Posted on 11/11/2021 7:18:34 AM PST by Borges
Although he was born 200 years ago, in a world that should be foreign to me, Dostoevsky formed my way of seeing the world more than almost any other person has.
As a college student, I read Notes From Underground and found it weird and befuddling. Then, I read The Brothers Karamazov, and I was unmade. What I thought I knew about Christianity seemed to be flipped inside out. What I thought I believed about life, death, suffering and love was all held up to a new light and found wanting.
Fyodor Dostoevsky was born on Nov. 11, 1821, in a world where a czar reigned, Napoleon had recently marched on Moscow, and serfdom was still the norm. Unlike every other notable 19th-century Russian author — as his biographer Joseph Frank points out — Dostoevsky belonged more to the peasant class than the landed gentry. He did not uplift the ideal of the poor, authentic Russian. He experienced poverty firsthand and refused to romanticize it.
(Excerpt) Read more at ncregister.com ...
He still speaks to me, from college. And that wasn’t quite 200 years ago.
The only people who romanticize poverty are those who never experienced it.
I will say this about poverty: you do learn who is genuinely your friend.
I took Russian Lit in college...that was required reading...I found it interesting....
Is like Gorky says in “Lower Depths” Quote “Miserable being must find other miserable being, then is happy” Unquote.
I had the same experience.
Dostoevsky fans must see the beautifully done 2016 BBC mini series “War and Peace”
That’s Tolstoy :)
One wonders what would have happened if his mistress didn't convince Tolstoy to change the title from "War, What is it Good For?"
IMO best bet is stop reading from and elevating people and thier views (idolatry). Instead read the bible and let God reveal it’s truth, mesaning, definitions of what words really mean, etc, to you. God’s standard on things supercedes all the science, phylosophy, mental gymnastics etc humans could ever come up with.
just because some of us experienced certain lack, loss or excess in life, health, finance, relationships does not mean we FULLY understand God’s purposes or reasons or plans through His allowing those situations we experienced.
At our very best, we only understand a portion of things God is, and/or His plans.
Some thing greater than the whole sum of everyone ever (past present future) andthe whole sum of everything ever (past present future) is at work.
No way any author gets it fully correct.
Or just read for aesthetic pleasure.
Bump
How far did you get? It’s a very funny book.
I read all of his works in high school.
yes he does.
i read Brother K recently. an amazing writer.
thanks for the recommendation
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