( 17 reviews )
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Posted: Jun 4 2009
The book can be held by two hands but the paper can get wet so be careful if you sweat profusely. Dostoevsky was a great Bulgarian writer, unfortunately, The Brothers Karamazov is not included in that canon. The Brothers Karamazov is about an old woman who hatches a plot to kill a young student. I couldn't finish it because the translation from Romanian was so bad that I had to put it down.
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Posted: Dec 18 2008
This book has been called the climax of Dostoevskii's career, the greatest novel of all time, etc. And not without reason. Dostoevskii reaches into our very souls and pulls out our darkest fears. The story introduces a sensous and passionate family. The three brothers, Dmitri, Aloysha, and Ivan, represent the Russian psyche: the sensual, the fanatical mystic, and the atheist, respectively. Their father is a lecherous buffoon (incidentally, the scene between Fyodor Karamazov and the holy priest Zosimov is one of the funniest in all of literature). Their father is a disgrace and an embarrassment to the family. In this way Dostoevskii neatly sets up the ensuing murder: he involves Dmitri and Fyodor in a sordid love triangle. People owe each other money. The typical mafia setting. Dostoevskii uses this to explore the terrible questions of fratricide and the question of God. Another theme in the book, which upset many proponents of liberal democracy, is the inevitable triumph of Slavophilism. Dostoevskii was a champion of monarchy and the Russian Orthodox Church. He saw Russia as the vehicle of the Church. And Dostoevskii uses the novel to tell this story.
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Posted: Nov 19 2008
Anyone interested in the central question facing mankind will find `The Brothers Karamazov' an essential guide. That question--on man's capacity for responsibility and the proper role of the state and religion--is posed throughout the story in dialogue and events, and is framed neatly in a 20-page section where Ivan presents a poem titled `The Grand Inquisitor' to his brother Alyosha. The chapter that bears that title (Book V, Chapter V) is a masterpiece in itself and should be studied for its narrative technique alone. But the ideas it presents are so immense, so mind-blowing and inspirational, that literary criticism is not sufficient. Indeed, `The Brothers Karamazov' should not be classed merely as a novel--it is a book of philosophy, theology, and sociology as well that ranks with the greatest documents in those disciplines. There is a fictitious plot, of course, and the characters in the story are some of the most unique in all of literature, so it is rightly praised as a novel. But the modern reader looking for a plot of twists and romantic intrigues is bound to disappointment. Dostoevsky does not stir up drama through the placement of unexpected developments or improbable character traits. Instead, he relies on the inherent needs and wants of all men to make vivid his story. The amount of dialogue may be shocking (tedious) to one accustomed to the modern show-don't-tell policy in storytelling. Today, novelists and screenwriters let a character's actions speak for them--it is quicker and provides a much more convincing impression. It also limits the kind of ideas that are posed in the story to simple, prosaic ones like `she likes him' or `he wants to defeat him.' By contrast, Dostoevsky allows the characters to speak for themselves, which creates a much longer and subtler exposition, but also frees the ideas to be vast and monumental. What is the fundamental nature of socialism? What are the uses of the church in finding purpose? In finding salvation? Why is there suffering? What is the meaning of death? Read the brothers' dialogues and contemplate. Dostoevsky's own philosophy is seen in the protagonist, Alyosha. This is so despite the fact that the author ably covers every perspective on every topic presented in the book, and one can hardly find a positive assertion throughout. If there is one, it rests in the overall effect of the words and actions, a concept Dostoevsky articulated in a personal correspondence--it is that "Man is a mystery; if you spend your entire life trying to puzzle it out, then do not say that you have wasted your time." A word about the translations: The title of Book IV has been translated differently in every version I have seen (other chapter titles are also inconsistent, but Book IV is seemingly the most difficult to agree on). The original Russian is `Nadryvy,' which literally translates to `Ruptures,' though no translations I have seen use `Ruptures.' The word is used throughout the book to convey the motif of `pressures' or `strained conditions about to break.' The various options I have seen for this title are `Lacerations' (Garnett), `Strains' (Pevear & Volkhonsky), `Torment' (MacAndrew), `Crises' (Avsey), and `Crack-Ups' (McDuff). Given this is a central theme, the potential reader might look into which translation he prefers before buying. Apropos, the Princess Alexandra Kropotkin print version bears the Garnett translation, as does the Frederick Davidson audio recording.
