The Brothers Karamazov Paperback – July 29, 2012

This is a must read for anyone who wants to have a deeper understanding of the human nature which we must subdue with a goodwill. Dostoyevsky so brilliantly depicted the characters and how the human heart can go astray if unguided.

As a precursor to my review, let me say the following. Firstly, I am a classic-literature enthusiast with a Master’s in Literary Analysis. My first Russian novel was Anna Karenina, and I was enraptured. Secondly, I obviously did not expect this book to be the same, as it was written by a different author, but I expected the difficulties which arise from reading a book in translation as well as from this time period. Lastly, I am an extremely fast reader. Reading a novel in a week isn’t uncommon for me.I say all of that because I hated this book. I read it on a kindle, and seeing the percentage complete mocked me. I started in November of 2022 and finished the first week of March. I had almost decided to quit reading in January when someone told me that it was a “whodunnit” novel. I was intrigued but confused since I was 50% through with the book any no action has occurred and certainly not a crime of any sort. So I pressed on through more speeches that I’ve ever cared to read until the ending that doesn’t resolve anything!The first 50% is character background and multiple chapters of sermons.The second half is a trial with more speeches—just by lawyers rather than priests and philosophers.If you have 3 months to spare, go ahead, but I feel like I am going to have to go read some literary criticisms to illuminate me to why I’m even supposed to appreciate this book—let alone enjoy it.

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.

I knew it was used, but it's completely worthless. Arrived with only some pages in order!

Looks like a brand new book!

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.

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.