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References to Dostoevsky in Nietzsche's Letters
In my previous article.The Nietzsche Letters.In the following section, you will find a number of passages written about Dostoevsky.
In this issue, I would like to introduce the passages in which Nietzsche's reference to Dostoevsky is written.
From a letter to Franz Overbek, "At Nice, February 23, 1887."
A few weeks ago, I didn't even know Dostoyevsky's name, I am an illiterate person who does not read "journals"! I happened to pick up a copy at one of the bookstores and "The Spirit of the Basement", which had just been translated into French, caught my eye. (Both Schopenhauer at twenty-one and Stendhal at thirty-five were totally coincidental!) ) The instinct of blood (or how should I put it?) immediately spoke to me. ) immediately spoke to me, and I was delighted. To recall the same joy, I would have to go back to the time I discovered Stendhal's "Red and Black".
(Chikuma Gakugei Bunko edition, translated by Satoshi Tsukagoshi and Yoshio Nakajima, in "Nietzsche's Complete Works, Vol. 2, Nietzsche's Letters II: Poems," p. 89)
This is the famous letter that tells of the encounter between Nietzsche and Dostoevsky.
Nietzsche happened to be Dostoevsky'sThe Memoirs of a Basement.I was shocked when I encountered the
And it is very interesting that Nietzsche described it as a "blood instinct". Nietzsche intuited an instinctive similarity with Dostoevsky in this work. I have previously introduced this kinship.Dostoevsky and Nietzsche: What Their Lives Symbolize."If you are interested, please take a look at the book, "The Book of the Year", which explains it in detail.
From a letter to Peter Gast, "At Nice, March 7, 1887."
Dostoevsky was to me just like Stendhal before me, in that I came into contact with him by chance, that it was just a book I happened to flip through in a bookstore, that I only knew his name - and that I suddenly felt the urge to read him because I felt like I had met someone like me. I felt as if I had met someone similar to me, and I suddenly had the urge to read it.
At the moment, we are still working on his position andreputationI don't know much about him or his life. He died in 1881. He was born into a noble family, but suffered from illness and poverty in his youth, and was sentenced to death at the age of twenty-seven. He received a special pardon at the penitentiary and spent the next four years in chains in a Siberian prison with other serious criminals. So this period was crucial. He discovered his psychological intuition. Not only that, but his mind was softened and deepened in the process. -His book of reminiscences from this period, "The House of Death," is one of the "most human books" in existence. I first became acquainted with it through a book just published in French translation, The Spirit of the Basement. It contains three novels, one a kind of undiscovered music, the other an eccentric musing of the mind. It's a gruesome, horrifying work that mocks "Know Thyself," but it's overwhelminglywillThe book is written with the light-hearted audacity and rapture of the "Mere Old Man". So I was completely intoxicated with joy when I read it. So I read "The Oppressed" (the only book that Overbek knew of), following the recommendation of Overbek, whom I had written to ask for a recommendation - with great respect for the artist Dostoevsky. I also understood that a very young generation of novelists in Paris was completely overwhelmed by his influence and jealousy of him (Paul Bourget is an example).
(Chikuma Gakugei Bunko edition, translated by Satoshi Tsukagoshi and Yoshio Nakajima, in "Nietzsche's Complete Works, Vol. 2, Nietzsche's Letters II: Poems," p. 96)
This letter is very important for understanding Nietzsche's understanding of Dostoevsky.
Nietzsche was Dostoevsky'sThe Record of the House of Death."praises it as "a most human book". And he weighs in on his Siberian exile experience.
Then again, reading this letter, it occurred to me that Nietzsche is concerned about Dostoevsky's reputation in the first half of this letter.
Nietzsche begins this letter by saying of Dostoevsky, "I feel as if I had met a man like me.
And Nietzsche went out of his way to say, "At the moment, we are still trying to understand his position andreputationand lifetime, etc., I don't know that well." He emphasizes the word "reputation".
Perhaps, I wondered if I was giving a glimpse here of the thought that if Dostoevsky and I were similar, I would be just as popular around the world as Dostoevsky. Although he did not write it overtly, the thought may have occurred to him, "If Dostoevsky is popular, then I, who resemble him, should be too. I enjoyed reading the letter with this thought in mind.
From a letter to Malvida von Meisenbukh, dated May 12, 1887, in Coole, Switzerland.
In Zurich, I visited the brilliant Miss von Schirnhofer, who had just returned from Paris. I am not sure about her future, her intentions, or her hopes, but she is as enthusiastic about Dostoevsky as I am.
(Chikuma Gakugei Bunko edition, translated by Satoshi Tsukagoshi and Yoshio Nakajima, in "Nietzsche's Complete Works, Vol. 2, Nietzsche's Letters II: Poems," p. 101)
I first encountered Dostoevsky in February. This letter suggests that he was still reading enthusiastically in May.
From a letter to Georg Brandes, "November 20, 1888, at Turin."
I believe unconditionally in what you say about Dostoevsky. On the other hand, I respect Dostoevsky as the most valuable psychological material I know. -I am strangely grateful to Dostoevsky, no matter how much it goes against my lowest instincts. There is a closeness to my relationship to Pascal that I can say I love - because he has indoctrinated me to the limit.logicalThe only Christian.
(Chikuma Gakugei Bunko edition, translated by Satoshi Tsukagoshi and Yoshio Nakajima, in "Nietzsche's Complete Works, Vol. 2, Nietzsche's Letters II: Poems," p. 238)
This letter was written on November 20, 1888, just before Nietzsche went insane. This letter was written just before Nietzsche went insane in a little more than a month. Around this time, his last worksTwilight of the Idols.andAntichrist."Nietzsche was a thorough critic of Christianity in such works as "ThelogicalIt is very remarkable that he highly praises "the only Christian". He even states that he loves Dostoevsky.
The letter also makes us rethink what Nietzsche thought a true Christian was like and how he felt about Christianity. More on this and other matters in this area above.Dostoevsky and Nietzsche: What Their Lives Symbolize."is highly recommended for its very in-depth and easy-to-understand explanations.
Conclusion
These are the letters about Dostoevsky from "The Nietzsche Letters".
Various references to Dostoevsky are contained not only in his letters, but also in his works such as "Antichrist" and in his posthumous manuscripts, which are included in the Complete Works of Nietzsche.
I cannot present more here, but there were some very interesting details there in our attempt to consider Dostoevsky in relation to Nietzsche.
The Nietzsche Letters is a very interesting work for learning about the true face of Nietzsche, but it is also a highly recommended book for learning about his relationship with Dostoevsky.
I hope you will pick up this book. It is very easy to read (unlike Nietzsche's philosophy books).
Highly recommended.
The above is "References to Dostoevsky in Nietzsche's Letters - What is the connection between Nietzsche and Dostoevsky?
Click here to read the previous article.
Click here for a list of Nietzsche's recommended works and reference articles.
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