Raskolnikov's punishment, that is, his fall from the depths of society and his mental and physical sickness, that are the novel's essence. Raskolnikov not only deals with his own sense of isolation and delirium as well as the rising suspicion from several officials, but also tries to deal with the problems of his mother and sister, who come to visit him for a time.

As unsympathetic as Raskolnikov seems at points, there is also some evidence that he has a moral conscience, and this seems to bring him out of his mental stupor. Under his extreme nervous state he gives his last money to a poor family who eventually loses their father. He also feels a moral obligation to make sure his sister marries someone who is suitable, and that his mother is also taken care of. It takes him quite a deal to get to this point, and because of his agitation, he tells his friend Razumihim to go to his family and make sure they are comforted.

It is an association with another troubled character that aids the protagonist. Later in the novel, there is a spiritual connection between Raskolikov and Sonya, a girl who was forced to prostitute to support her family. Unlike Raskolikov, Sonya is deeply religious and moral, praying often and sacrificing and caring for her family and siblings, and seems to bring a healing to Raskolikov's troubled mind. Sonya, in a book rich in despicable characters, symbolizes the purity and saving grace in Raskolikov's world.

Dostoevsky's work is rich in philosophy about the nature of crime on one's conscience, this being the novel's crux. Raskolnikov's progression and the penance he must serve are not only in his own suffering, but in his experiences and observations of man's lowliness. The paramount flaw is his belief that he can escape his crime: "If he has a conscience he will suffer for his mistake. That will be punishment..." (pg. 246).

Over all, this is a complex, deep novel that makes one think; this is one of the best psychological crime novels out there, and a superbly written book.

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A Complex Masterpiece
A Classic
A Glittering Masterpiece
The Brothers Karamazov
I love Dostoyevsky's Russian madmen!

The Brothers Karamazov
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0374528373

Book Description

The award-winning translation of Dostoevsky's last and greatest novel.

Customer Reviews:

A Complex Masterpiece.......2007-06-23

As background information, I have read most of Dostoevsky's 14 novels including some of his early works and all of his most popular 6 or 7 novels. Among those I have read some from Oxford Classics and some Vintage translations by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. It took me about one to two weeks or so to read the 776 pages in this present Vintage edition translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. This translation has a very brief introduction and a list of characters at the front of the book. That character list is essential for reading a Dostoevsky novel, especially his later works. If the book does not have one, usually you make your own. Beyond those few pages, this book is the basic text plus some notes at the end.

This is not a quick light read. It is a heavy read that requires a substantial time commitment to get the most from the novel. It is far more interesting and complex novel than Crime and Punishment. By comparison, the latter is a quick light read.

Most critics think that this is Dostoevsky's best novel. It is the story of a man and his three sons who live in a small Russian town similar to where Dostoevsky himself lived in his later years. It is a novel about character flaws, compulsions, and good versus evil. Perhaps the novel does not have the clearest plot, nor is it a simple read, nor are all the characters stunning and interesting, but it is both a complex and a satisfying read. It took me a few tries over a few months to warm up to the novel and to get started. I read the first 50 pages twice to get oriented to all the characters and their complex names. Later I read many sections twice: the section on the visit by the devil, the murder scene, and parts of the trial near the end. It is the type of book that one will want to read a second time.

The present work follows three other Dostoevsky novels that revolve around the common themes of religion, morality, and Russian life and values: Demons, The Idiot, and A Raw Youth. Those three plus the Brothers Karamazov were written near the end of his life and they follow a similar pattern: long rambling novels involving discussion of morality, good and evil, etc. The books are each a bit different. Some have strong plots, while some have more dialogue and less action and lack strong protagonists. The Brothers Karamazov is the best, followed by The Idiot. The Brother Karamzov is simply a better novel than most of his other works: more complexity, good descriptions of events, good characters, lots of drama, and lots of artistic confusion planted intentionally by Dostoevsky near the end - according to historical notes.

The novel has a high degree of artistic feel to the plot. As with the other three novels, Dostoevsky uses family characters and their relationships with other people to explore some of his favorite ideas about Russian society, character flaws in people, and moral values, etc. Most people know that the story involves the murder of a father, but by the end of the novel the reader is less certain of who is the murderer. That is the artistic twist that Dostoevsky injects into the novel. He does this intentionally to remind the reader at the end that they are reading a creative novel and it is not reality. In many ways, this artistic twist along with the highly creative writing is what wins over the reader's admiration for Dostoevsky by the end of the novel. What starts off as a slow and religiously oriented story finishes as a brilliant work of art.

In any case, the first 300 pages are interesting but a bit slow. Some readers might give up. After that the novel becomes quite engrossing and interesting. There are many sections and characters that are highly memorable.

This is a complex and a time consuming but a worthwhile read.

A Classic.......2007-06-12

I enjoyed this book very much (Pevear and Volokhonsky translation). I had read Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment before this one (which I also enjoyed immensely and would highly recommend) but I found this book to be deeper on a philosophical level while still preserving a very interesting and engrossing story. I particularly liked this book for its existential themes; it has become one of my favorite books on existentialism (although since it is in novel form perhaps it is unfair to compare its ease of reading with books by Nietzsche or Kierkegaard, for example). I found the chapter entitled "The Grand Inquisitor" (which I have also seen sold as an individual piece for some unconscionable reason) to be especially intriguing.

For those who are interested in the philosophical aspect of this novel, iTunes U has some lectures that were given at the University of California at Berkley by Richard Dreyfus; the class is called "Existentialism in Literature and Film," can be downloaded for free and discusses the Brothers Karamazov over 11 lectures (each lecture is over an hour long so it is rather involved but I have enjoyed it nonetheless). I would highly recommend this novel for those who are interested in Dostoevsky's writings (although I might recommend starting with Crime and Punishment first), those who are interested in existential philosophy, or those who simply enjoy reading classic novels.

A Glittering Masterpiece.......2007-05-25

Much has been written about The Brothers Karamazov, one of the world's greatest novels, and over the years this seminal work has earned glowing endorsements from literati, physicists and psychologists alike. So rather than jump into the fray with a critique of Dostoevsky's craft, I'd rather offer observations: reasons why this novel, and Dostoevsky's work more generally, is relevant to readers today.

A far cry from the dark, brooding slog through existentialist muck that some have labelled it, this book simmers with life force and humor. In the tradition of Don Quixote and Pushkin's Tales of Belkin, Dostoevsky fires his first salvo in the author's note, where he skewers the radical intelligentsia of his day with a delightful parody of himself. This subtle artistic technique ridicules the author, but in doing so, cunningly suggests the author's targets are, even more so, quite dim. Dostoevsky proceeds to suggest they may not get the point, but perhaps should make the effort. And so on. As the action progresses, Dostoevsky presents us with a venal father, a love rival who is also his son, a tortured intellect, bullies galore, a glum half-brother, women on the make, and a swirling tale of lust and murder; as if that's not enough, we get the grim death of a beloved priest. These characters are archetypes, yes, but as I read this novel I have the distinct impression they live and breathe, too. This, in turn, made Dostoevsky's ideas even more powerful. In aggregate, we are presented with Russia of the 1870s: a nation heading, full force, toward violent revolution, and as Dostoevsky instinctively knew, only spiritual enlightenment -- a focus beyond the human self and into the absurd -- will save it.

As a brilliant examination of the human condition, the novel is also universal and timeless. Dostoevsky influenced Freud, as the latter admitted, as well as generations of existentialists. What strikes me about Dostoevsky's art, as much as anything else, is the way he depicts people amidst sudden doubts and reversals, or better yet, as agents of forces beyond their control who act against their own self-interest. Examples of such depictions include Grushenka's sudden amity toward Alyosha after vowing to corrupt him, and Mitenka's impulsive confession. In Dostoevsky's daring vision, the unconscious mind drives us in ways we can scarely imagine.

Suffering plays a key role in the novel, too, but unlike tenets of post-modernist thinking, Dostoevsky's notion of suffering requires salvation through powers that transcends the human spirit. Humankind cannot save itself from its own condition, he says, but all is not lost. That is, the human soul is not doomed, but limited, and the soul, trapped in a flawed shell on an elusive quest for bliss, seeks out likeness of itself, rather than triumph over it. Humanity seeks community with mankind, but ultimately, with God. Perhaps this struggle can be over, therefore, before it begins. In the novel, the readers sees what happens when humans set out on their own missions of self-salvation: the villain Fyodor Pavolvich subconsciously does everything in his power to rip his family asunder, seeking the extraordinary life, yet on another level, he's clawing for love he can never achieve through action alone. Such is the folly of reason when employed to obtain something that exists beyond the material world. In Alyosha, Dostoevsky presents a counterweight to Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov's self-destruction, and this culminates in the most optimistic vision of the entire book: that after death's suffering we can be together again. This message is both personal and political. Atheism, combined with human emotion and corruption, Dostoevsky suggests, often leads to violence, and in such a world, rationality can quickly turn to rationalization. Russia, in its attempt to find the perfect formula of happiness, was in fact sowing the seeds of its own destruction, and Dostoevsky's remedy for this was grace, not reason.

I'm struck by the relevance of Dostoevsky's work in the context of contemporary political economy, which is so often evaluated in terms of quantitative, rather than subjective, concerns. Such is the legacy of positivism, which Dostoevsky railed against, at least insofar as science is twisted and distorted by human desires. In the wrong hands, technology is as dangerous as mankind's wildest imagination, and ideas, per se, lead only to dead ends. As in Russia of the 1870s, many people today measure happiness with numbers and formulas. If GDP is going up, we must all be happier; if we redistribute things "just so," even at the cost of human suffering, overall the world will be a better place. These simplistic arguments have been the subsoil of globalism and, ironically, were equally important to fascist and communist utopians of the 20th century.

A similar thread of Dostoevsky's novel is found in today's multiculturalism, which is, as practiced today, a two-sided argument. On one side, there is the idea that all peoples and nations should merge into one, whereby all bases for future conflict will be swept away. Dostoevsky might ask us, if he were alive today, how we plan to get there. By consensus? Or by force? And in either case, at what cost? On the flip side of the multicultural coin, there sits the idea of all cultures and peoples living together without a definable nation, yet maintaining separate identities. All are not merged into one at all. The two sides of multiculturalism are reminiscent of the intellectual labyrinth that tormented Vanechka; they don't add up, because they are incompatible at the nth degree. As a utopian model, then, multiculturalism, as it's practiced today, should collapse upon itself, not least because the implementation of this ideal is despoiled by human corruption.

Dostoevsky was writing about this realm beyond human ideas and understanding, and he was speaking to Russians, in the living and breathing sense, rather than to Russia -- emphatically a nation of people, not a nation of ideas. The latter definition would be dangerous, for if Russia were an idea, then literally anything, no matter how despotic, could be done to serve it. But if a nation is, in a most basic element, a community of people, not an abstraction of them, then one must constantly ask how a given policy will affect the welfare of the body politic. This problem of nationhood, so central to Dostoevsky's Slavophilic sentiments, is arguably the most burning issue in the United States today.

This is a superlative novel and the translation is excellent. Highly recommended.

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Shadow Fields
Snooker Glen

The Brothers Karamazov.......2007-05-15

By Robert Tanner

Dostoevsky attention to detail shows when the reader is introduced to Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov and his three sons show their true colors. Fyodor being money hunger womanizer, with the darkest of hearts. With every inhuman act leading up to his down fall make the reader feel that more numb when the act is done. The only question left unanswered is, "who did it?"

Each brother has his own life to live, but in that life the pain their father forced upon them at ages so young is a big part of their personalities. Dmitri is the oldest brother with a king of shyness about him, where as his half brother Ivan is almost as rational a thinker as their father. Last is the youngest brother who shows a child like innocents in everything he does. The last thing the reader must confront is that on their own the brothers are all different from their father, but when broth together as one they make something interesting. Don't take my word for it, just read this book for your self.

I love Dostoyevsky's Russian madmen!.......2007-05-10

...and there is no shortage of lunatics and deviants in this book! Here, Dostoyevsky has expertly shared the tale of a much-demented father and his multiple ("probably" four, all total) sons, both claimed and un-claimed.

Some readers will say that the father is a natural sick-o and some will point out that he's mentally ill, brain-ravaged by alcohol. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, but the story is mostly about how life for the boys (young men) is essentially and frequently trashed by this scoundrel of a father, even subsequent to his murder... yes, we do get the opportunity to savor that great satisfaction but that fact, having now been revealed, is not really a spoiler, nor is it by any means the end of the story. In fact, the story pretty much spring-boards and feeds off the death of the father. Up until that point in the book, we are simply, (and sometimes humorously, in a dark sense), regaled with the father's madness and the appurtenant widespread misery that his heinous behavior yields for both his offsping and on society in general, not excluding the local religious leadership.

The work is bulging with ethical issues (typical Dostoyevsky, really), but they certainly do not cloud the story line in the slightest.

If you enjoy rampant madness, intermittent justice, and fine literature, this is the book for you. My favorite character is Smerdyakov and the new reader will see why, since I have this wierd love of mad (but devious) book characters.

If you are mentally wrestling between either reading this particular work, or, "Crime and Punishment," solely on the issue of "fun readability," this is the pick of the two. However the latter IS also a magnificent literary achievement and a classic example of Dostoyevsky's excellent Russian literature.

A fine read for all young adults, but especially for young men. Unfortunately, if you wind up like I did, you won't get around to reading it until you're 50 or so, and will, thus, not fully benefit from the many life lessons which are conveyed in this magnificent work of world literature.

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The more times you read this the more you will see...
Check Out OtherTranslations First...
Notes
Dostoevsky's Terse Art
Freudian Analysis Before Freudian Analysis

Notes from Underground
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Crime and Punishment (Penguin Popular Classics)
The Brothers Karamazov (Signet Classics)
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The Brothers Karamazov
The Idiot

ASIN: 067973452X
Release Date: 1994-08-30

Book Description

Dostoevsky’s most revolutionary novel, Notes from Underground marks the dividing line between nineteenth- and twentieth-century fiction, and between the visions of self each century embodied. One of the most remarkable characters in literature, the unnamed narrator is a former official who has defiantly withdrawn into an underground existence. In full retreat from society, he scrawls a passionate, obsessive, self-contradictory narrative that serves as a devastating attack on social utopianism and an assertion of man’s essentially irrational nature.

Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, whose Dostoevsky translations have become the standard, give us a brilliantly faithful edition of this classic novel, conveying all the tragedy and tormented comedy of the original.

From the Hardcover edition.

Download Description

I am a sick man. ... I am a spiteful man. I am an unattractive man. I believe my liver is diseased. However, I know nothing at all about my disease, and do not know for certain what ails me. I don't consult a doctor for it, and never have, though I have a respect for medicine and doctors. Besides, I am extremely superstitious, sufficiently so to respect medicine, anyway (I am well-educated enough not to be superstitious, but I am superstitious). No, I refuse to consult a doctor from spite. That you probably will not understand. Well, I understand it, though. Of course, I can't explain who it is precisely that I am mortifying in this case by my spite: I am perfectly well aware that I cannot "pay out" the doctors by not consulting them; I know better than anyone that by all this I am only injuring myself and no one else. But still, if I don't consult a doctor it is from spite. My liver is bad, well - let it get worse! I have been going on like that for a long time - twenty years. Now I am forty. I used to be in the government service, but am no longer. I was a spiteful official. I was rude and took pleasure in being so. I did not take bribes, you see, so I was bound to find a recompense in that, at least. (A poor jest, but I will not scratch it out. I wrote it thinking it would sound very witty; but now that I have seen myself that I only wanted to show off in a despicable way, I will not scratch it out on purpose!)

Customer Reviews:

The more times you read this the more you will see..........2007-04-06

This is one of those books that would be suitable for multiple readings, each time coming away with more than you had the last.

Fabulous book. The first part had me very frustrated. It's stream of consciousness writing, and frankly I can't always follow my own stream of consciousness so Dostoyevsky's lost me a bit. But that is only the first 28 pages (in the edition I have).

In the second part "A propos of wet snow" it really picks up. The underground man is very much the anti-hero. He is just not a good person, the kind we all hope we aren't. Whats funny though is that in an overexaggerated sense he could be all of us. I don't want to give too much away here.....

Near the end of the book, when he meets Liza is the most interesting part in my opinion. Through out the entire book he claims to be honest with himself, but it seems like his conversation with Liza is the only time in which he actually is honest. This is short lived however, as he leaves in a hurry and draws back...

I am not going to tell you much more...I believe that is what the editor's review is for....Great book...you will understand why Dostoyevsky is one of the greats!

Check Out OtherTranslations First..........2007-03-29

This edition of "Notes from Underground" is lauded by various publications as masterful, definitve, and a great restoration, but I'm not sure I agree. I bought this edition because I'd lost a version I'd owned years earlier. Before I bought this one, I should have sought out the version I'd owned (which I think was a Penguin Classic edition).

In the first paragraph of the editon I'd owned, the "liver" sentence was translated as, "I think there is something wrong with my liver."

Here, it's translated as "I think my liver hurts."

It seems to me that the former translation of this sentence is superior, because it conveys a kind of mental illness (hypochondriasis) that I think Dostoevsky intended. The matter of whether there's something wrong with the protagonist's liver is left in the shadows.

Whereas, if the sentence is translated, "I think my liver hurts," it leaves the matter in doubt as to whether something really is wrong with his liver, doesn't it?

It's unfortunate that this translation occurs in the first paragraph. For me, the first paragraph of a novel is second in importance only to the first sentence.

I regret to say that I lost interest in reading this translation immediately after reading the "I think my liver hurts," sentence.

Notes.......2007-03-03

Dostoevsky uses Notes From Underground to criticise the idea that reason will produce a perfect society. He believes man to be an imperfect fallen being capable of irrational acts as well as noble ones. He uses symbols like a piano key to argue against determinism, an anthill to plead for individuality, and mathematical tables to cry against the notion that everything about humans can be precisely answered. The Underground Man of this novel has many contradictory impulses and he lives in a fog of self contempt. This sounds kind of bleak but this is the funniest novel Dostoevsky ever penned. The UM rather than submit to the "law of reason" that dictates that only doctors and dentists can cure liver disease and toothaches prefers to suffer his ailments. He is incredibly impulsive and can't make up his mind because as he says he is too conscious. The UM is able to imagine the plethora of consequences that every action might have, and he is conscious of the different motives that inform every decision he tries to make. At the beginning of a really funny segment the UM says "One night as I was passing a tavern I saw through a lighted window some gentlemen fighting with billiard cues, and saw one of them thrown out of the window. At other times I should have felt very much disgusted, but I was in such a mood at the time, that I actually envied the gentleman thrown out of the window -- and I envied him so much that I even went into the tavern and into the billiard-room. "Perhaps," I thought, "I'll have a fight, too, and they'll throw me out of the window." You will probably notice that it seems to be always snowing in the UM's world. This snow serves to set the dark alienated atmosphere of underground life and links the two main sections of the novel together. The wet falling snow at the end of the first section triggers a memory of an incident in the UM's past and we take a look at his past in the second section. Near the close of the novel the UM tells us "for we are all divorced from life... Look into it more carefully! Why, we don't even know what living means now... Leave us alone without books and we shall be lost and in confusion at once." In the end it seems the real underground is in a mind incessantly clinging to thoughts and opinions. The thoughts of this paradoxalist reviewer do not end here, however. I cannot refrain from going on with them, but it seems to me that you may stop here.

Dostoevsky's Terse Art.......2006-11-11

Many critics have observed that Nietzsche and Dostoevsky, looking at 19th Century limitations, have seen the same decadence, but few have observed that these two geniuses attribute the problem to precisely opposite causes. To Nietzsche, it is Christianity which has created the 19th Century wimpy man; to Dostoevsky, it is the rejection of a profound Christianity which has produced the same result. Many postmodern readers see the "Notes" merely as a psychological text, valuable because anticipatory of Freud. What should be recognized as even more important is the allusive significance of the principal event in this text, the conversion of a prostitute. The Underground Man, a skilled rhetorician, talks a first-day prostitute out of pursuing her career. The next day she comes to his house, apparently having met her "savior." Brutally, he rejects her, as a trespasser on his freedom. He is Nietzsche's new man, though hardly a Superman, and certainly not superior to his Western Culture predecessor, the Christ who not only converts Mary Magdalene, but takes her into his new family.

Freudian Analysis Before Freudian Analysis.......2006-09-25

As he does in his other novels, here Dostoevsky, uses alienation, inner struggle, humiliation and suffering to underscore the ambiguities of the meaning of life and as a way of questioning the basic rules of humanity as well as the traditional rules and values of society.

The first half of book demonstrates how boredom, meaninglessness, self-doubt, and an overly active intellect conspire to mask man's fear and lack of courage to act in defense of his own right to be. This lack of courage, and the intellectual devices used to cover it up (rationalization, social excuses, etc.), ultimately immobilizes man, and estranges him from his inner self, thus, preventing him from being able to measure his true worth and calibrate his true degree of aliveness. In this sense, the psychological analysis of the Underground Man is a classic Freudian-Existential analysis, performed a half century before Freud was born.

The second half of the book carries a companion theme about how pain and suffering brought on by isolation and self-doubt can lay bare the true underlying meaning of the human condition. It reveals how, in an effort to muster the courage to act in the moment, that the essence of being alive is about the will to move beyond intellectualizations and rationalizations. Or said another way: only when he is broken down to the level of the most extreme degradation and embarrassment can man begin to accept himself and then be able to rebuild and prepare himself for a life of redemption, true love and understanding.

What Dostoevsky does so well in both The Underground Man and in Crime and Punishment is carry to the limit what man is unable to do - how we are utterly immobilized by our inner fears and incapacity to act. He shows what the consequences are (for our being and our humanity) when we mistake our cowardice for reasonableness, and use it as a substitute for acting.

A failure to live is precisely to be faced with the consequences of being alive, but instead of acting, we "sleep-walk through life," using psychological ruses to make ourselves feel better about dodging the consequences of "having a real life."

Left alone with our cowardice, Dostoevsky says, we become entangled and lost--we don't know what to join, what to keep up with; what to love, what to hate; what to respect, or what to despise. We become so out of touch with our "real being" that we long to turn ourselves into the hypothetical "average man." (p 203).

In the catatonia of this self-made mental prison, often crime or other modalities of rebelling and acting out against society are the only viable ways out. That is to say, rebelling against the rules of society is the only way to feel truly alive and in control of one's being.

In Crime and Punishment, for instance, it is Raskolnikov's murders that does this; in Notes From the Underground, it is the Underground Man's sexual seduction of a prostitute at a party that does so. In each novel, the criminal act serves as the cathartic way of restoring meaning and balance to lives immobilized by the fear of being unable to act.

Dostoevsky's most powerful and recurring theme ultimately is almost religious in its content and its subtext: that self-redemption and salvation are the ultimate liberator of the soul and can come only through humiliation and suffering. However, while Rakolnikov in Crime and Punishment surrenders to God and Christianity through the love of a prostitute. The underground man rejects love and overtures to turn his freedom over to those who consider themselves morally superior to him.

The Underground Man is the clearest, most succinct and most powerful statement of Dostoevsky's existentialist philosophy. It is a beautiful read. Ten stars.

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Fascinating
A Review
A good read if you're a fan of Dostoevsky's other works....
Good, but falls short of "Crime and Punishment"
wow this is long

The Idiot
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Brothers Karamazov
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ASIN: 0375702245
Release Date: 2003-07-08

Book Description

Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky’s masterful translation of The Idiot is destined to stand with their versions of Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, and Demons as the definitive Dostoevsky in English.

After his great portrayal of a guilty man in Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky set out in The Idiot to portray a man of pure innocence. The twenty-six-year-old Prince Myshkin, following a stay of several years in a Swiss sanatorium, returns to Russia to collect an inheritance and “be among people.” Even before he reaches home he meets the dark Rogozhin, a rich merchant’s son whose obsession with the beautiful Nastasya Filippovna eventually draws all three of them into a tragic denouement. In Petersburg the prince finds himself a stranger in a society obsessed with money, power, and manipulation. Scandal escalates to murder as Dostoevsky traces the surprising effect of this “positively beautiful man” on the people around him, leading to a final scene that is one of the most powerful in all of world literature.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating.......2007-05-30

The first time I read The Idiot, I didn't quite grasp the meaning of this work. (It was during my teenage years) Now, X-years later, I have decided to revisit The Idiot and the impression it made is entirely different. Although the beginning drags a bit, somewhere around page 200 it became really interesting. Perhaps it took me while to start caring about Prince Myshkin, perhaps my "western" state of mind needed some time to adjust. However, from that moment forward, I enjoyed almost every sentence jumping at me from the pages. (And there are many, many, many.) The characters in this book are extremely well crafted and the author does not spare any detail, to a point, that at times I felt overwhelmed, thinking "is this really necessary?"; nevertheless, as the story progresses, we are drawn to appreciate the vivid details for they become more relevant with time. This book is not a simple love story, although love and its conflict is a major part of the book, but rather a portal to a person's mind. Myshkin, certainly, is an interesting character who, at times deals with his own insecurity and "dreamy" state; however, his innocence and purity plays a sharp contrast against a backdrop of societal pretenders, who are vicious in their own way. Friendships are declared and broken off, love and hate, combined with ignorance and backstabbing, emerge and disappear; but Myshkin remains the same -- beautiful and simple, idealistic and innocent. Overall, this is one of my favorite novels exploring the human condition and I am happy to recommend it.

A Review.......2007-03-24

The other reviews on here, at least most of them, are quite dumb. Firstly, if you can't remember names, what business have you reading Dostoevsky, seriously? Go read Dumas or something. Secondly, to the people who are complaining about it being too long, why? Dostoevsky was an excellent author, I enjoyed all parts of the book. The characters and their conversations take up most of the text of the book. If you don't like long, detailed books, I ask again, what business have you reading Dostoevsky?

A good read if you're a fan of Dostoevsky's other works...........2007-01-21

The plot wasn't particularly attention grabbing; however, the stories that are spun by Kolya's father are fantastic. I also like the feel you get of the Russian culture in each of Dostoevsky's books, and this book is no exception. I found it interesting that Dostoevsky suffered from epilepsy, just like the Prince. The idea that "those kind" are particularly loved by God is a relief in an age where "those kind" are avoided like the plague. Overall, it is the least favorite of the three novels I've read by this author; however, it is still worthy to be called a Classic.

Good, but falls short of "Crime and Punishment".......2006-08-26

I first discovered Dostoyevsky a few months ago when in Iraq when I found "Crime and Punishment" in a box of books donated to troops. I found CAP to be an astoundingly good book and began to look for more Russian literature.

I decided on "The Idiot" because it was another one of Dostoyevsky's most famous works but not quite as daunting as "The Brothers Karamazov."

Now that I've finished the book, my verdict seems to be in line with what a lot of other peopole are saying--it's good, but not quite a great as Crime and Punishment.

That being said, "The Idiot" is a very different sort of a book. It is not a fast-paced literary thriller but a rather slow-moving tragic drama. The main character, Prince Myshkin, is a very honest and compassionate man who sometimes has stunning insights into human affairs. However, because of his inability to see evil in others, his simple mannerisms, and his mental illness, others see him as an idiot.

The book describes Prince Myshkin's love affairs with two women who are ultimately unattainable. Along the way, Dostoyevsky creates a very memorable and admirable character.

This one takes a bit of patience, particularly when trying to keep track of all the Russian names and relations of the minor characters. But if you stick with it, you'll come away with an understanding of the sad fact that good people don't always get their just desserts.

wow this is long.......2006-03-08

prince myshkin, one of my least favorite kooks. this one's a real snooze.

Average customer rating:

The Idiot is a work of genius by Fyodor Dostoevsky
One of Dostoevsky's Best: Strong Story, Good Characters, and Lots of His Philosophy.
Dostoyevsky at his very worst
Light and dark
Okay, but not my favorite

The Idiot (Modern Library Classics)
Fyodor Dostoevsky , and Anna Brailovsky
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Crime and Punishment (Penguin Popular Classics)
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Notes from Underground
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The Double and The Gambler

ASIN: 0679642420
Release Date: 2003-04-08

Book Description

Returning to Russia from a sanitarium in Switzerland, the Christ-like epileptic Prince Myshkin finds himself enmeshed in a tangle of love, torn between two women—the notorious kept woman Nastasya and the pure Aglaia—both involved, in turn, with the corrupt, money-hungry Ganya. In the end, Myshkin’s honesty, goodness, and integrity are shown to be unequal to the moral emptiness of those around him. In her revision of the Garnett translation, Anna Brailovsky has corrected inaccuracies wrought by Garnett’s drastic anglicization of the novel, restoring as much as possible the syntactical structure of the original.

Customer Reviews:

The Idiot is a work of genius by Fyodor Dostoevsky.......2007-06-12

The Idiot of the title is Prince Myshkin. Myshkin suffers from epilepsy and is very highly strung! When the novel opens he is arriving in St. Petersburg following three years in an expensive Swiss Clinic. Myshkin's rich patron a Russian nobleman has provided to pay for the expenses of his psyciatric care. Upon arrival in St. Petersburg the Prince is soon involved with a wealthy middle class family; meets the evil Rogohzin and the mysterious beauty Natasya. Myshkin is also romantically linked with the beautiful but shallow Aglaya youngest of three daughters of a family to whom he is distantly related.
The plot involves Dostoevsky's look at love. Myshkin represents innocent, Christ-like love. Gavrin is a character representing greed seeking to wed a rich woman. Rogohzin the fiery noble with murder in his heart and passion in his love-hate for Natasya.He is symbolic of humankind's passionate nature. We also meet such interesting characters as Ippolit a young man dying of TB who writes a long (and at times boring) statement of his view of life.
The novel would probably be shortened by a modern editor! Long passages deal with philsophy evincing the author's disdain for Western culture and his strong Messianic Slavic beliefs in Russian orthodoxy.
The book can become mesmerizing as many of the characters are dreamy sorts wont to spin out their thoughts in long monologues reminiscent of the otiose figures populating the Chekhovian stage. Dostoevsky had been sentenced to Siberia for his participation in a plot to assassinate the Tsar. He, therefore, knew suffering and allows his characters to act in
accord with his own tormented, suffering character.
The novel is not the place to begin when delving into Dostoevsky. It is a flawed masterpiece usually rated below his "The Brothers Karamazov" and
"Crime and Punishment." Dostoevsky impresses this reviewer with his modern concerns with suffering, human angst and a deeply flawed society of secular skepticism. He is a Christian writer who is not afraid to inject his belief in the redemptive salvic work of Jesus Christ.
Myshkin is an innocent man who is unable to cope with modern society. At the end of the novel this butterfly of hope is forced backed into the cocoon of sanatarium care. Myshkin like Don Quixote has tilted his love against society and been defeated. Or has he? Dostoevsky would explore the Myshkin type in his greater novel "The Brothers Karamazov" through the Christ-like figure of Alyosha.
This is a long book which will test the reader's patience. One must deal with long Russian names that my be confusing. It is a worthwhile experience which you will never forget.

One of Dostoevsky's Best: Strong Story, Good Characters, and Lots of His Philosophy........2007-05-27

As background information, I have read most of Dostoevsky's novels including some of his early works and all of his most popular 6 or 7 novels. Among those, I have read some from Oxford Classics and some Vintage translations by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. It took me about a week to read the 575 pages in this present Wordsworth Classic reviewed here.

I bought and read the Wordsworth Classics version of this Dostoevsky novel The Idiot. This is a minimalist book with little more than the text. For example, Wordsworth does not even give the names of the translators and the introduction to Dostoevsky and the novel is very brief, just three pages long, and it is oriented more towards a biography of the writer than giving the reader much analysis of the story and the themes. Having said that, the translation appears to be smooth and it is highly readable, and it is good value for the money. My initial impression was that the font was small, but it seems to have the same number of pages as other printers of the same novel. In any case, there is lots of analysis on the web which mitigates the need to pay more to buy analysis and the text. So, I would recommend this text only version.

This is one of Dostoevsky's better novels. It has a clear story and it has strong characters led by Prince Lev Nikolayevich Myshkin the protagonist: he is "the idiot." He returns to Russia after spending some years in a hospital or clinic in Switzerland. The story flows smoothly interrupted by only one diversion about a man who is just mildly related to the main thrust of the story: Ippolit. Some consider this part to be brilliant. I thought that it was interesting but did not add that much to the overall story. Most will find the novel to be near perfect but perhaps a bit long.

The book is an opportunity for Dostoevsky to present a morally perfect but physically flawed Christian character, and then to show how the character interacts with an imperfect Russian society. That is the main theme. We follow the story of six odd but interesting primary characters and about twenty secondary characters who represent a cross-section of Russian society.

This is one of his best novels and some might consider it to be a masterpiece and that the protagonist Prince Myshkin is an important literary character. As a novel it is not as good as The Brothers Karamazov which is Dostoevsky's best. It is entertaining and it has a good story, although not what one describe as a compelling read, although the second half is better in that regard. Dostoevsky gives many comments on morality and the Christian faith. It is a story of good versus evil, but with the edges or boundaries slightly blurred.

There is a moderate level of drama and uncertainty which keeps the reader's interest throughout. This is an excellent buy and a good value from Wordsworth Classics.

Dostoyevsky at his very worst.......2007-04-08

Don't waste your time reading this book - this book is awful! This book was supposed to be so good, according to the other reviews, and it's definitely not a good novel. In fact, this is by far the worst novel I have read in my life. I think one of the other reviewers hit the nail on the head - most of this book just seems like random writing and ultimately it has no real purpose for carrying forward the plot line. Indeed, it definitely seems like he was just trying to meet a word count for the publisher. The edition of the book I read was slightly over 700 pages, and it could have easily been reduced to 300 without affecting in any way the plot line. Thus the reader is left to swallow 400 pages of pointless writing that just seems like "waffling" to mention the term used in England to describe writing that leads you no where. Not only that, but the 300 pages devoted to actually explaining the plot are not that interesting anyway. The plot line of the novel is incredibly implausible; a prince who is an "idiot" but on occasions doesn't seem like such an idiot after all and who suffers from a mysterious illness of "idiocy" that could not be labelled as an actual illness by modern medicine. Moreover, one of the principal characters in the novel, Aglaia Yepanchin supposedly is madly in love with the prince while at the same time making fun of him in a very rude way right in front of his nose - am I the only one here who thinks this is JUST a little implausible? And then just to make matters worse, and as an appetizer after having to swallow 650 pages of horrible writing, near the end of the novel Dostoyevski puts in the mouth of the prince two full pages of the most outrageous slander against the Catholic religion I have read in my life. Supposedly, according to Dosteyvski, atheism comes from the Catholic religion - certainly Dosteyevski doesn't hide his hatred for the Catholic faith. Even atheists would laugh at such an absurd proposition.

Light and dark.......2007-02-12

Prince Myshkin is just back in Russia after a few years of treatment in Switzerland for epilepsy. Upon his return, he becomes involved in the affairs of his distant relatives as well as those of a new acquaintance, Parfyon Rogozhin. The Prince is guilelessly Christ like and innocent, a prelapsarian figure in a fallen world. This leads to those around him regarding him, at times as idiotic but also endearing. Rogozhin is frantic to gain the love of Nastasya Filippovna. She is a woman of great beauty who has suffered greatly at the hands of her guardian who had kept her as a concubine. Having been degraded by her guardian, Nastasya Filippovna becomes self destructive and acts as if she were attempting to prove that she is a fallen woman. The Prince sees her suffering and seeks to help her, even offering to marry her. This puts him at odds with Rogozhin and yet these two men become like brothers, exchanging crosses as a sign of their friendship. At times Rogozhin seems to be Prince Myshkin's dark doppelganger. Dostoevsky strikes a contrast between light and dark from the start of this novel, juxtaposing descriptions of Rogozhin's dark hair and eyes with Myshkin's blue eyes and light hair. Practically everything that involves Rogozhin is dark, his appearance, his house, the hall in which he tries to kill Myshkin, and the study in which he kills Nastasya Filippovna are all dark. Conversely when Rogozhin tries to kill Myshkin the Prince has an attack of epilepsy and "intense inner light flooded his soul." Prince Myshkin writes a letter to, Aglaia, a young woman he loves as to his "light." Nastasya writes to Aglaia telling her how the Prince regards her: "He thought of you as radiating "light.' Those are his own words, I heard them from him. But without words I knew that you meant "light" to him." At one point in the novel Prince S. says to Prince Myshkin: "paradise on earth is not easily achieved; but all the same you are counting on paradise in a way; paradise is a difficult thing, Prince, much more difficult than it seems to your wonderful heart. . . ." This lamentably proves true for Prince Myshkin and most of the characters in this novel and yet we are left with a glowing memory of Prince Myshkin's character. The Prince always listens, always understands, he can enter into the soul and suspend his judgement before the human condition. He feels an infinite compassion in `suffering together' with people. He never turns his back, never abandons anybody, always does the little that humans can like listening and forgiving.

Okay, but not my favorite.......2007-02-12

It should be understood, first, that my 3 stars is on the scale of Dostoevsky's other novels. It reads fairly easily, as all of his novels do, there is the sense of general hopelessness that I expect from a Russian novel, but like some of the other reviewers, I've enjoyed his other novels more, and I got the feeling with this one that he was just trying to meet a word count so he could send it off to the publisher. Yes, there are some great scenes, and some inspired writing, but most of it just seems really, really random. Characters say and do things that seem to have no point in the overall context of the book. Like an episode of "Seinfeld", there is much activity, much of it entertaining, but it all has little relevance ultimately. I reached the end with a feeling of relief and accomplishment, but not much else. If you're new to Dostoevsky, read something else first.

Average customer rating:

Great companion, the ulitmate translators, Everyman, what more needs to be said

The Double and The Gambler
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Adolescent
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The Complete Short Novels

ASIN: 0375719016
Release Date: 2007-01-16

Book Description

The award-winning translators Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky have given us the definitive version of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s strikingly original short novels, The Double and The Gambler.

The Double is a surprisingly modern hallucinatory nightmare–foreshadowing Kafka and Sartre–in which a minor official named Goliadkin becomes aware of a mysterious doppelganger, a man who has his name and his face and who gradually and relentlessly begins to displace him with his friends and colleagues. The Gambler is a stunning psychological portrait of a young man's exhilarating and destructive addiction to gambling, a compulsion that Dostoevsky–who once gambled away his young wife's wedding ring–knew intimately from his own experience. In chronicling the disastrous love affairs and gambling adventures of Alexei Ivanovich, Dostoevsky explores the irresistible temptation to look into the abyss of ultimate risk that he believed was an essential part of the Russian national character.

Customer Reviews:

Great companion, the ulitmate translators, Everyman, what more needs to be said.......2006-01-31

The perfect little companion piece to two of Dostevsky's several short stories, and two of his best if not THE best might I add.

I have read both these stories before but translated by different authors in the Great Short Works compilation by Perennial classics. Before I go on to mention about the Peaver/Volkhonsky translations which are superior I will talk briefly about both stories, not so much what they are about (you can find many of those around here) but of the translations themselves.

The Double is quite a fascinating short story, but for a lot of people it doesn't have closure, and the ending gives the impression of cheating the reader. I first read the George Bird translation which is actually okay compared to this one, but nowhere near as colourful. You will really get a kick of Mr. Golyadkin's play into madness, it is quite a wild ride.

The Gambler is truly one of those books that litteraly makes your skin crawl. Also Peaver/Volokhonsky's translation compared to Constance Garnett is FAR superior full of life and what I call Dostoevsky "flow" where as Garentt's comes off as 'flat'. The Gambler isn't just a well written story but also gives a glimpse into a time period that doesn't exist any more, (his comments about Frenchmen, Englishmen, Germans and Poles is quite insane) and a depth into the soul of the tortured novelist who suffered the afflictions of the main character. You will also get a serious kick out of the high wheeling grandmother (baboushka) in this book, she is one of the most memorable characters in any story EVER.

Both these stories are great page turners you wont be able to stop until you are done.

More importantly, the Everyman book looks great on my book shelf as always. And this is just the perfect thing highlighting two of his great short stories. The only one I can think that were better than these two is "A Nasty Anecdote" (sometimes translated as "A disgraceful affair").

As for a Dostoevsky work and how it is presented in this companion, it is a sure 5 star winner!

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Great Potential Never Realized: Too Diffuse and Too Fragmented.
Russian in the Atheistic Rye
Just another opinion
Caveat Lector!
do not hesitate on reading Demons in its best translation yet

Demons
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Idiot
The Adolescent
Crime and Punishment (Penguin Popular Classics)
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ASIN: 0679734511
Release Date: 1995-08-01

Book Description

Inspired by the true story of a political murder that horried Russians in 1869, Fyodor Dostoevsky conceived of Demons as a "novel-pamphlet" in which he would say everything about the plague of materialist ideology that he saw infecting his native land. What emerged was a prophetic and ferociously funny masterpiece of ideology and murder in pre-revolutionary Russia.

Customer Reviews:

Great Potential Never Realized: Too Diffuse and Too Fragmented........2007-05-19

As background information, I have read most of Dostoevsky's novels including some of his early works and all of his most popular 6 or 7 novels.

First of all, this is a good translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. My only complaint is that the characters have multiple names, i.e.: as an example the same character is called von Blum and Andrei Antonovich. It is all quite confusing, and it is compounded by 20 similar names and characters. In any case, Richard Pevear provides an excellent introduction to the novel without giving away the plot - so one can read the introduction first or go back and read it midway without spoiling the reading experience. Also, he provides a list of all the major characters with the duplicate names. That information is essential for reading the book; I found myself going back to look at that list every 25 pages or so to keep all the characters straight.

The question for Dostoevsky fans is the following, i.e.: is this a great novel or just too much? I think it is simply too much and too diffuse: it lacks strong characters and the plot is weak. Obviously, a lot of time and effort had gone into the novel but it does not quite work as a well balanced and entertaining piece of work. Yes, it is easy to read but the story is not compelling. It seems to wander and it takes forever. It takes at least 500 pages to get to any writing that could be classified as compelling.

Dostoevsky re-wrote the novel a number of times, and based it on a real life event in Russia. But that event does not appear until late in the novel. Most of the story is elaborate and slow moving. It is too diffuse and there is too much dialogue.

Instead of one or two key characters, we have a whole village full of characters, and each character seems to be missing a lot of detail. As Richard Pevear tells us, each character says a lot but we cannot determine what the character is like. It is as if a mask is speaking instead of a complete person, or persons.

Dostoevsky uses the Jane Austen technique of fitting different levels of speech to portray different social levels for different characters. Sometimes they speak in French. All of this seems to add more confusion.

So in summary, this is a long and elaborate novel that took Dostoevsky a number of years to write. He has all the ingredients for a great novel, so one might expect that it will be a great novel. He tries to interweave interesting non-fiction events with a long and elaborate fictional story about atheists or revolutionaries in a small Russian village. He does not quite pull it all off. The novel is very readable and there is lots of subtle humor in the first 150 pages, but after a while it is all a bit too much. The main result here is that it gives Dostoevsky the ideas and approach to write his last novel "The Brother Karamazov."

Readers will find it slow and fragmented, and most will think it too diffuse, lacking a clear plot and any literary punch.

Russian in the Atheistic Rye .......2007-05-18

Secret political cells of underground socialist activists honeycomb your "somnolent and lethargic" (1) cities and countryside . . . rumors that their instructions emanate from an international crime syndicate are in the air . . . a mysterious, wealthy foreign prince awaits his moment to seize power . . . political tracts and a revolutionary manifesto have been discovered in the hands of local factory workers . . . nihilistic students influenced by the "evil West" are advocating chaos and destruction. This dark and gloomy atmosphere pervades "The Possessed" - all 700 pages of it. It is a complex and interesting hybrid of ideas and characters drawn by a great author with an axe to grind against the political radicalism he felt opposed to during the 1860s. As a sardonic tirade against a generation of radical atheists bent on deconstructing the moral fiber of Russian society, as well as an apology for the Russian Orthodox church, it helps to keep in mind that the original titles were "Atheism" and "The Great Sinners" and to be familiar with Dostoevsky's attitudes towards Christianity. Thus, in my mind, Dostoevsky is a predecessor to Holden Caulfield and "The Possessed" the Russian godfather to Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye" (1951).

The shady and reprehensible Peter Verkhovensky and unpredictable Nikolai Stavrogin are the central "agitators" in the mysterious plot. The Byronic Stavrogin is the most obscure of all, but to understand his duality and ennui is to understand the novel. According to Dostoevsky, he is "the first artistic expression of a crisis in the Russian spirit" (2). The reader is constantly guessing who's who and what's what amidst constant chatter of an ever-widening plot, the nature of which is intentionally vague. All the while, characters from one generation or the other interact as though from different planets. As for the immense length, I couldn't help wonder whether Dostoevsky, like one of his favorite authors Charles Dickens, didn't prolong his narrative for greater remuneration (in those days authors were often paid by the word) - it was serialized for a full two years between 1871 and 1872. At times I became more frustrated and irritated instead of curious, and had to use all my reading strength to stay the course. The characters are frequently melodramatic (especially, Stepan Verkhovensky) and difficult to relate to by modern norms, but it's revelatory that the author's earliest influences were the Gothic novels of Ann Radcliffe. Nevertheless, I admire Dostoevsky's manner of drawing well-rounded descriptions for each and every living thing in his books (like Balzac and Tolstoy) because it creates a world unto itself; one that is more complete and believable once entered.

All of Dostoevsky's favorite themes are here: Revolution, crime, atheism, religion, strong men, underground men, and the Russian past and present (3). The eternal East vs. West theme is internalized and encapsulated as a Russian struggle for national identity, and it is awe-inspiring that Dostoevsky managed to pull this artistic feat off at all. "The Possessed", or "Demons", or "Devils", or whatever title happens to be en vogue, is not the ideal novel with which to begin reading Dostoevsky by any means, but is absolutely essential for those who enjoyed the themes of "Crime and Punishment" and "Brothers Karamazov", and certainly "Notes from Underground". Like Turgenev in "Fathers & Sons", a novel Dostoevsky greatly admired in-spite of his merciless portrayal of its author as the pathetic Karmazinov, "The Possessed" has come to be seen as an uncanny prophecy of the Bolshevik Revolution (it is fascinating to realize that Lenin, Stalin and the Soviet Union were another 40-50 years removed). At times unwieldy and confusing, long-winded and unbearable, its greatness lays within its complex richness of themes. Much like "The Idiot" in terms of novelistic imperfections, "The Possessed" remains intellectually stimulating and thought-provoking on multiple levels long after one has put the book down.

1.) Frank, Joseph. Demons, Everyman's Library (Knopf), 1994. Introduction, p.xvii.
2.) Ibid p. xxi.
3.) MacAndrew, Andrew. The Possessed, Signet, 1962. This is the translation I read and is an easily readable, modernized and less stilted one than that of the probably more "accurate" Pevear & Volokhonsky version.

Just another opinion.......2007-05-06

I don't know what it is, but I get the feeling that reading Dostoevsky is an addiction. Whether it's a longing for creepy reality-based stories set in the whirlwind of 1870's Russia or those moments where Dostoevsky's genius for emotional writing lets loose, I think I'm addicted.

I say this because there are clearly a lot of moments in this 700 page book where I plod on, just wondering where the action is headed, could I recommend this book to someone else?, the answer is "No", but I still want to read on.

The first couple hundred pages describe the various characters. The action takes place in the second part of the book. The writing is typical D, not some dry polemic I had feared, as I had read so much about Demons being D's most "political" book. Don't worry; it's a novel first, not a manifesto.

I had a hard time following some of the characters, but maybe that was just me, maybe not. Figuring out the narrator is also problematic, though very interesting to think about (discussed in an essay in Leatherbarrow's book, see below).

There's also humor, which many reviewers talk about, but this is mostly in the latter sections, where D satirizes the characters of the group that want to tear down society. Clearly, one of the main attractions of this book is that D seemingly and very accurately foreshadows what happens in Russia 45 years later during the 1917 Revolution and rise of Communism. He couldn't have been more on target.

So, if you're reading this for enjoyment and haven't read several of Dostoevsky's other major books, read them first. This book, as well as many other of D's books, was printed and written as a serial and isn't as smooth and refined as The Brother's Karamazov or Crime and Punishment. But once you're familiar with D and his environment, this book should be fine. Make sure to read the footnotes, as they provide very meaningful and essential insight into the environment in which D wrote.

Finally, there is a very good collection of short essays on various aspects of Demons edited by Leatherbarrow. I highly recommend it, in addition to the introduction by Pevear.

Caveat Lector!.......2007-05-06

Approximately 98% of this book consists of the following:
TRULY bad writing - people who "go pale" on every page, villains who smile "crookedly" etc.;
sloppy structuring and inconsistent narrative technique (depending on D's momentary needs - a narrator who is a character or an omniscient author);
ludicrous caricatures in place of characters;
a basically dull plot, unbelievable at almost every turn.

The "political" element of the book is about as sophisticated as an Al Capp's "Lil' Abner". All the progressive characters in the book are ugly and "venomous". And despite some namedropping (Fourier, Herzen), not one issue raised by the radicals of the period is even addressed. Since Dostoevsky was at one point a political radical, he obviously knew better. So one suspects the worst form of pandering. It was at this point in his life where he was in favor with the Tsar.

Particularly distasteful is Dostoevsky's attempt at satirizing Turgenev's person and work. It is neither funny nor on target, merely lame and mean spirited. And his "effeminacy", high-pitched voice and all, should make you squirm.

The remaining 2% evinces the reason we still bother to read Dostoevsky. Stavrogin's confession and the final scene with Kirillov reveal the Dostoevsky who influenced Nietzsche, Freud and the existentialists. Both sections are intellectually stimulating and dramatically vivid.

But there is nothing new here that we have not encountered in "Notes from Underground" or "The Karamazov Brothers". If you're up for something "Russian" of this length, try Nabokov's "Ada", an INFINITELY greater work of art.

do not hesitate on reading Demons in its best translation yet.......2006-07-25

It is an excellent book. If you like Dostoevsky and have read any of his other books, you will be seduced by this one immediately. If you have not read any of his work, keep on reading...you will want to read what you have missed so far. I trust Vintage with the best translations into english from non-english speaking writers and professional editing.

The Brothers Karamazov (Everyman's Library)

Average customer rating:

An Unflattering Portrait of Russia
Please note!!
Masterpiece
another great
"Three Cheers For Karamazov!"

The Brothers Karamazov (Everyman's Library)
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Manufacturer: Everyman's Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

Crime and Punishment (Penguin Popular Classics)
Anna Karenina (Signet Classics)
The Idiot (Modern Library Classics)
War and Peace (Penguin Classics)
Notes from Underground

ASIN: 0679410031
Release Date: 1992-04-28

Book Description

Dostoevsky’s towering reputation as one of the handful of thinkers who forged the modern sensibility has sometimes obscured the purely novelistic virtues–brilliant characterizations, flair for suspense and melodrama, instinctive theatricality–that made his work so immensely popular in nineteenth-century Russia. The Brothers Karamazov, his last and greatest novel, published just before his death in 1881, chronicles the bitter love-hate struggle between the outsized Fyodor Karamazov and his three very different sons. It is above all the story of a murder, told with hair-raising intellectual clarity and a feeling for the human condition unsurpassed in world literature.

This award-winning translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky–the definitive version in English–magnificently captures the rich and subtle energies of Dostoevsky’s masterpiece.

Customer Reviews:

An Unflattering Portrait of Russia.......2007-05-27

This is a typical Russian novel in which characters walk in the room and have deep and long conversations about life with each other. If you are interested in what they are saying, it is good reading; if not, it can get tedious. Most parts of this long novel are fairly interesting, although it seems to be slow going at times.

Doestoevsky presents two brothers with opposing ideas on how the world works and how those ideas influence Russian society. Alexey follows the Orthodox Church and its beliefs and seems to do well by them, whereas Ivan is tortured by his disbelief in God and the absurdity of the world. He may just be angry at God, rather than an atheist; he is a person who does not like how God has arranged things. Dostoyevsky seems to favor Alexey's Christianity over Ivan's secular ideas because he puts Alexey in better light.

Alexey's dream is the standard Christian one in which all people become equal, holy, and loving in their submission to the will of Christ. Alexey represents a religious Russian that finds the way to live life is by the Church's teachings.

Alexey is accused of being a sensualist because he is a Karamazov; "birth and heredity" has shaped him. The socialist Rakitin states, "You're a sensualist from your father, a crazy saint from your mother." Alexey goes on to prove that his saintliness overcomes whatever sensuality he might have. He refuses to see the sensual Grushenka, even though she says that she will "pull his cassock off". Alexey represents a Russian who rejects the sensuality that a secular liberal may give into.

Unlike his brother Ivan, Alexey shows his sensitive nature and insight into people he helps. When Ivan coldly states that one reptile will devour another if Dmitri kills the father, Alexey exclaims "God forbid!" Alexey later questions Ivan as to whether he or any man has the right to decide who should live. Ivan states that it is natural to wish for his father's death and he has a right to do so. Alexey also cries over his father being beaten by Dmitri and Dmitri's insensitivity to it. When he gets bitten by Ilusha, Alexey asks the boy why he was bitten, rather than get angry with him. He thinks that he must have wronged him in some way. Alexey is incapable of passive love because if he loves someone, he wants to help them. He realizes that the captain is too proud to take the money offered him and is ashamed of his initial delight. Alexey attempts to help him again rather than lose patience. He does not have contempt for the man, but states that all are like him. Alexey is a religious Russian who finds an outlet for his kindness and sensitivity by following the Christian way of life.

Alexey does not say much, but he does record the beliefs of his mentor, Father Zossima, who believes that fulfilling desires is fruitless and one would do better to live according to brotherly solidarity and humanitarian service.

Ivan, on the other hand, asserts that all things are lawful if there is no immortality: "There is no virtue if there no immortality", he states. He is an uneasy atheist claiming that natural law is based on the belief in immortality and if the belief is destroyed then love and life will be destroyed along with it and the laws should be changed to the opposite of what they are now. Like other Russian secular liberals, he is at odds with the moral teachings of the church because he claims not to believe in God.

Ivan struggles to justify his life with his belief in absurdity and atheism. Ivan states that he still has a thirst for life that no disillusionment can destroy. Even though he does not believe in the chaotic disorder of the world and is disillusioned with it; he still wants to live and does not consider the thirst for life base. Alexey states that he should love life even if he finds no logic in it and then he will find a meaning in it later. Ivan will not depend on sensuality to get through his life the way his father has done. Ivan changes his mind and says that he does not believe in the world God created, but may believe in God. His mind is an earthly mind and cannot understand unearthly things or the absurdity of suffering in this life. Like a secular liberal, he struggles to find meaning in life after he has rejected religious meanings that explain life.

Ivan makes the argument that suffering is absurd and unjustified as it afflicts the innocent; the world does not make sense and must not have been created by God. He mentions the cruel murder of a baby and says that the devil may not exist, but man has created him in his own image. He talks about the Russian proclivity to cruelly beat innocent animals and children without a tinge of guilt. He says that everyone has a demon of lust, cruelty, and lawlessness within them that is waiting to come out and indulge itself.

Dostoevsky presents a generally unflattering picture of Russia as a backward land filled with cheats, religious fanatics, and unprincipled secular types. But he does have two compelling characters with Alexey and Father Zossima; the rest seem to be suffering from insanity, character flaws, or proclivities for violence. He indicates through these two characters that following the Christian beliefs are better than following liberal secular ones, even though a person might be considered reactionary because of it.

Please note!!.......2007-05-06

This is by far the best translation of Dostoyevsky's greatest work--BUT PLEASE!!: it is NOT the Constance Garnett translation!! It's the much newer translation by Peaver and Volokhonsky.

Any of the reviews stating this is the Garnett translation should be ignored; clearly these reviewers haven't even bothered to notice the correct names of the translators: their comments about the book itself are, no doubt, just as worthless!!

Masterpiece.......2007-03-29

This is the kind of book Freud would of wrote if he was a fiction writer. Dostoyevsky did a phenomenal job of putting together the mind set and behaviors of individuals using words.
Excellent read

another great.......2007-02-09

love this book, great writing. a lot of times Dostoevsky only gets due credit for Crime and Punishment, but the Brothers K is a magnificent peice of lit and a definate must read.

"Three Cheers For Karamazov!".......2006-12-30

I had been wanting to read this book for years. Crime and Punishment is one of my favorite books and to read Dostoevsky's masterpiece, Brothers Karamazov, was something I have been looking forward to for quite some time. Now, having just finished it, I can gladly state that I was not disappointed, yet it was nothing like Crime and Punishment and it was not at all what I expected. Truly, I suppose, nothing could have really prepared me for this book. I don't think any two readers could experience the same feelings on its completion. It was a long book and I took my time, but it felt like a short story. Although over 1000 pages, the story timeline was only a few months. There is a lot of well written commentary, subplotting, reflection, and debate over what amounts to very simple themes (not unlike reading the Bible). On a superficial level, the story was not as enticing as Crime and Punishment, the characters were not that likeable, and the setting was quite bleak. However, by the story's end I was quite endeared to the characters and to Russia because of their raw humanity. That amongst the brutishness, the desperation, and the poverty, there lay all of the uniqueness, wonder, and beauty of humanity. The Brothers Karamazov, Dimitri (the flesh), Ivan (the mind), Alyosha (the spirit) were the embodiment of all that make up humanity for better or for worse. Their half brother, Smerdyakov, depicts one who evades these human attributes perhaps out of cowardness and fear. The reader witnesses the tragedy and the joy between the struggle of flesh, mind, and spirit. This battle is deep, twisted, and, I suspect, revealed to every reader of this book in a unique and personal way. To me, what was revealed, was that this struggle is worthy, beautiful, and necessary and to avoid it because of fear and cowardness is a sinful waste. Read this book for yourself and find out what it means to you. It may not be for everyone. It was published in 1880 Russia and its message runs much deeper than today's best selling suspense, drama writing that is much easier to read and gives more immediate gratification. But if you are patient and enduring, the payoff is priceless. Nothing great comes easy. Three cheers for Karamazov!

A Writer's Diary Volume 2: 1877-1881 (Writer's Diary, 1877-1881)

Average customer rating:

FYODOR UNWRAPPED
Dostoevsky's Brilliance in "Raw" Form
deeply flawed yet deeply fascinating
Another Dostoyevsky classic-not recommended for beginners

A Writer's Diary Volume 2: 1877-1881 (Writer's Diary, 1877-1881)
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Manufacturer: Northwestern University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0810115174

Customer Reviews:

FYODOR UNWRAPPED.......2006-08-22

This is a book (actually the first volume of a 2-volume set) for
Dostoevsky aficianados. There is some very interesting and varied material in this large volume -- essays, imaginings, journalism, polemic, short stories, propoganda, rants, etc.. A kind of 'Fyodor Unwrapped.' It helps to have read other books by this great Russian Master, particularly his 'Big 5': Crime & Punishment,The Idiot, The Devils, A Raw Youth, Brothers Karamavoz. The translation by Kenneth Lantz is excellently done; the extensive Introduction by Gary Saul Morsom, is helpful, but
definitely 'over kill.'
The book, in fact, is a microcosm of Dostoevsky himself: plenty of flaws and foolishness, but always worth plowing through. He is, after all, probably the world's greatest novelist, and I recommend this book highly to those who agree with that assessment.

Dostoevsky's Brilliance in "Raw" Form.......2000-09-10

All the elements of Dostoevsky's genius come through in this hodgepodge of literary forms. Kenneth Lantz is an extremely good translator. I don't know why he didn't translate Dostoevsky's other works.

deeply flawed yet deeply fascinating.......1999-08-06

This book and its companion volume present the contents of a journal written, edited, and published by Dostoevsky over a period of eight years. It is a fascinating collection. There are stories; there are literary discussions; there are commentaries on current events, especially court cases and international developments. There are jaw-drop-inducing vamps on the harmful effects of the Jews on decent Christian people. As time passes and Dostoevsky grows older and sicker, most other topics are abandoned in favor of eschatological Slavophile ruminations on the "Eastern Question" and the coming triumph of Russian Orthodoxy. All of this will be much more than the casual reader will want to wade through. Yet for the serious student or fan of Dostoevsky's novels, the diaries provide a unique and amazing window into the author's thinking. For the student of 19th century history, they are an unforgettable presentation of one side of the passionate arguments over the future of the Balkan countries. For the student of Russian history, they provide eyewitness commentary on the struggles that accompanied the introduction of Western-style legal reforms, such as trial by jury. They are unique and amazing volumes, enhanced by a superb editor's introduction and useful endnotes.

Another Dostoyevsky classic-not recommended for beginners.......1998-07-30

I bought this just because it was Dostoyevsky; I had no clue what it would be like. I thought that perhaps it was actually Dostoyevksy's personal diary. In fact, it is a journal Dostoyevsky wrote entirely himself and put out on a monthly basis. He muses on variety of subjects such as social-political issues of Russia at the time and criminal cases that have attracted his interest. In addition, he includes a few skeletons of short stories he is working on. Highly recommended for Dostoyevsky fanatics; newcomers would be better off reading Crime and Punishment.

The Best Short Stories of Fyodor Dostoevsky (Modern Library Classics)

Average customer rating:

great
As contemporary as ever - highly recommended!
So You Say You Want to Be an Existentialist?
Don't let the short ones fool you- this is the real thing
Not my style apparently...prefer Marquez and scenery

The Best Short Stories of Fyodor Dostoevsky (Modern Library Classics)
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Demons

ASIN: 0375756884
Release Date: 2001-02-13

Book Description

This collection, unique to the Modern Library, gathers seven of Dostoevsky's key works and shows him to be equally adept at the short story as with the novel. Exploring many of the same themes as in his longer works, these small masterpieces move from the tender and romantic White Nights, an archetypal nineteenth-century morality tale of pathos and loss, to the famous Notes from the Underground, a story of guilt, ineffectiveness, and uncompromising cynicism, and the first major work of existential literature. Among Dostoevsky's prototypical characters is Yemelyan in The Honest Thief, whose tragedy turns on an inability to resist crime. Presented in chronological order, in David Magarshack's celebrated translation, this is the definitive edition of Dostoevsky's best stories.

Customer Reviews:

great.......2007-01-08

Fyodor Dostoevesky is a brillant man. I sincerely regret all of the years I put off reading his work merely because I thought it'd be stiff and boring. His short stories are no exception. You should pick up this book, I am certain it will pique your interest.

As contemporary as ever - highly recommended!.......2006-04-21

This volume includes such superb works as the haunting 'White Nights" - perhaps more of a novella than a short story - and the disturbing "Notes from the Underground", a landmark of existential thinking and no slight work of genius. Although all of these date from the late 19th century, they appear as contemporary as ever and are a delight to read. Sometimes you have to trod a fair distance to get to the heart of the matter as Dostoevsky is notoriously long-winded. But the journey is certainly worth it.

It is an interesting biographical fact (presented in the introduction) that Dostoevsky himself at one point was condemned to death for political insurrection and even led before a firing squad before finally pardoned. This may shed some light on the source of his fascination with dark psychology and his unusual desire to explore the outer reaches of human experience. To this day his work stands unsurpassed.

Read it and enjoy!

So You Say You Want to Be an Existentialist?.......2006-02-23

If you say you want to be an existentialist, be sure to read this book first, just as you would read a warning lable on a bottle of medicine; there could be a lot of side effects if taken internally, like an unhappy life. I doubt that Doestoevsky meant it that way, but it came off that way to me.

Dostoevsky was a literary giant of the 19th or any other century. These short stories could be a good primer to his major works such as Crime and Punishment, and the Brothers Karamozov. His writings, some good examples in this book, fairly crackle with intelligence, dialogue, and drama, all of which are generated out of his view of existentialism.

Existentialism is the philosophy of existence, in that each person is free to make up his own mind about what truth is, based on his own personal experiences, and then must be completely responsible for his decisions. Essentially, your reality is what you sense life to be about at any given moment. A person is truly alive when going through extreme situations and suffering; and if all else fails, there is always suicide.

I got this view of existentialism from an encyclopedia; but I could have derived it from these short stories. The existentialist in each of these stories struggles with life and what it means, and seems to almost go out of his way to make an ordinary life precarious and hard. Often he is (at least in these stories) incredibly self-absorbed, and unempathetic, even mean-spirited and predatory to other people, in an effort to somehow experience life to the fullest. He seems to like to psychologically experiment in ways of treating himself and other people for his own benefit, to see what will happen. (An example in one story is the older man that marries a desparate 16 year-old and then stops talking to her just to see how she reacts.) Any happiness he gets from life seems almost accidental. All this makes for great drama, but does it make for a great philosophy? Subjective truth is a very slippery slope, depending on how closely it lines up with objective reality, and how connected the existentialist is with his vision of reality.

That said, believe it or not, I really liked the book and would recommend it to anyone who likes great literature. The philosophy behind the book is another matter all together, and should be taken internally only with caution.

Don't let the short ones fool you- this is the real thing.......2005-11-30

I've only recently begun to read 19th century Russian literature, lured there by a chance reading of 'Crime and Punishment' which floored me. Upon finishing that book I knew that Dostoevsky was the real deal and felt a smug assurance that I could go into the bookstore, buy another of his novels/collection of stories, and feel equally floored.

So I bought this book. After purchasing it, I bought a cup of coffee, sat down and read 'The Peasant Marey'. I didn't like it. So I flipped to 'The Christmas Tree and a Wedding' and read that one. I didn't like it. I checked the cover. Yes, it still says 'The "Best" Short Stories of Fyodor Dostoevsky'. Hmmm...what is going on here? Is this the same guy that penned that brilliant novel that I just finished?

The fact is that yes, it is. Beyond those two stories, the rest found in this book are timeless masterpieces of the period of Russian literature. Though Dostoevsky might use very long paragraphs to express something (some of them go on for pages and pages), he is clearly trying to make sure that the character/concept is receiving its due attention, something that many writers do not seem to understand. From the protestations of (strange) love in 'White Nights' to the ravings to try to find justification for ones own behavior in 'A Gentle Creature', Dostoevsky is only taking his time to fully illustrate what he's talking about. Its a true pleasure to read.

The real treat in this book is the presentation of the novella 'Notes from the Underground'. The first half of the story presents a sort of philosophical dissertation, one that is less narrative and more pure technical writing (think Plato). It is not until the second half of the story that you begin to discover that the first has a heavy bearing on understanding the demented, depraved actions of the nameless anti-hero. By the time you have finished, you discover all over again why Dostoevsky is indeed (rightfully so) considered to be a master at his craft; he has taken someone whom the audience cannot help but to loathe and made a point with the character. It is a brilliant thing to do, something you don't often find.

Bottom Line: Just by itself, 'Notes from the Underground' is worth the cost of the whole book, though the fact that you get other tales with it is an added benefit. The whole of it is worth every penny you pay for it.

-NL

Not my style apparently...prefer Marquez and scenery.......2005-02-24

I tried to enjoy this book. I wanted to, because Dostoevsky is a great writer. But each story furthered my disappointment. His language seemed too harnassed. I wanted him to let go and let it rip. Set me on fire with vivid scenery, emotional characters, some sense of the author's passion towards writing this.

What I came away with was a view of the author as too frightened to put his heart into his work. The scenes were average. The characters lacked appeal, a pulse, or anything else of relevance. The plots were average and unfinished for the most part. Dostoevsky writes with a hesitancy in these stories. Almost as if he's terrified of allowing the reader to see within his soul. I had a sense of a man blending in with a monochromatic wall, reaching a hand out and hoping someone would grasp that hand and pull him out of his shell. There was no connect. No realism. Not even a hint of raw emotion.

I've never been so disappointed as reading this book. Even amateurs I've read stir up more emotion in their characters than Dostoevsky ha