The Brothers Karamazov

I read this book for a summer reading assingment for my AP English class and i was extremely impressed. I'm not one that usually reads 800 page books because usually i get bored with assigned readings. This was most definitely not the case with this book. There was constant action and mystery. There was not a time where i just did not feel like reading it. I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever read Fyodor Dostoevski or has considered it.

Someone once said that all you need to know about life is in The Brothers Karamazov. The story is far from simple and delves deeply into the mind of its characters, so that the result is it can be both great literature, studied for its complex inner workings, and as a novel to be enjoyed for its plot twists and suspense. The story centers around three very different brothers and their father who is a wealthy but leacherous old man. The characters are dawn fantastically with sometimes exagerated or cartoonish elements, but always real and believable as people with deep desires and motives that are struggling for some kind of change in themselves but also a change in their circumstances. While trying not to give anything away, I can only say that the experience of reading the book, watching the characters develop, is as exciting as the plot, which moves steadily for and 800 some odd page book. It is no surprise that this book was translated into English and has become one of the most popular Russian novels translated into English.

The translators made sure that the novel was easy to read in English. If you have ever known Russians or know anything about the Russian language you should recognize that it is no easy task to make Russian grammar flow smoothly in English. It is the best Dostoevsky translation I have read yet.

Before you leave this earth, you must read Brothers K. Do it with a read group; otherwise, you won't make it through 800 pp. But you will feel so enriched having accomplished this read. Then tackle War and Peace, another must before dust.

I have a special affinity for Dostoevsky's writings due to their dark, yet philosophical nature. His books usually contain the sort of philosophy that probes questions of a spiritual, humanistic nature, and no other work perhaps addresses the most crucial questions to life like his last novel, the Brothers Karamazov. Since this book is so popular with audiences, I need not expound on the plot. Instead, I would like to focus on the translation at hand and say why this version of the book deserves to be read by people not only searching for answers to these deep questions, but also for those who want to learn why Dostoevsky was known as Russia's greatest prose writer of the 19th century. Pushkin, Chekhov, Tolstoy, and Gogol were great, but Dostoevsky was a highly different breed of writer. His language flows like music, yet it is not verselike in the way that Pushkin is. For this reason, especially for those who do not know Russian, it is essential that a person read a translation that clearly represents Dostoevsky's complex literary language. This is not to say that other translations are not as good. I am just saying that of all of the translation that exist, this is, in my opinion, the best. Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, two of the greatest translators of Russia's great novels, hit the nail on the head every time they publish a translation of a great author's book. Their Anna Karenina is superb, their Crime and Punishment a model of literary translating, and their Chekhov stories the benchmark upon which all other English versions must be judged. This Karamazov then, is perhaps for me their greatest achievement so far. I absolutely adore the way they make the verses come to life without adding any Victorian pretense or awkward phrasing that would seem anachronistic or foreign to the period in which the novel was set. They not only convey accurately the kind of philosophy that Dostoevsky is known for, but they also give the words a kind of poignancy that characterizes the novel's dark themes. I await the War and Peace that these two fascinating translators are about to release this October. As for this book, I recommend it to those wish to know why Dostoevsky's last novel is regarded by many to be the greatest novel ever written. In fact, Kurt Vonnegut himself lauded this book as the one that has everything you ever need to know about life.

As background information, I have read most of Dostoevsky's 14 novels including some of his early works and all of his most popular 6 or 7 novels, and set up a Listmania list with comments. Among those I have read some from Oxford Classics and some Vintage translations by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. It took me about one to two weeks or so to read the 776 pages in this present Vintage edition translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. This translation has a very brief introduction and a list of characters at the front of the book. That character list is essential for reading a Dostoevsky novel, especially his later works. If the book does not have one, usually you make your own. Beyond those few pages, this book is the basic text plus some notes at the end.

This is not a quick light read. It is a heavy read that requires a substantial time commitment to get the most from the novel. It is far more interesting and complex novel than Crime and Punishment. By comparison, Crime and Punishment is a quick light read.

Most critics think that this is Dostoevsky's best novel. It is the story of a man and his three sons who live in a small Russian town similar to where Dostoevsky himself lived in his later years. It is a novel about character flaws, compulsions, and good versus evil. Perhaps the novel does not have the clearest plot, nor is it a simple read, nor are all the characters stunning and interesting, but it is both a complex and a satisfying read. It took me a few tries over a few months to warm up to the novel and to get started. I read the first 50 pages twice to get oriented to all the characters and their complex names. Later I read many sections twice: the section on the visit by the devil, the murder scene, and parts of the trial near the end. It is the type of book that one will want to read a second time.

The present work follows three other Dostoevsky novels that revolve around the common themes of religion, morality, and Russian life and values: Demons, The Idiot, and A Raw Youth. Those three plus the Brothers Karamazov were written near the end of his life and they follow a similar pattern: long rambling novels involving discussion of morality, good and evil, etc. The books are each a bit different. Some have strong plots, while some have more dialogue and less action and lack strong protagonists. The Brothers Karamazov is the best, followed by The Idiot. The Brother Karamzov is simply a better novel than most of his other works: more complexity, good descriptions of events, good characters, lots of drama, and lots of artistic confusion planted intentionally by Dostoevsky near the end - according to historical notes.

The novel has a high degree of artistic feel to the plot. As with the other three novels, Dostoevsky uses family characters and their relationships with other people to explore some of his favorite ideas about Russian society, character flaws in people, and moral values, etc. Most people know that the story involves the murder of a father, but by the end of the novel the reader is less certain of who is the murderer. That is the artistic twist that Dostoevsky injects into the novel. He does this intentionally to remind the reader at the end that they are reading a creative novel and it is not reality. In many ways, this artistic twist along with the highly creative writing is what wins over the reader's admiration for Dostoevsky by the end of the novel. What starts off as a slow and religiously oriented story finishes as a brilliant work of art.

In any case, the first 300 pages are interesting but a bit slow. Some readers might give up. But press on and be rewarded. After page 300 or so, the novel becomes quite engrossing and interesting. There are many sections and characters that are highly memorable and you will want to re-visit them a second time.

This is a complex and a time consuming read, but a very worthwhile read.