Fyodor Dostoevsky

[Dori]

Recently, along with the other books that I'm reading, I decided to pick up Crime and Punishment (by Dostoevsky, of course). I just finished Part I, and it is an amazing read thus far. Has anyone else read this?

Here's a quote from C&P which caught my attention:

In a morbid condition of the brain, dreams often have a singular actuality, vividness, and extraordinary semblance of reality. At times monstrous images are created, but the setting and the whole picture are so truthlike and filled with details so delicate, so unexpectedly, but so artistically consistent, that the dreamer, were he an artist like Pushkin or Turgenev even, could never have invented them in the waking state. Such sick dreams always remain long in the memory and make a powerful impression on the overwrought and deranged nervous system.

This excerpt is, from what I've seen, just a taste of the brilliance of Dostoevsky and only proves Friedrich Nietzsche's claim that "[Dostoevsky] is the only psychologist I have anything to learn from." What do you guys think?

I also recently bought a few more of his works, including Poor Folk, Notes from Underground, The Double, and The House of the Dead. Has anyone read any of these works? Or perhaps The Brothers Karamazov or the The Idiot (which I also own)? If so, what did you think about them?

[knightss]

I've read some of Dostoevsky's short stories and i have the brothers karamazov on my bookshelf but haven't attempted to read it yet.

I enjoy his short stories immensely and i'm looking forward to reading more of his work.

[nerdgirlNV]

I first picked up crime and punishment on a dare in junior high. I was a bit of an odd ball kid and didn't like to do my homework so one of my teacher's told me if I could finish it (no report, just be able to convince her I had read it) she'd give me an A for the quarter.

I don't think I would have ever picked it up otherwise and what a shame that would have been. I haven't read it recently, but I'm so glad to see that the book of the month is another Dostoyevsky that I have not had the pleasure of reading yet. I'm going to have to pick up another copy of Crime and Punishment. Thanks for the great idea!

[sweetos]

i just finished dostoevsky's book, "the idiot". it's amazing. it's just disappointing that not a lot of people have read this book. and it's even less popular than dostoevsky's other work, "crime and punishment". i haven't read that one but i'm sure that if people recognize c&p as one of the best classics, the idiot should receive the same recognition.

[Scott]

I read The House of the Dead recently, and I want to read some more of his works.

I like that quote about dreams.

[pOoF bAbY]

I read The House of the Dead recently, and I want to read some more of his works.

I like that quote about dreams.

Thats a VERY good book!!

[clarebear]

I've only read Crime and Punishment so far, but it was very good and I intend to read the Brothers Karamazov and the Idiot.

[Tracey Neal]

Recently, along with the other books that I'm reading, I decided to pick up Crime and Punishment (by Dostoevsky, of course). I just finished Part I, and it is an amazing read thus far. Has anyone else read this?

Here's a quote from C&P which caught my attention:

In a morbid condition of the brain, dreams often have a singular actuality, vividness, and extraordinary semblance of reality. At times monstrous images are created, but the setting and the whole picture are so truthlike and filled with details so delicate, so unexpectedly, but so artistically consistent, that the dreamer, were he an artist like Pushkin or Turgenev even, could never have invented them in the waking state. Such sick dreams always remain long in the memory and make a powerful impression on the overwrought and deranged nervous system.

This excerpt is, from what I've seen, just a taste of the brilliance of Dostoevsky and only proves Friedrich Nietzsche's claim that "[Dostoevsky] is the only psychologist I have anything to learn from." What do you guys think?

I also recently bought a few more of his works, including Poor Folk, Notes from Underground, The Double, and The House of the Dead. Has anyone read any of these works? Or perhaps The Brothers Karamazov or the The Idiot (which I also own)? If so, what did you think about them?

Well I happen to love Friedrich Nietzsche and Dostoevsky.
I read the book, Dostoevsky kicks some literary ass, period.

[Tracey Neal]

The Idiot is a very good book too

[colonel1]

that passage is fantastic, the translator deserves some credit fot it too

[Matthew]

that passage is fantastic, the translator deserves some credit fot it too

Yeah. The Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky translations have given me a fresh perpective on Big D. I used to think he was a very clumsy writer and now I think he's... not as clumsy.

Some things about him really bother me. In Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky reminds us that every life has a value and cannot be extinguished... even an old, stingy Jew! Thanks, Fyodor. You're so spiritual. (check out his Notebooks for even more overt anti-Semitism, which he expresses with pride)

Lots of foot stamping, I've noticed. Also, the air in Moscow must've been terrible, because characters faint with alarming frequency (and at the most convenient times, too).

Still, Freud was influenced by Doestoevsky as well as Freddy N. Petty impressive. Good thinker (usually), okay writer.

[KaeMartyndale]

I just finished his short story "The Little Orphan". It was well written, but incredibly depressing. But, that's his thing, right?

[rollingpin]

I'm still trudging through the brothers karamazov. It's good material but is hard to read over an extended period of time. Maybe in a couple of years I'll be done

[Eric]

I'm finally getting around to reading "Crime & Punishment" now. I've already read "The Brothers Karamazov" and "Notes From Underground", but for some reason never read his most famous work. So far it's excellent. I plan on reading "The Idiot" and "The Devils" in the near future.

[Spoons]

i read some of crime and punishment, and i loved it.
I really want to try and read his other works