Dostoevsky

[bigsleepj]

Is there anyone out there who are fans of Russian author, Fyodr Dostoevsky? If so, what have you thought of him?

I've read his book Notes from Underground and found it fascinating and I've always wanted to tackle The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment. However I found Notes to be incredibly difficult.

[PigtailsJazz]

Oh man....my brother is practically obsessed with his works! He's read Crime and Punishment, and is currently reading The Brothers Karamazov....I'll have to make him get on this thread so you may discuss! (he already has an account here but is never on it...)

[Angel37]

Crime and Punishment is my FAVOURITE book EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Omg....I LOVE it!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mitsuki lover]

I've read Crime And Punishment and The Brothers KAramazov and some of the short stories including Notes From The Underground.
Trivia:Did you know the inspector from Crime And Punishment was the inspiration for Columbo?

[Kaori]

I've read his book Notes from Underground and found it fascinating and I've always wanted to tackle The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment. However I found Notes to be incredibly difficult.

I've read the three books you listed, and I've been wanting to read some of his slightly less often read books, like The Idiot and Demons.

Notes From Underground is definitely a fascinating book]Crime and Punishment[/I] and The Brothers Karamazov are considerably more straightforward than Notes from Underground. Of the two I preferred Crime and Punishment because the story has a more finished feel--the book had a satisfying resolution, wheras in The Brothers Karamazov, there are several threads left loose at the end, which felt unsatisfying to me. However, that's partly a matter of personal preference, and either book would make an excellent read.

[mitsuki lover]

Notes From The Underground was based on Dostoevsky's own expierence as a
Revolutionary and later as a "guest of the Czar".

[bigsleepj]

Aren't you confusing it with "House of the Dead"? Because Notes, when I read it, had very little to do with revolutions or being "guests of the Czar." Either that, or that Pevear translation is worse than the Constance Garnett.

[Mushishi]

*sinks to knees and sobs tears of joy*

Fellow...Dostoevsky...readers....

*hugs you all*

He is one of my favorite authors. To this day, Crime and Punishment stands as one of the best fiction books I've ever read. I'm reading some of his short stories right now- White Nights and the Dream of a Ridiculous man are the ones I'm juggling currently. I'm also tackling on and off the Brothers Karamazov...which I find to be satisfying, despite the afore mentioned warning that it will leave a taste of unfinished plot at the end. AND YET I MUST READ ON!!!!

Ever read his short stories? I adore them. In the forward from the version of compilation I'm reading from, David Magarshack says, "With a writer of such great genius and such vast output as Fyodor Dostoevsky it is perhaps natural that criticism should be conerned mainly with his larger works. And yet it is in Dostoevsky's smaller works that we find the highest expression of his creative power and profundity of thought." He goes on to say that his larger works were constantly under watch by the government, whereas his smaller works were free from partizanship and pressure. If you haven't had the chance to read his short stories, stop by your local library and pick it up. They are short but utterly satisfying.

[mitsuki lover]

Dosteovsky is also the only famous Russian writer who was also known to be a Christian.He also was epileptic which resulted from his years of imprisonment and
internal banishment.