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That was a very good read. Thank you very much. I purchased the Kindle version of "The Dream of a Ridiculous Man" after reading this. I have never read Dostoye

by q-base 8y ago

That was a very good read. Thank you very much. I purchased the Kindle version of "The Dream of a Ridiculous Man" after reading this. I have never read Dostoyevsky before. Any recommendations on where else to start?

manu3000 8y ago
the big 3 are "Notes from the underground", "Crime and Punishment", "The brothers Karamazov" (from this podcast https://historyofliterature.com/169-dostoevsky/ https://historyofliterature.com/169-dostoevsky/)
- qxzw 8y ago
  I'd only recommend to take out Notes from the underground and replace it with Idiot, which Dostoevsky himself liked the most of all his works. Devils and Gambler are just below these three. Also, Humiliated and insulted allegedly made Nietzsche cry. But that one I haven't read (yet).
  - vfinn 8y ago
    If you're having nihilistic thoughts, Notes from the Underground is a must. Idiot is good if you have a Jesus complex. :)
    - qxzw 8y ago
      I think Zossima's arc from Brothers Karamazov feeds Messiah complex better than Idiot :)
SL61 8y ago
Crime and Punishment is a wonderful deep dive into the mind of a really messed up person. If you like the film Taxi Driver, it is sort of similar, but with a lot more direct philosophical underpinnings. Raskolnikov has a whole philosophical framework on why he's allowed to murder the pawn shop owner* and he spends time explaining and discussing it. The motif of the nihilistic, disaffected young man is something Fyodor gets a lot of mileage out of, but he's the master of that genre. Notes From Underground is similar, but a lot shorter. It's one of the few Dostoevsky novels I haven't read, so I can't say much more than that. Its opening is his most famous line: "I am a sick man. I am a spiteful man. I am an unpleasant man. I think my liver is diseased." To go against the grain of most recommendations, I'll say that "Notes from a Dead House" (the name differs depending on translation) is a good place to start too. It's essentially his prison memoirs, slightly fictionalized to avoid censors. There are a lot of little details that stood out and affected me deeply. e.g: He recalls a small dog that was often abused by the other prisoners, and was so timid that it would "sink to the ground on all fours and start trembling all over" when he petted it. The book has so many small, human details that really show the personal history that influenced his later books. He has an eye for those details that most people would gloss over. The thing to keep in mind is that, across Dostoyevsky's novels, there are a lot of scenes where people stand around discussing philosophy. It's great and engaging if you're into it, but it will kill your enjoyment if it's not your thing. The Brothers Karamazov and Demons are books to avoid for your first attempt; they include a lot of that. Fyodor is really preachy in general, but this increases over time in his career, so his earlier books are more plot-focused. And he's all about symbolism, like the hypothetical author in the famous "curtains are blue" meme. Finally, don't worry too much about translation. Pevear and Volokhonsky are always the most recommended, but that is more due to current trends in translation than their objective superiority. That's not to say they're bad, but any modern translation is going to be fine. Constance Garnett is the only one who's not so great, but I had a fine experience with her translation of C&P as my first Dostoyesvky novel, so it's hardly unreadable. *not a spoiler, this happens in the opening
- badpun 8y ago
  Let’s not forget the context, too - Dostojewski was very worried about the individualistic and nihilistic trends he noticed in the Western world and which were slowly seeping through to Russia as well. He was worried they’ll lead to a collapse of civilization, and was looking for an answer on how to prevent that from happening. His books are an exploration of this subject.
- coleifer 8y ago
  To add a conflicting voice, my own opinion is that Constance Garnett's translation of The Brothers Karamazov is Dostoyevsky's best work for English readers.
michalu 8y ago
I recommend you start with the "Idiot" ... Crime and Punishment is his masterpiece but I believe it's not the best first book to read by him. After there are Brothers Karamazov a less known book but very beautiful. The rest you can find with simple Google search, Dostoyevsky is I believe unparalleled in the world's literature.
bambataa 8y ago
In my experience Dostoevsky novels can be a bit of a slog at the beginning because nothing much happens and it’s lots of character analysis. Then about halfway through some significant event happens and the rest is absolutely fascinating because you’ve spent so much time getting into the characters’ heads.
- accnumnplus1 8y ago
  I've only read Crime and Punishment, but this was exactly my observation of it. I really wasn't impressed with it, and then suddenly, almost exactly half way in, it kicked off and I was engrossed.
dovvdkc 8y ago
I loved Brothers Karanazov. Brilliant. In fact the Russian authors are amazing. It’s a shame I discovered them when I was in grad school and not earlier.
- 0x445442 8y ago
  Russian composers as well. The quality of art that culture produced from the mid 19th to the early 20th century.
- ntsplnkv2 8y ago
  I first discovered Dostoevsky in undergrad engineering school. Needed gen eds and ended up taking a class that sounded interesting that talked about the philosophies of the superman (ubermensch) and it started with Crime and Punishment. It was the best class I took in undergrad, it was so interesting to read and discuss. I think I needed to be in that class, though, to really get what I got out of it - so perhaps it is ok to come across them later in life. They almost require experience.
B1FF_PSUVM 8y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grand_Inquisitor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grand_Inquisitor
thatcat 8y ago
The Gambler is probably the easiest to understand Dostoevsky novel I've read. It's a character analysis of himself written quickly to pay off his own gambling debts. I'd recommend this first, then Notes from the Underground, for a gentle introduction.

by q-base 8y ago

manu3000 8y ago

the big 3 are "Notes from the underground", "Crime and Punishment", "The brothers Karamazov" (from this podcast https://historyofliterature.com/169-dostoevsky/ https://historyofliterature.com/169-dostoevsky/)

qxzw 8y ago
I'd only recommend to take out Notes from the underground and replace it with Idiot, which Dostoevsky himself liked the most of all his works. Devils and Gambler are just below these three. Also, Humiliated and insulted allegedly made Nietzsche cry. But that one I haven't read (yet).
- vfinn 8y ago
  If you're having nihilistic thoughts, Notes from the Underground is a must. Idiot is good if you have a Jesus complex. :)
  - qxzw 8y ago
    I think Zossima's arc from Brothers Karamazov feeds Messiah complex better than Idiot :)

SL61 8y ago

Crime and Punishment is a wonderful deep dive into the mind of a really messed up person. If you like the film Taxi Driver, it is sort of similar, but with a lot more direct philosophical underpinnings. Raskolnikov has a whole philosophical framework on why he's allowed to murder the pawn shop owner* and he spends time explaining and discussing it. The motif of the nihilistic, disaffected young man is something Fyodor gets a lot of mileage out of, but he's the master of that genre. Notes From Underground is similar, but a lot shorter. It's one of the few Dostoevsky novels I haven't read, so I can't say much more than that. Its opening is his most famous line: "I am a sick man. I am a spiteful man. I am an unpleasant man. I think my liver is diseased." To go against the grain of most recommendations, I'll say that "Notes from a Dead House" (the name differs depending on translation) is a good place to start too. It's essentially his prison memoirs, slightly fictionalized to avoid censors. There are a lot of little details that stood out and affected me deeply. e.g: He recalls a small dog that was often abused by the other prisoners, and was so timid that it would "sink to the ground on all fours and start trembling all over" when he petted it. The book has so many small, human details that really show the personal history that influenced his later books. He has an eye for those details that most people would gloss over. The thing to keep in mind is that, across Dostoyevsky's novels, there are a lot of scenes where people stand around discussing philosophy. It's great and engaging if you're into it, but it will kill your enjoyment if it's not your thing. The Brothers Karamazov and Demons are books to avoid for your first attempt; they include a lot of that. Fyodor is really preachy in general, but this increases over time in his career, so his earlier books are more plot-focused. And he's all about symbolism, like the hypothetical author in the famous "curtains are blue" meme. Finally, don't worry too much about translation. Pevear and Volokhonsky are always the most recommended, but that is more due to current trends in translation than their objective superiority. That's not to say they're bad, but any modern translation is going to be fine. Constance Garnett is the only one who's not so great, but I had a fine experience with her translation of C&P as my first Dostoyesvky novel, so it's hardly unreadable. *not a spoiler, this happens in the opening

badpun 8y ago
Let’s not forget the context, too - Dostojewski was very worried about the individualistic and nihilistic trends he noticed in the Western world and which were slowly seeping through to Russia as well. He was worried they’ll lead to a collapse of civilization, and was looking for an answer on how to prevent that from happening. His books are an exploration of this subject.
coleifer 8y ago
To add a conflicting voice, my own opinion is that Constance Garnett's translation of The Brothers Karamazov is Dostoyevsky's best work for English readers.

michalu 8y ago

I recommend you start with the "Idiot" ... Crime and Punishment is his masterpiece but I believe it's not the best first book to read by him. After there are Brothers Karamazov a less known book but very beautiful. The rest you can find with simple Google search, Dostoyevsky is I believe unparalleled in the world's literature.

bambataa 8y ago

In my experience Dostoevsky novels can be a bit of a slog at the beginning because nothing much happens and it’s lots of character analysis. Then about halfway through some significant event happens and the rest is absolutely fascinating because you’ve spent so much time getting into the characters’ heads.

accnumnplus1 8y ago
I've only read Crime and Punishment, but this was exactly my observation of it. I really wasn't impressed with it, and then suddenly, almost exactly half way in, it kicked off and I was engrossed.

dovvdkc 8y ago

I loved Brothers Karanazov. Brilliant. In fact the Russian authors are amazing. It’s a shame I discovered them when I was in grad school and not earlier.

0x445442 8y ago
Russian composers as well. The quality of art that culture produced from the mid 19th to the early 20th century.
ntsplnkv2 8y ago
I first discovered Dostoevsky in undergrad engineering school. Needed gen eds and ended up taking a class that sounded interesting that talked about the philosophies of the superman (ubermensch) and it started with Crime and Punishment. It was the best class I took in undergrad, it was so interesting to read and discuss. I think I needed to be in that class, though, to really get what I got out of it - so perhaps it is ok to come across them later in life. They almost require experience.

B1FF_PSUVM 8y ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grand_Inquisitor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grand_Inquisitor

thatcat 8y ago

The Gambler is probably the easiest to understand Dostoevsky novel I've read. It's a character analysis of himself written quickly to pay off his own gambling debts. I'd recommend this first, then Notes from the Underground, for a gentle introduction.