Fyodor Dostoevsky

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DATo
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Post by DATo »

KaeMartyndale wrote:I just finished his short story "The Little Orphan". It was well written, but incredibly depressing. But, that's his thing, right?
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.
“I just got out of the hospital. I was in a speed reading accident. I hit a book mark and flew across the room.”
― Steven Wright
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EnjoiSkyler
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Post by EnjoiSkyler »

I remember reading a few excerpts from The Brothers Karamazov and have been constantly trying to find the time to delve into the novel. I haven't ready Fyodor yet but I can already tell I'm going to love his works!

Skyler
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Post by whybark »

I HATE Fyodor crime and punishment it took raskolnikov 80 pages to just kill the lady
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sisterkaramazov
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Post by sisterkaramazov »

I absolutely adore Dostoevsky's works; I read The Idiot first and couldn't rest until I read everything by him. What I found very interesting about that book was Dostoevsky's fascination with the human side of Christ. Prince Myshkin is a Christlike figure who was "too good for this world," but significantly he was epileptic (like Dostoevsky himself). According to 19th century medicine, epilepsy was caused by sexual deviance. Other Dostoevsky characters, such as Dmitri (The Brothers Karamazov) and Sofia (Crime and Punishment) are both holy and carnal.

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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Craigable
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Post by Craigable »

I read Crime and Punishment when I was too young (19? 20?). Should've waited till my thirties, I think. Anyway, it was so long ago that I don't remember a thing about it aside from the fact that it was far from cheery.

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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Post by SheldrakeWriter »

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.
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zifranka
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Post by zifranka »

His writing's very...chunky. I love it. I devour it. Haha. He's just brilliant. The first books I read by him was Crime and Punishment, too. When I read about his bibliography and it said he's one of the most important, if not the greatest Russian novelist in history, I thought I'd read other Russian novelists. For a time I considered reading just about anything Russian. And it's true, they all sound so depressed and delirious. And lethargic, and yet so ridiculously sober all at the same time. Sober as in a state of maddening clarity.
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Gnj
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Post by Gnj »

I've read two of Dosteovskys novels now - Crime and Punishment & The Brothers Karamazov.

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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Post by Taylor Razzani »

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 loved Notes from Undergound! Good recommendation, I would say it is my second favorite after Crime and Punishment.

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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Post by casjak »

I started reading Crime and Punishment so many times, but I had finally finished it last year. It was a good read, but whenever I put it down I had a hard time picking it back up again. I'm glad I got through it because it was definitely worth it. I also have The Idiot, but I haven't even opened up that one yet. But I'm sure it'll be good.
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Post by amy2785 »

Read Crime and Punishment during High School AP English and 20 years later and a 1000 + books it is still my favorite book.
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Post by alicia_fountain »

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! :D
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Post by Gnj »

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! :D
What is it about Dostoevsky that makes him your favourite author? (asking as someone who cannot get into his works).
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Post by Jolyon Trevelyan »

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
A mistake is simply another way of doing things
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Post by Taylor Razzani »

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
Loved The Gambler! It honestly made me want to get into gambling for a short time after I finished it :lol: I have a copy that was a two in one, it has The Double in it as well, another one I really enjoyed.
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