Fyodor Dostoyevsky

monkey9

I honestly don't think i'll ever read a better book than Crime & Punishment. The absolute fear and panic that Raskolnikov feels when he murders the whole hag comes through the pages so vividly that i could almost feel it myself. As if i'd murdered someone and was getting paraniod about people knowing it was me. And i think Notes From The Underground is hilarious, especially the part when the narrator is determined to stand his ground as he walks towards the soldier down by the pier. What's other people's opinions on Dostoyevsky??

ZorbaTehZ

One of my very favourite writers. Absolutely magnificent. Notes From An Underground had a huge effect on me - so brilliant. The Brothers Karmazov though, is probably my favourite work from him - from the sounds of your post I think you'd enjoy it a lot.

EamonnKeane

Notes From An Underground had a huge effect on me

Don't put that in a personal ad

Valmont

monkey9 wrote: »

The absolute fear and panic that Raskolnikov feels when he murders the whole hag comes through the pages so vividly that i could almost feel it myself. As if i'd murdered someone and was getting paraniod about people knowing it was me.

Crime and Punishment was the first piece of proper literature I ever read and I loved it. I felt the exact way you described here. The slow, drawn out and inevitable discovery of his crime almost killed me! It was certainly brilliant though. Never finished Notes from the Underground, bored the heck out of me.

I'd recommend you read 'A hero of our time' by Mikhail Lermontov, it's a few brilliant short stories by different narrators about Pechorin, an anti- hero almost as lovable as Raskolnikov:)

howaya

- am reading C&P at the moment. Thought I ought to read it, as so many non-fiction books about criminal justice riff on the title.
It took me a while to adjust to the slower pace, and I suspect that reading it in English translation also slows it. Very encouraging to read the comments of others on it

DublinWriter

This is a really weird post for me as I'm working through C&P right now.

His writing was of its time, quite an ambling and verbose style of prose, which suits the psycho-drama being played out in the mind of the central character.

He's a bit of a Russian Dickens for me because of the slow pace of plot and his sending up of poverty-stricken people in an almost comedic way (his depiction of the Widow's after-funeral party and her subsequent antics begging with her children had me in guilty-stitches).

I'd love to know if anyone ever attempted a film version of C&P? It would seem like a likely candidate, I'm sure Hitchcock would have been the ideal director.

Esmereldina

I really liked Notes from Underground too... though perhaps it is better if I don't phrase it quite like Zopba did! I've never read anything else by him though. All those descriptions of Crime and Punishment as the work of a Russian Dickens etc don't really encourage me to read it as I'm really not a huge Dickens fan... I can still remember having to spend a whole year in school reading Hard Times with too much bitterness!

ZorbaTehZ

EamonnKeane wrote: »

Don't put that in a personal ad

Sick/Spiteful/Unattractive man looking to meet "open-minded" ladee?

Pherekydes

DublinWriter wrote: »

I'd love to know if anyone ever attempted a film version of C&P? It would seem like a likely candidate, I'm sure Hitchcock would have been the ideal director.

Yep. C&P at IMDB. Not a great version. A great cast, but production values were very poor.

Loved the book. Haven't read any of his others. Read some Chekhov and Solzhenitsyn. It's a whole different genre. The youth of today [in the main] wouldn't take to it.

cailinoBAC

I love what I've read of Dostoevsky, which amounts to Crime and Punishmend and also the Idiot.
Am I alone in preferring the Idiot? (Must reread this at some stage actually...)
I started Brothers Kamarazov but put it down at some stage and didn't pick it up again...(I confess, I liked the idea of reading Dostoevsky in St Petersburg but turned to some more typical 'holiday' reads). Should I try again?

Valmont

cailinoBAC wrote: »

Am I alone in preferring the Idiot? (Must reread this at some stage actually...)

which reminds me that I read 3/4 of that and stopped for exams but I never picked it up again for some strange reason, i remember it being quite funny too.

I tried reading 'Devils' and despite it being a good read, the russian multiple- -names-used-interchangeably resulted in my complete loss of plot half way through. I forgot what the main characters name was:p

Hrududu

I'd love to know if anyone ever attempted a film version of C&P?

There was a made for TV version a few years ago with John Simm. I started reading this book when I was studying for my final year exams in college. Basically reading everything I could so I wouldnt study. I absolutely loved it. That sense of dread that crept up on him was so visceral. Then the exams came along and I put it down half way through, never picked it up. But I must re-read it all one of these days.

Ronan3345

cailinoBAC wrote: »

Am I alone in preferring the Idiot? QUOTE]

C&P blew me away when I read it. I've just started The Idiot and it's brilliant. The psychology of Dosto's characters is beyond anything I've read, really gets into your head.
...i wonder was he called dosto in school? would've been if he was a dub

DublinWriter

Ronan3345 wrote: »

C&P blew me away when I read it. I've just started The Idiot and it's brilliant. The psychology of Dosto's characters is beyond anything I've read, really gets into your head.

I've just finished C&P and while it was good, I can't say it 'blew me away'.

It's very hard to have any empathy for the central character, but it does paint an excellent portrait of the poverty in 19th Century Czarist Russia.

While most of the characterisation in C&P is interesting, it's pretty two-dimensional and bombastic, that's why he reminds me of Dickens.

But I suppose both Dostoyevsky and Dickens were writers of their time and the later literary impressionist movement was a long way from happening.

As a contrast after C&P, I'm reading Kurt Vonegut's collection of early short stories. I don't think he would have had a problem condensing C&P into a fairly long but pacey short story!

DublinWriter

I also forgot to add - could someone explain to me why the characters are named in the book usually with two names? For example the character of Sonia is also called Samia Irvonivich or suchlike. Is it a Russian thing?

Valmont

DublinWriter wrote: »

It's very hard to have any empathy for the central character

I found the empathy came quite easily considering his crime, and as the oppressive atmosphere descends, I could almost feel his despair!

cailinoBAC

DublinWriter, it's most definitely a Russian thing. Sonia is the familiar name for Sofia (I think) so family possibly call her Sonia and the rest call her Sofia ______ovna (or similar), the second being her patrynomich, which is her her father's name (Alexandrovna if her father's name was Alexander). Surnames aren't really used that much, but they'll pop up from time to time just to throw you completely. Also, it's easy when the name/familiar name are similar, like Natasha/Natalia Tania/Tatiana but Sasha/Alexander?
I know when I first started reading Russian novels it sometimes took me half the book before I realised that what I thought were two different people were actually one and the same.

John

Never read Crime and Punishment and to be honest, after reading The Idiot a couple of years ago, I don't think I ever will. The terms "bloated", "overated", "boring" and "tedious" come to mind. Now I've no problems with a slow burner (I spend much of my day listening to drones for pleasure) but I really do not see why Dostoyevsky is as revered as he is. The characters were very poor, not only did I not care what happened to any of them but they all seemed so one dimensional that they blurred into each other. In short, not my glass of vodka.

buck65

Philistine:D
only kidding , Crime and Punishment is quite a difficult read but wow is it worth it. Loved it ...as Ted Crilly said I enjoyed the Crime part but wasn't gone on the punishment:D:D

The Everlasting

My favourite book

AJG

You should make this a sticky.

'A Nasty Story' and 'The Gambler' would be two quick and easy reads if you want to get a good idea of what this writers like. His major works all tend to be quite long and I reckon if you like the above then you should read them all.

raah!

John wrote: »

Never read Crime and Punishment and to be honest, after reading The Idiot a couple of years ago, I don't think I ever will. The terms "bloated", "overated", "boring" and "tedious" come to mind. Now I've no problems with a slow burner (I spend much of my day listening to drones for pleasure) but I really do not see why Dostoyevsky is as revered as he is. The characters were very poor, not only did I not care what happened to any of them but they all seemed so one dimensional that they blurred into each other. In short, not my glass of vodka.

Wow! I actually find this to be an amazing statement, but if I may try to save dostoyevsky in your eyes. His characters are multi-demensional and complicated. I think for the idiot (which is my favourite dostoyevsky of all time) you may have gotten this impression as myshkin is never described directly, but mainly though the reactions of the other characters(and the ohter characters were undeveloped in the conventional sense as they were all merely peripheral characters, myshkin being the focus of the novel(. I think it's best to start dostoyevsky with crime and punishment as this is the best show of his great ability in pyschological development of his characters. So I would reccommend that you at least read crime and punishment before you make your final judgement of dostoyevsky

Imhof Tank

Enjoyed C&P, and found it a page turner. The Idiot/ Devils were a lot more difficult to wade through and I suspect its to do with the translation styles.

But by far and away the best thing Ive read by him is The Gambler - the Double pretty good too

The Everlasting

Bought The Gambler/The Double at the weekend so gonna give that a go.........

r3nu4l

I've only read C&P but loved it If I ever get to the bottom of my 'to be read' pile I'll top it up with more of his stuff

The Everlasting

Does anyone know if there is a film version of this?

r3nu4l

The Everlasting wrote: »

Does anyone know if there is a film version of this?

See below, quotes from page 1 of this thread. I know, I know, reading a whole page is so much effort that it's better to not bother reading. Probably why you want to know if there is a film version
/I'm joking. However, do try to read threads before asking questions...it's not like there was 10 pages to get through.

Pherekydes wrote: »

Yep. C&P at IMDB. Not a great version. A great cast, but production values were very poor.

Loved the book. Haven't read any of his others. Read some Chekhov and Solzhenitsyn. It's a whole different genre. The youth of today [in the main] wouldn't take to it.

Hrududu wrote: »

There was a made for TV version a few years ago with John Simm. I started reading this book when I was studying for my final year exams in college. Basically reading everything I could so I wouldnt study. I absolutely loved it. That sense of dread that crept up on him was so visceral. Then the exams came along and I put it down half way through, never picked it up. But I must re-read it all one of these days.

The Everlasting

r3nu4l wrote: »

See below, quotes from page 1 of this thread. I know, I know, reading a whole page is so much effort that it's better to not bother reading. Probably why you want to know if there is a film version
/I'm joking. However, do try to read threads before asking questions...it's not like there was 10 pages to get through.

cheers mate!

The film version of 'The Brothers Karamazov' was on TV on saturday

Procasinator

I didn't like the Epilogue for Crime and Punishment.

Didn't like the magnitude Religion played. That the protagonist couldn't come about inner peace without it was a disappointment

Tristram

The Idiot remains one of my favourite books. The vagaries of perception are illustrated in a powerful and moving fashion. Dostoevskys work possesses an exceptional pyschological keenness.

studiorat

More of a Tolstoy man myself, I've read C&P though and it's one of the most atmospheric novels I've read.

Nobody mentioned the Pertovich/Columbo connection yet?