Anti-rant of the day!
So...Team Tolstoy or Team Dostoyevsky?
Tolstoy I suppose, mainly because of his serenity and elegance, and his ability to call attention to so much that escapes me--and he is so magnificently profound!
However, Dostoyevsky can be even more meaningful and unforgettable, e. g. The Brothers Karamazov, part 3, book 7, chapter 4: Cana of Galilee, one of the most powerful, profound, and beautiful things I've ever read. I played an audio recording of it for my teenage grandson one afternoon when I picked him up from school, and one evening, I played it for my family as they relaxed in silence and listened, the room lit by candle light. Everyone was deeply moved.
I cannot decide between the two.
I think I love War and Peace the most.
I think the Pevear and Volokhonsky translations are the best. Do you agree? I don't know Russian and have to read translations.
What about you? What's your team? Your favorite books?