Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Dostoevsky: A Writer in His Time
Dostoevsky: A Writer in His Time
Dostoevsky: A Writer in His Time
Ebook1,681 pages25 hours

Dostoevsky: A Writer in His Time

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

()

Read preview

About this ebook

A magnificent one-volume abridgement of one of the greatest literary biographies of our time

Joseph Frank's award-winning, five-volume Dostoevsky is widely recognized as the best biography of the writer in any language—and one of the greatest literary biographies of the past half-century. Now Frank's monumental, 2,500-page work has been skillfully abridged and condensed in this single, highly readable volume with a new preface by the author. Carefully preserving the original work's acclaimed narrative style and combination of biography, intellectual history, and literary criticism, Dostoevsky: A Writer in His Time illuminates the writer's works—from his first novel Poor Folk to Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov—by setting them in their personal, historical, and above all ideological context. More than a biography in the usual sense, this is a cultural history of nineteenth-century Russia, providing both a rich picture of the world in which Dostoevsky lived and a major reinterpretation of his life and work.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateOct 19, 2009
ISBN9781400833412
Dostoevsky: A Writer in His Time

Read more from Joseph Frank

Related to Dostoevsky

Related ebooks

Literary Criticism For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for Dostoevsky

Rating: 4.573529588235295 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

34 ratings2 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is an almost perfect book: Frank combines fascinating history, insightful biography and above average literary criticism perfectly. I'm literally speechless; the only book I can think of to put beside this is MacDiarmid's 'Christianity: the first three thousand years,' which is similarly clear, stimulating, beautifully written and finely structured.
    Aside from giving us a model for literary biographies, Frank also manages (possibly without knowing it) to write a perfect guidebook for writing novels: combine a deep fascination with your own time, an interest in human psychology, deep moral convictions, and a concern for the Big Ideas of human life in general. Then work your butt off. I'd like to think someone out there has managed to do that without being quite the twat that Dostoevsky became (yes- Russia (and by 'Russia' he of course means 'Orthodox peasants') will save the world). But I have no evidence of that as yet. If you like Dostoevsky's novels at all, this is well worth the effort.

    Fun things that Dostoevsky said:

    "You feel that one must have perpetual spiritual resistance and negation so as not to surrender, not to submit to the impression, not to bow before the fact and deify Baal, that is, not to accept the existing as one's own ideal." (376)

    "The people are always the people.... but here you no longer see a people, but the systematic, submissive and induced lack of consciousness." (378)

    "It is necessary to assume as author someone omniscient and faultless, who holds up to the view of all one of hte members of hte new generation." (480)

    "'it is not worth doing good int eh world, for it is said, it will be destroyed.' There's something foolhardy and dishonest in this idea. Most of all, it's a very convenient idea for ordinary behavior: since everything is doomed, why exert oneself, why love to do good? Live for your paunch." (843)
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    How could this be anything other than extraordinary?

    This is perhaps one of the best biographies ever. Illuminating on so many levels. I learned so much, even about novels that I have read multiple times - such is the depth of both the biographer's knowledge, as well as Dostoevsky's nuanced and astonishing works. Frank also explores the culture and political background of Russia, providing much needed context. I could go on for paragraphs.

    Emphatically recommended for all.

Book preview

Dostoevsky - Joseph Frank

m|Nbbook_preview_excerpt.html۲#Ǒ%+I=2R",NJ/%fjz! ɝQZgmlގI}=2sZ /~]>O{zQ}?ٷ/XWՓw|?ۓw~OÏ?O_aSx>SCO~]09/}lv񬍯BW^XJ~?X~ M;ծMp ]o1ZPW$_o7ڃ|w1a?Oc*rj&Lm|Ui7} Cs>͆(FkǚWݘ>84f0VXMIoiN͸(ñm6(ǝӅF7 Uo?ϡ:L=&6"r󝼝:FW۬cZYmXyJش}zc:ԋD ;7{=6{?8aچD.8~[bF\Q>ÃN.ie{,y U16ગRF| /r|OGA9ʗm;S6AT,{\-TcL6YӷHQd/Uekn-g8Qճ^&¾h{d͚*oK0t8$bg"}7-wȓm/[m"*u~ȍm|ê^ >B_-ԃ>[Nʫ;Y!A﫝t#ggONKzLܮLՅRQ hywXBo& .5KmiAAn"4"#˽؝Uh'~۶Sm ]#:7͠/ އڻ3)z o}E 8R>Yq$x2+Pj'ЈWr075آ^6ug NdNTҭ-_:HʹʷEeQI/+Uhz.jyV~&аC2uވvxDtHMSϴhn\?Ǎ㰡|Òrh$~nl6vGs!u# thȡ5 |w} 7 XIMYV;kXs!W"xxu m~těO`MVlŒuN]> GU^ 8pqEmVFwOao╊1%ƞuDa0ڍoF=$JܘџuZ.ڐ.<Ҋ\vǓ_/`HgBd:ph΁/G˵dHх,DUˠ@}<;4WrPD E]  (v'Fbȗ-Rzp[}|U;Z5.^v5 ZoHmj飼xaG? {y4<$lOQ>yఋԊB*aHr eD@CO0u7^ K3QMݹWyFqҝGTpEofcu+pG.77_=0r[I4(q{7WF*Ϫ#zhn$'Q`~P_!.էHt5<|Ӽ+rccQfT+WC p(bz?N5Mo;Y>smܻn꺍7̓\v|Lzd9qaF0*Om^ZƍFU`P5 t^IsuT2\mtØޒe6ȇWzyV櫗(~Iy%^궪G,j܇$Jmlͭuy6EDrr99=k엄Rpr٠A| OItWQ{6/6 MY~ \[~YVfǭ(dщ3  :2+]0i#ة,ʼYltPw#CÆc2ɣk4w=Qez0kGG9ZF0#&gIB礬孙ԙ$ j4W"!1l8A#! Ouv è:oPM\!Yr4-(Io4sbAh5Q‹jԸ|eѾWOhXFމspv2n*ϵ[yy"1ѱ)|ٍTF6 Da-4?HAf)VLcd7% ]EU'ҸOYqMo roLW!l-;tV5lo5}<(TZ eEy; f9ʢ/DLr䵻n6!(EWE{c!.rYLߨF|U@T3 "Lb߼Zv|r ˳4#]kWHe22{B*g+_'a^|4:I4(i9 ͕BFp%^^tp!\H$u@yLrrDw1SL"&5Rt>7 w6LZ75y[}k,EI:,Dpz& o3qkTq#".5kSq#5O1X>; 8O’P iEԶr*$nP|i@flg߁z6 _ yUgy;6*f|]5%#'8b~7cb;0 @Bj' Dzl%Qh 0$_YW=?VǪVtZ I_Dec j@X"uQ%~O0"iPSsa8aX4"X;j9EJڪڣl5lZ$ZW]RUfQ[)_o*Hz:p" xfR(=ȟ6O,ҕ nvk`wu8*Z7P<慨[] M_`}dFY}Q `>SfّHm͟5X86bX4awل ?r"ps^;&Rgdn76~5dMCfXfEkp_j9qlě 2•ė怅PH􂶚Na8WX<-ާN`4M^QuC"R15!JᅶbG+laG)x(R{+(@ɩ[, Ei!Pד ZzS\Py3%%(*{lcjiD^^ [ tp}>ܕB>jVU,h*;ǻBe)=U* )h9O,vru B5lVRİ B>Ow=p+&!&s tsSPV~Z?+>VVkq]T-! l&B{tN}i=.ZPvlx.0\"ʻMeZc _rQxu{æI*VTSűqcHPծE~$ \?( :`̜Fbh#Ij8_Ĩ ae%ԞC}P{ T;4DhKwVՕ5T8VUL%wU/8|5 $NNڜ]!DH#5G7I$Eb7aPS@l΢ȥ?e0/`fS%j{Ytnx<<[f= e0kŎ(b:nq)@[S b4PkQV@ߩ9.(i,d [~wtۀp%ƉBKrK,v^掹_na(4Y#}Ƨ,kg:. iUBm==|?t+V-E]լm̈FkJ5Rf.тʧUV{CIzFeIr֢#kbi*ֽ+lWA6BI/m6q!_yQ 8bkԂZDǝf* Ovbj"7\j1I]jF/2=PA>81L(#Μ0U( d6kA-%xS;d?GX[$ C^(l#ZeIдp랲pYChO^[BJ߽Lq=Ae?0}llg\ʜ꽉ҁuK〇0gHcZ,ђ,+X&S 8e1|,/t1$a/Z#P4P7Bk'.P8t[}j2k!%=L\2t qTX1V&QEIi,ߐ+"VB}H9pkQS/5A[#sF)Hks*@zG{A5ft60 A~ecKMg=U|M {dPt<O<:C8s vW ':E"=Ha8 H!cA8dE~o{'P =POSksB-XxlP-8KjuPYM;@)|vo/M =Aj=Дj .b|3e7IkJu}I+-4}i9f AY_3ըMhT^v}yv4`FJsuk:P^7 ʘ0eE =*UxQۏsepPSGMM7 4?;y|aS >S򫣗uKV LCd,R I4=;0{ HȰ5>MTM}Q5={TI21{'߫yp*#c EzF8Y|e۶u\b.t4Ԯbm1E}xʭFO?D@Pfn܋Z#?"C .lG.73 OsN_  4EMEX^((kl5y3'T6ݖ+o +,P,csS:M?Fv$Lo }}@%p ߶d؍s2Lfvs♠97~PNlPMjsˆM=3JqP`]jQH<. AEx3p<34;SY.lY`sGGP K{yhmN[;,pb{ è팩3&xK dۀBcUӺ[®a3~w +R * [_fk ֣|9@e9 P9zprV>ʙw=4rU -"@?\wd!3\񙭼Sj?ϬOz|>h;k|?v x_ZnBcMZt˽!a|] tؙ L$M_|Rlo&20R6&+ݘHl ߋ hd?[ʂmK#@aQ c>8T} %Ⱥ}gLq %wsQD=m6.+70!HiǪͼRb˧k=9@+#D$d``Dn7hEUk6k^M2xEf"D'H}P$1?D4VnBQh,l-]LUY6rh09avKAT/ 3N! $g.?osS[`Խ7_`Gk_ T9qMF8皌dnfQhߧvHE\Yn鶽7r5:L=Vh.y:(BA4FjKr8f#Jt>Ǚ%hRC[dX(u2'dm %֨`J sMa V "ނg8G̹EaPa lh"Q '>Uk ]0Zr30 ,q9mv˜i4ɱܹ` uB&c3_e l+檸j{yyXhC]:|a`pJ\[ǧ>߽xFlJ]cl,.5߇疮QΊ+(f )JKE!G҅ETT#8l/L띄x]}e'G !B{L< gb8ӽ~` J#Xci"EC ǟ]Nj2E|[hK{D)ĞɵYlOȪhd+ @ JW`&+͜7( ăG 20̇ZKCK15 TG*-ݲSÙaY.6Y H[AҐSJ*+9ÉG%}j`uGWZ6$kpiZo HŸ/!~VPP8/Ԋg{s5dң򷡰4x Sm;t:csp]YĖWZ+?j>!nHi/uOiz2qPbMէ=`Ls\|D|ZQz1KJkݷޙk\Z^;M @gиPtLhv&# [ę s)AQkߠq >C;QS%ZE]Ni#SC_Aͺ!\T^8j$/ˌPUObM$1t(6 8]W&̐ʤ [!(-ޖt95kfVE;6'qKR>S:RsLIZ*{D 5: blirP(vyZcJSS"r2lRM+„1ubVkK U>$bifiws;/損 hX ¥>;),{w:CabjKg Qkʥㄲ6=¬4Z9$p\tvg)x}r:Ll}Y#)U7#{cfgn_g_-@lWXDϺ򆖐)s<͌塛R _.C7zOYŚ4AwǟV\ѦJe"œu,cQf8.l[%l-'b˼IW2@zGl|LKWG$>Mx=?c5Gdb:&j93lr*DGr@OxTLkYRǔt'RRkߠ9ƺya( .4lzN2a,J&| 4T"ze)W g:"!捣ri(G,{|Xs j9Wr>49mX6;Ӟ M+r}uiO*<۝XFCIy@JMYH6`#u#.2s9-ƄVczYocX< O`Nԗaqr#Ռk#y&.u9WrvV˺^݄JF]K>tGZdQ%9{mDy-x:F588F 9UCl55n.Z^s\9 UF{mɁыZ]J1Ќ:{ >+?Ο>p_2+R&lA4,u6O$TcGnʒvW4FX/hK 4GslX ;jNڙz Af`E"Fa>bAu"{%C8f ɟuRf̱Zpuh]d'U38[DQ'/Sd}F1Ts#hn!؆T4 6vi0%Cd3M+s[ YUc;ͧM&bD ͋=dJyBUռDGN0J|M d~ջ4jULx f.Ce#&<TxuQQdojƿ/clb -dX?Eof\Q VO*-u09U bK1Djl=75ɈAԟVX Y2+6 C.^E( 3R8h&"=R,Y-|QLoxxfwЁja3` 5{r V GIg0Z-5~zv2n/+0g,&dmC%UrӰ=j*vm% -QvsdSiAG%8;MyqX%T{a3Y3,Uhs8ZaCTyt܈.aKmܥ{ksxxfkFj”,r.{9\Nq&\p+6|m"725u0o1_?ou)G#qN9?o"].KU914-$Pu} -`-huV:}"d~fXoz;܁(E_ݏ"8A^FKKhe_3*ïIa5<Fǀ|_[Wxwt)ٲ|%ś՜̓OfDJԮ^КSj$g׹-i Qg{N9 eתz8djSJ23֞WH ޶3\ ;1L0[""Q|9i1k7[֌9״o ,vaZqBlIcRAZ.1sti.˻}ڄ<>'Tm&< (+RB~j9aˠ;=[viC Vl/-j{˜gL ex#g2AڰT,k.sbcGhfBJyt૬v#4ԋ焈}牦68`CjTKU㠤 ֆ6"ZDd{mh߀܈]UʒʰdFN*̤@WV]Z:dKdY}pzsorl:gs=;6ŀJprsѸNJ۠mX* kk˂O@dYZ :NMmΗHpC*o6mkO.cK&U ݋^-b!=81%9>WJ -$6+hZV. ǟIfRnq+"Ll{]1s{9Oъ:R'#SNB8184*<ҝTY3FT,LiCsˀ[Yft̯a@>HMjq%B ;Mg[ ~~ ˩t չON(N_XNf^V@iNkg{<`Z=ԂgȉdqM:JAs HЬ4 _6>i\t,:>y'aw ap oe$Ykմ͂ܣw.ı:+>5k~dVlvb5ecKݵIyOHAs ;[ձQk|t&3")ϫ"I0էc&me7<ȸ4?+xUeQpI蓙N'+#a:jrq'c$L qC;bmL]\f!lC[5:hDjswx]\/8Hps;xNj tnⰐ3䙅'(M70AGɥ!%%ngؕWqsoEut[}ɮ>a Cf$dYQtAAh g7W\0upʨ-=Q6tJ}Pd&,O}\ioi#W 6Ita+`k F rp$KvWE{$+$xvRt*MU'exxoXTar$e^9Q3}z|9p9TU莲;Q(M4CO0hg 5K&,o*m׬O)wIxklގM8,ťa;)3 ȅȴo9Ldlq&∹=%.Z"0Uf 1=ԗվYkM5N+p|3kl! 47k@'ʏJ_\B,OjZ6ˑ6*҈I|m9f26 ɘ(F+m9gj݄#? hh2(dI~i@6(Э脚гFMo->jţokLx,# T%F$Pf cs\& B{ĹΛ3 mVE%sE>4X#af}S'Ps*K u#YjyXGd}1 8LNw0a<=by3#WI!$xƈd,C]M"Cx#z89bt¨n?c'!!P9\|s8K.+J4%h7E,<2ٝrl-h3ܶ$֯o/tzjGg|Ͱhܟg/(y^cq!*o641rHLqRՂRJ4(fӺ3ky>z ӓfm 01~,YK~5m!F*lIצD]0'8|?Tw{A+]cDob\5c)L훇$˲]l,#[ͬAEɓ.Ega< fy`5OubD̐J}VFXiv݆#L͇#.Ĉs@_PPls< 1zhviimā 0Dl}K&kM֍!dSƧ0[}^G%f꜔R_ZٜC$ϭ/t;@ڙ~xP4+-Π t(G.cAq0~ovև;$ ې=1qiFl@5{,:l~ xK?`Ʋ3ꔻn(.Ȟ!Ptm|x03f Q"RΛ9F.]>%5{|@h'JN`q>m61|Nm* 8ɽA*6Ďnj;I^aiJ.v^P4~ԹS>)o-*KK%6-n͵r8M {VW6\>Z3_e/!Fl s&8V[Q"r*WhvH~%KPƇ_c]0>Yнىu70arߡW&:g4r,t f&N|K!S^JkdH㰀dY3@Q"_úDY=FŦ1qbZ{F(A',Q, _~Cua[R=pr<_\$:eUM8K:y7QrZ٠==<FGUTk;j[7$&BC СqxHgydx7KNd'E&UBoKHAˆ|qK4gj&SW!#￟?!wxv =,xWžM〚o[K]}MlHy"EK@U[]@˨m0L+[D7 I|tश^\B 7!Ij<K^+=ž٠Y9q/tR{{4r}ul|8':+ Yj( i(xCM408wHP}s2@3l|~ F5o-@.udE:J ԄhЖ207Hah;r :ڄ,zj,*hïF@O{Vj "c)l<.wpB:vXg)58bPil8XH4 V h-OdWh:ؘyl MWƪ {/πҙ(#t愶'F90yn5EE5j14fhwl5(n ;e/4>,K>AzX5Ĝ5C`v^ ̦[M]OG55: ˱ $)W} R|cnR/S3'9! j&uꘊZ5DS)MgC*ܱ,,+&t?z+!HIe~p2s*`pa}s䦶ۚExhM}~Pl+$[2[N}s)dkyfB[p'xt#a~d}{Q`ױb3r4+Zf5dxGz1qv9gKc56iXW&bc糉PξC^Jnn#GJ7;޵3țsVmbGЀ0)YfaX?^mmq K*Vp f7>\wXo TϪѽ!y E@Dj͐'>9y#c5;UE# [A|`ts#eMhPgmיOwo>&61i!ADFkB7nv$V-1(2@V_.sw}%QZFm͞U߆SZ$c\F1_Y߇ ݷd }=\LTߛOG[Ohc%<Ԛݿǟ?'Vo_]oGxjQ^_~YR"ڈtM/[L}-*3{rrd[DY-þNF'3!U 0M>)R"2 $w nOz^i!eAi(EȨfig*ZVe'}kyiMKze L|Yos M ۺLtd `S=լflx봱&,6Li;c>v^5V$'U^n,Ylحgc~ɷ&8v-YQ$+Q_qb{Oe_,&hU%9>|028.7p|C1̯;@O}%ss/JH47>m79:m g2K֌_ '<?¼ЮF/u_t?l5) CMyH ]F7*UPY"?^ւFAɫOaۛ(?m2XH~ d<`0O~#q\+RmTst}\>Jjѥi[2A5h\͹VpHTqvְEPaZwR_|Ӷ}0*s&[4x1w=s̀~3`VVJHFj[|¨ȊbeP^)]tiffHv!Pci4Js+<!C:bSـ^42TJׇV`078PB(uh7:f2 9:9 <DZ/=TYES/迕Lb} NqDLL%*LUYU*)8OH˜!`Gpޥn!7d*zwj9n?auTwC^MaЗco?;24Ϛ">,Hvy+yBw=uc;LPy?$Rw#d <ѐAjsF'C4IJ|{qnZ2Nvm}/tFwj]˽#z1ȶɛd.c$,OOTvrӴ%I% ךQmj L|NMZ{Ne-AP<<`g7Ǣ${o4+Btqwk/DB$)SyZk8*bnem2ҕ4ԃY-(o5Hi]L?s{aPevuPLs~Sϐ0$xO@a%DcgʁNUhHhHodiSKDϦ<ˀU#/̷.pBʙMl/iMucWtb z=%gf*{.m Uoyf2i (ZYMD-dV%ޅue炱 ~s!PtZk!Z4hdDŽ|Sd:fA3"mg\i?֧ycg$ GXђPs>? uUtbE`9yGʓۤ%͜AFfL3D\qb}A+4FF.o` eq`-dDMV?NiD Kr!xeW я] uI5T YJ59y|SoS:鳟Z>J㭷6Їh8?`ƔF1b(W)<k2e5f=ߛdl~F^phm϶i|%sqeDz!̕"mT(˵=YFt&D6v>CA )H06h]K rcs19mlxl7ڮw,R9tekܿS3s]Hh#-i}("pIu09z 3]#n՗RZ8Aܑ0Qc{,; !orIycw+ud2Hފl29`/Dћ֓N/ v/<=y#}9:hpHC
Enjoying the preview?
Page 1 of 1