An author ofttimes finds his greatest inspiration from profound experiences in his own life. In 1848 Dostoevsky was arrested on charges of sedition against the monarchy. He and several others were made to dig their graves and tied to posts facing a firing squad. They didn't know that the whole things was a farce. They believed they were about to die. At the last moment they were released from their bonds and told that their sentence was commuted to four years of prison. Now that almost HAS to mess up a person's mind and give them a depressed and negative slant on life. Fyodor Dostoevsky was also an addicted gambler, which might explain the character Raskolnikov's willingness to risk everything on an impulse in Crime And Punishment.KaeMartyndale wrote:I just finished his short story "The Little Orphan". It was well written, but incredibly depressing. But, that's his thing, right?
Fyodor Dostoevsky
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Re:
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I wonder how true this quote by Irene Nemirovsky is: "Tolstoy is a true Russian writer that anyone can understand, but to read Dostoevsky one must possess a certain kind of madness."
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I've also read Doctor Zhivago, A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, and Turgenev's Fathers and Sons. At this point in my life, though, I'm fairly sure that I've delved plenty into Russian depression. I still want to read War and Peace, but there's plenty of sad tales to be had from other parts of the world.
On a brighter note, I very much enjoyed the two Nabokov novels I read. And Zamiatin's We, purportedly the inspiration for 1984, was an intriguing departure.
If you want to read a piece of fun Russian literature, try Mikhail Bulgakov's Heart of a Dog. It's a satiric work about a dog who undergoes an operation and, as a result, slowly turns into a Soviet bureaucrat.
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I have to go against general opinion and say that I found it difficult to enjoy these novels. The writing was nothing out of the ordinary, and I felt like I didn't get much out of the stories. I feel like I'm really missing something, given the reputation of all of these works and the fact that many of my favourite authors cite his work as their inspiration - perhaps these are novels I need to come back to when I have had a bit more 'life experience.'
All I can say for now is that when reading his novels, I don't feel like I'm reading a story as much as an essay about Psychology and Philosophy. And of course I love novels to have these types of nuggets stored inside them - but I'd rather have to go digging for them inside a well-written and in-depth story arc.
I do feel quite bad for having a negative view of such a prolific writer.. I'm just not 'getting it.'
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I loved Notes from Undergound! Good recommendation, I would say it is my second favorite after Crime and Punishment.SheldrakeWriter wrote:Crime and Punishment is quite superb. Can I highly recommend his Notes from Underground for something a touch shorter but just as concerned with being inside somebody else's head? To Crime and Punishment's symphony, I give you Notes from Underground's waltz. I read the latter in a single train ride and it was one of the most enjoyable journeys of my life.
I had to read Crime and Punishment for my AP English class in high school and I absolutely devoured it. I loved the psychology aspect of it. Ever since I've been reading whatever Dostoevsky I find!
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What is it about Dostoevsky that makes him your favourite author? (asking as someone who cannot get into his works).alicia_fountain wrote:Dostoevsky is my absolute most favorite author. I have read Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov. I only own The Brothers Karamazov, though. I did manage to pick up a 2nd copy of the book in Puerto Rico a few years ago. The book is in Spanish, so I will likely never read it, but I really liked the cover art and the sentimentality of being my favorite book was reason enough for me to buy it. It has been a few years since the last time I read The Brothers Karamazov or Crime and Punishment. It will likely be quite a few more years before I get around to reading them both again, but I'm glad to see the author getting some love from everyone!
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The only book of his i did not enjoy was Poor Folk. My favorite book of his is The Gambler
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Loved The Gambler! It honestly made me want to get into gambling for a short time after I finished it I have a copy that was a two in one, it has The Double in it as well, another one I really enjoyed.Jolyon Trevelyan wrote:I have read everything by Dostoevsky and in my personal opinion he is the greatest author of all time.
The only book of his i did not enjoy was Poor Folk. My favorite book of his is The Gambler