The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (EPUB)

Description

Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s final novel, considered to be the culmination of his life’s work, “The Brothers Karamazov” is the story of the murder of Father Karamazov, whose four sons are all to some degree complicit in the crime. Within the context of this crime story evolves a brilliant philosophical debate of religion, reason, liberty, and the nature of guilt in society. Considered by Sigmund Freud as “The most magnificent novel ever written”, the excellent translation of Constance Garnett is presented here in this edition of “The Brothers Karamazov”.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Looks like a brand new book!

⭐Dostoevsky drew the character of Ivan Karamazov with a glance at his own tempestuous mind and heart. The author of the myth of the Grand Inquisitor, Ivan poses the question of theodicy in its most striking form.Unlike Leibniz or Voltaire, Vanya is not content with an abstract or fictional argument about God’s goodness. No, he has been clipping newspaper headlines for years detailing the cruelest deaths suffered by children. It is not difficult for the contemporary reader to empathize. For me, they were reminiscent of the torture of my own relatives in Nazi camps.However, Dostoevsky’s particular interest in theodicy was driven more by living in an era when the idea of a good life was opening up for the mass of humanity. The serfs were being freed in his native Russia, diseases were being eradicated and the benefits of modern technology were allowing even the working class the enjoyments of leisure.The question becomes, what of those left behind? Of those who undergo horrible suffering at the hands of an uncaring nature or from the evils of their fellow men? It is only in a world where many are living the good life that such a juxtaposition can even be made.And Ivan obsesses over it. He will not accept a God who allows such suffering by the innocent; unable to drive their cries from his ears he descends into madness.The only rational solution for Dostoevsky is that suffering will be redeemed by incalculable bliss. That the sufferings of this world are not to be compared with what is in store in the next. Two thousand years ago, Jesus expressed the same answer in his parable of Dives and Lazarus.In this way, The Brothers Karamazov runs parallel to Crime and Punishment. In that work, Dostoevsky explored whether a human being can live happily and sanely while ignoring moral law. Here he tests whether a human being can be sane while simultaneously acknowledging the suffering of the innocent and not believing in a deity.Of course, Dostoevsky’s solution is one we might not accept. One can ignore suffering and focus on the privileges enjoyed by most in Western cultures. That is always a safe alternative to maintaining one’s sanity.At least, these paths are how I read the curious fate of Ivan Karamazov. He raises not so much a question but a phenomena that the modern world, for all its achievements, cannot answer. Dostoevsky’s characters continue to resonate and provoke some hundred and fifty years after his passing.

⭐This is one of my favorite books. I prize it primarily because of the characters Alyosha and Father Zossima, both of whom are profoundly good. It is very difficult to write about good people. As another famous Russian novelist famously pointed out, it is the bad characters and families that have the interesting lives. This book is made interesting by the introduction of numerous villains who engage and entice the reader, and who confuse and torment the good Alyosha.The most famous passage in the book, and indeed one of the most famous in all literature, is called The Grand Inquisitor. It is important to note, however, that that portrait of evil is a fiction created by one of the characters in the book. Alyosha and Zossima, on the other hand, are “real” characters — at least within the framework of the book. We are perhaps not meant to trust the narrative in the Grand Inquisitor, while we are meant to trust Zossima and Alyosha.This book is important because of the wisdom of its author. Dostoevsky perhaps never mastered the art of living a good life, but he did master the art of portraying goodness and evil in fiction. For most of my life Zossima and Alyosha have stood in my mind (either consciously or unconsciously) as beacons of light in a dark world, and the other characters, to varying degrees, have represented the numerous temptations and missteps that plague most of our lives. As such, the book is not so much a novel, as a spiritual guide.Dostoevsky was one of the first authors to deeply understand the modern mind, and I’m not at all sure that anything written since the appearance of this book has fully supplanted it portrayal of the pitfalls of passion, materialism and pride. A good deal of suffering could be avoided if more people could understand how acts of spiritual discipline can help us realize the simple message of love and compassion found in this book.

⭐Many works of art i think are “the greatest” in their genre are not necessarily my “favorite”Examples:I think Citizen Cane is the greatest American film ever made; Apocalypse Now is my favorite film.I would argue Andy Warhol as the greatest 20th century artist; nevertheless, Jackson Pollock and Leroy Neiman tie as my favorite.Shakespeare is undoubtedly the greatest English poet; my favorite poet is Emily Dickinson. The Brothers Karamazov (TBK) is simultaneously the best novel ever written and my favorite novel. I have returned to it repeatedly and I am never disappointed or eager to put it down. In fact the common thread running through these examples (and my favorite Christmas album –which is certainly not the best Christmas musical work–in another review) is I eagerly return again and again to the work of art. I listen to the CD on repeat for hours, I watch the film 14 days in a row, I revisit the same museums, and read and reread the poems. I suppose favorite, for me, is its ability provide both known and comfortable while also providing something new and refreshing no matter how many times i return to it. When i first opened TBK, I thought, ‘oh great, another Moby Dick or War and Peace, i must trudge through to maintain my GPA.’ How wrong I was. I never finished War and Peace, despite three strong efforts and only completed Moby Dick after 6 failed starts. In the mean time, I have returned to The Brothers Karamazov more times than any other book i have ever read, regardless of length. *** Goodnight Moon, Where the Wild Things Are, Pat the Bunny, and texts I lecture from don’t count ***

⭐Brothers Karamazov is a huge challenge if you don’t have a good grasp of the language. This version makes it possible to get a lot more from the work than you would simply by reading it in English.There are quite a few slips. Also, it can be hard to keep track of who is speaking in conversations, because of the differing punctuation systems between the two languages. Having said that, I got to the end, on the strength of evening class Russian and a fair bit of general reading after that.The sort of thing that gets lost in translation is the distinction between ты and вы, which is especially important in the section where different classes of visitors consult Zosima for spiritual advice.

⭐Big bugs need to be manufactured to a high quality, and this one is.I don’t like the pattern on the cover, but it is what is inside that’s important and that’s just fine. The print is also a respectable size.

⭐This book is not an easy read, but the effort is worthwhile. Dostoyevsky is inebriated with words and the structure of The Brothers is of great complexity. There is religion, philosophy and criminality. The novel is quintessentially Russian; hence its appeal and challenge!

⭐The various characters are called by different names at different times: first name, last name, nick name, family name or the name of the place their family came from. So I got a list of characters from spark notes and I watched the Russian subtitled series on Youtube. After I got over the problem of not knowing who was who I found the book amazing.

⭐Nice translation but the text could have done with better proofreading as there are some spelling mistakes and occasional words missed out. Not enough to spoil the enjoyment of reading it.

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