Without a doubt, the best book I've ever read is "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. That probably has a lot to do with the fact that I myself am being punished for a crime, or maybe I would have liked it anyway, because, after all, it is considered one of the greatest works of literature.
Dostoyevsky's life itself makes a great story. He was imprisoned in 1849 for participating in a French utopian socialist group. He was sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted only after he stood before the firing squad in a mock execution. Talk about a game-changer.
"Crime and Punishment" tells the story of Raskolnikov, a young university student who comes up with a theory that men are divided into two categories: ordinary and extraordinary. The latter, Napoleon for example, have the right to transgress the law in any way to achieve their objectives. And so Raskolnikov believed he could commit one vile act - rob and murder an old pawnbroker - in order to obtain the money he needed to begin his mission and prove that he was extraordinary.
But things didn't work out as planned. His conscience drives him to madness before he can prove his theory. Dostoyevsky paints the picture of a man who will give his last farthing to someone suffering and in need, and yet is still capable of committing the most loathsome criminal act - all for the sake of a theory.
I found myself hoping he could get away with it, and of course, I questioned whether that was because of some moral flaw in my part. But in the end, I saw that the only way out for Raskolnikov was to confess and accept his suffering.
I think this passage where Porfiry urges Raskolnikov to confess best conveys the essence of the book: "You made up a theory and then were ashamed that it broke down and turned out to be not at all original! It turned out something base, that's true, but you are not hopelessly base. By no means so base! At least you didn't deceive yourself for long, you went straight to the furthest point in one bound.
How do I regard you? I regard you as one of those men who would stand and smile at their torturer while he cuts their entrails out, if only they have found faith in God. Find it and you will live. You have long needed a change of air. Suffering, too, is a good thing. Suffer!...I know you don't believe in it - but don't be over-wise; fling yourself straight into life, without deliberation; don't be afraid - the flood will bear you to the bank and set you safe on your feet again."
In life, suffering is unavoidable and inevitable. The sooner we accept it, the sooner we can fling ourselves into life and the sooner we can be free...even in prison.
Written by David Allan Reeves
Author of "Running Away From Me"
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- The Brothers Karamazov: A Novel in Four Parts and an Epilogue (Penguin Classics)Fyodor DostoyevskyPaperback$10.60 shipping
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From the Publisher
With his sympathetic portrayals of the downtrodden of 19th-century Russian society, Dostoyevsky exercised immense influence on modern writers.
“Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart. The really great men must, I think, have great sadness on earth.”
“We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once, before a word has been spoken.”
One of the supreme masterpieces of world literature
Crime and Punishment catapulted Fyodor Dostoyevsky to the forefront of Russian writers and into the ranks of the world's greatest novelists.
Supreme masterpiece recounts in feverish, compelling tones the story of Raskolnikov, an impoverished student tormented by his own thoughts after he brutally murders an old woman. Overwhelmed afterwards by guilt and terror, Raskolnikov confesses and goes to prison. There he realizes that happiness and redemption can only be achieved through suffering.
About the author
Way smaller than I thought
The book itself is beautiful but it is hilariously tiny. The best way to describe it is if you took a normal sized hardback and shot it with a shrink ray. So if you have really small hands or want to add some classic literature to a dollhouse then this would be great for you.
Top reviews from other countries
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Michel SilveiraReviewed in Brazil on January 21, 2024
Muito bom
A edição é muito boa, capa dura bem feita, ótimo pra quem é fluente em inglês e gosta de colecionar livros em diversos idiomas. Dostoyevsky é um daqueles autores que todos devem ler, livro sensacional.Muito bomMichel Silveira
Reviewed in Brazil on January 21, 2024
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- Elizabeth EgorovaReviewed in Canada on June 10, 2020
For a Russian, I think that the translation is good
