Germany

idiocyDostoevsky's works

Dostoevsky's "The Moron" Synopsis and Comments - The Creation of Christ - Deep Relationship with Don Quixote and Remise

Although it aims to portray Christ as "an unconditionally beautiful human being," it is more than enough to enjoy without any knowledge of Christianity. (Of course, it is better to know about it to appreciate it more deeply.)

It is such an outstanding work of fiction and art.

Although it is a work that has not been shown much in the shadows of Crime and Punishment, it is very highly regarded as one of Dostoevsky's masterpieces. It is interesting. I strongly recommend it.
gamblerDostoevsky's works

Dostoevsky's "The Gambler" Synopsis and Impressions - A realistic portrayal of the psychology of gambling addiction from first-hand experience.

Set in a German sanatorium, the film is a realistic portrayal of the human psyche, with its morbid love affair between a young governess and a general's daughter, and its obsession with gambling.

Why do people get addicted to gambling, and what exactly is the psychology of people who are addicted to gambling?

Dostoevsky was a severe gambling addict.

This work is quite gruesome, reflecting the events he actually experienced.
Impressions of summer written in winterDostoevsky's works

Dostoevsky's "Impressions of the Summer Written in Winter" Synopsis and Impressions - A severe criticism of Western society! A unique European travelogue

This "Impressions of Summer Written in Winter" is a very important work for understanding Dostoevsky's view of Europe.

Another good point of this work is that we can see the "strange traveler" Dostoevsky. It is a great opportunity to enjoy a different Dostoevsky than in his novels.

Although it is not a collected work, I strongly feel that "Impressions of Summer Written in Winter" is a work that deserves to be more widely available to the world.

I think Japanese people can especially relate to this content.
destructionEmile Zola, the blog author's favorite author.

Zola's "The Ruin" Synopsis and Impressions - A brilliantly vivid account of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, which brought down the Second Empire of France!　A masterpiece of war literature!

This work is not well known in Japan but is regarded as a milestone in war literature.

Zola's signature sensory stimulating writing makes you feel as if you are watching the war up close and personal.

Zola is still an artist. He gives the reader terrifying inspiration, images, and shocks. He does not merely copy the phases of the world, he sublimates them into art.

The Devastation was a massive work, a fitting climax to a series of books. Its reputation as a masterpiece and a milestone in war literature is unquestionable. It was a wonderful work.
money (written before an amount)Emile Zola, the blog author's favorite author.

Zola "Gold" Synopsis and Comments - The financial war in 19th century Paris between Rothschild vs. the emerging Parisian banks!

In "Prey's Share," the protagonist, Saccar, made a huge amount of money mainly through land speculation, but in this film, we see him throw himself into a new battle by establishing a huge bank. Saccard's rival Jews are modeled on that Rothschild family. During the Second Empire of France, financial wars actually broke out between the new banks and the Rothschilds. Zola painstakingly researched these facts and incorporated them into this work.
germinalEmile Zola, the blog author's favorite author.

Zola's "Germinal" Synopsis and Comments - Strike and Workers' Tragedy in a Coal Mine Zola's Crab Ship

In "Germinal," we see the oppressed workers, the reality of unknowable stock market domination, and the consequences of a socialist ideology that is spiraling out of control.

Socialist thought may sound complicated, but this work is neither a philosophy book nor a technical book. Zola tells the actual content through people's stories and weaves socialist thought into the story in a very easy-to-understand way.

It is much easier and more interesting to learn than reading difficult technical books.
joie de vivreEmile Zola, the blog author's favorite author.

Zola's "The Joy of Living" Synopsis and Impressions - Zola's Answer to Schopenhauerian Pessimism

概要とあらすじでは主人公の少女ポリーヌがダメ人間ラザールに恋をしてしまう可哀そうな物語とお話ししましたが、そこはゾラ師匠。単なる優しい女の子の残念な恋愛で終わらせません。

実はゾラはラザールに当時大流行していたショーペンハウアー的なペシミズム（悲観主義、厭世主義）を意図的にまとわせ、それに対置する形で生きる歓びを体現するポリーヌを立たせているのです。

そうしてゾラは当時大流行していたペシミズムに対する反論を述べようとしているのでした
ChristianityDostoevsky and Christianity

Justo González, "History of Christianity" - A recommended reference book for learning the general framework of Christian history!

The nuance of "Christianity is absolutely right and the pagans are wrong" is not present in this book in the first place. It is felt that the book tries to be as objective as possible in its viewpoint of why the events happened historically.

Also, this book is very interesting to read in the first place. Textbooks on the history of Christianity tend to conjure up images of stiff, difficult books, but Justo González's "History of Christianity" is different in more ways than one.
Toyofusa KinoshitaDostoevskyism

Toyofusa Kinoshita, Dostoevsky: His Dialogic World - Dostoevsky's Theory by the President of Dostoevsky's Society

This work discusses Dostoevsky's works in light of domestic and international research. The book explains in an easy-to-understand manner how Dostoevsky has been studied and is currently being discussed.

In particular, I was able to make new discoveries by learning about the history of Dostoevsky's connections with Bakhtin, whom I introduced previously, and Japanese literary figures such as Soseki Natsume and Hideo Kobayashi.

The second half of the book contains a number of essays on Dostoevsky, and I found the series of tours of places associated with Dostoevsky particularly interesting.
Shestov.Dostoevskyism

Shestov, "The Philosophy of Tragedy: Dostoyevsky and Nietzsche" - A Classic of Dostoyevsky's Thought with a Focus on "The Memoirs in the Basement

It is said that the influence of Shestov's ideas has been particularly important in the study of Dostoevsky's thought, as his "Memoirs in the Basement" has become particularly important in the study of Dostoevsky's thought. For this reason, Shestov's "The Philosophy of Tragedy: Dostoyevsky and Nietzsche" is highly regarded as a classic in the study of Dostoyevsky.

Read in conjunction with "Memoirs in the Basement," this work is a useful study of Dostoevsky's thought.