cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/3688704

I am reading The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (P&V translation). About 20% through. It’s starting to get interesting as the characters start to take shape. Till now I have read and enjoyed the P&V translations of both Crime and Punishment and Demons. This is a huge book and I am looking forward to enjoying this for a while! I am just excited and wanted to read other people’s thoughts.

  • Eq0@literature.cafe
    2·
    1 year ago

    Personally, my advice would be: don’t go to Tolstoj expecting something similar! He is so preachy compared to Dostoyevski, the characters don’t ring nearly as human and interesting.

    On the other hand, everything I read of Dostoyevski is great, with Crime and Punishment and Brothers Karamazov being at the top. I also find Victor Hugo to be similar (minus the weird naming conventions).

    I got advised to read Master and Margherita, but I couldn’t get over the first dizen pages, but maybe it does it for you.

    • Bebo@literature.cafeEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      Years ago I read Anna Karenina and from what I vaguely remember, there was some amount of moralising; what you say kind of confirms that for me. Someone suggested Fathers and Sons by Turganev. What do you think about that? I have also heard about Master and Margherita. I can give it a try. I have already read and enjoyed Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment and Demons. Demons was slightly disturbing from what I remember. There’s still The Idiot and Notes from the Underground that I have still to read.

      • Eq0@literature.cafe
        1·
        1 year ago

        I know nothing of Turganev, honestly. I have read The Idiot and felt it was a little “less” than usual Dostoyevski, but I can highly recommend White Nights, a collection of short stories. I usually think of Dostoyevski as shining in long descriptions, but in White Nights he goes the other way and etches scenes with a minimal amount of details and still hitting the nail on the head. Notes from the Underground doesn’t have a good translation in my mother tongue, so I did not read it yet. Now that my English knowledge is good enough, I could look for a good English translation, but there are just too many books to read… what to read next is always a tough choice.