Turgenev

DostoevskyDostoevsky's works

Four recommended works of Dostoevsky! A selection of gems and masterpieces of interesting Russian literature!

Dostoevsky is a Russian literary master along with Tolstoy.

Dostoevsky is an overwhelming giant who left behind such literary masterpieces as "Crime and Punishment" and "The Brothers Karamazov. Dostoevsky plumbed the depths of the human psyche, opening up to us a profound and chaotic world. His stories, woven with his unique narrative style and strong personalities, have an indescribable black magic charm. I was one of those who were fascinated by his black magic.

In this article, we will introduce some of Dostoevsky's recommended works and reference books. We will also discuss useful information such as which translations are recommended and where to start reading.
Pavlov.The Industrial Revolution and British and European Society

Oxford Portrait of Science: Pavlov" A recommended biography of the great Russian scientist, famous for his "conditioned reflex" and Pavlov's dog!

The "conditioned reflex" and "Pavlov's dog" are directly related to modern brain science and neurological research. Therefore, I had assumed that they were more recent or had been studied in the UK or Germany.

I had no idea that was Russia in the 19th century!

At the very time that Dostoevsky and Tolstoy were drawing on psychological and religious writings that had little science in them, Pavlov was working on scientific research...

This was something I could not imagine if I only thought about Russian literature. In this sense, this biography is a valuable work that allowed me to look at Russia at that time from a different angle than usual, that of science.
Dostoevsky and His Wife's Fateful Journey: Travels in Western Europe of Madness and Love

(1) A brief introduction to Dostoevsky (1821-1866 "from birth to around the time of "Crime and Punishment") before meeting his wife, Lady Anna.

This article will briefly review the first half of Dostoevsky's life before he met his wife, Lady Anna. It is quite difficult to summarize his tumultuous life in short, but we have tried to make it as compact and to the point as possible.

Knowing how difficult Dostoevsky's life had been, it becomes clear how fortunate he was to have met Madame Anna.
Dostoevskyism

Mutsumi Yamashiro, "Dostoevsky" - A recommended reference book full of sharp explanations for deep reading of the five great works!

This work is an overwhelmingly deep and incisive discussion of the Five Great Lengths from a wide range of perspectives. I was immediately impressed by this book. In the beginning of the book, Futabatei Shimei talks about Dostoevsky and Russian literature. This book, which began with the words of Futabatei Shimei, is a wonderful work that is exactly as he said it would be.

In particular, Bakhtin's explanation of polyphony is very clear.

Mr. Yamashiro's explanation makes very clear the difficult concept that we often see in Dostoevsky's commentaries that "Dostoevsky's novels are polyphony," which seems to be understandable but not understandable. I recommend this book!
Impressions of the Summer Recounted in Autumn - Trip to Paris and Georgia

(2) First walk in Paris. From Place de la Concorde to the Seine. Flinch at the casual stylishness of Parisians.

I arrived in Paris and took my first stroll. I headed to the Seine through the Place de la Concorde.

Place de la Concorde is also known as the place where Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were executed.

And I was completely influenced by the Parisians at the front desk of the hotel.
Like Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, I was supposed to go to Paris with the spirit of "Come on, Paris, be prepared," but I was suddenly thrown off the track. I will be staying in Paris for the next week. What will I think of this city?
Tolstoy, the Russian Giant

Tolstoy's 10 recommended works, commentaries, and a list of his works - Experience the overwhelming scale of the Russian giant!

In this article, we will first introduce 10 works that we particularly recommend from among those we have introduced in this blog so far, followed by a list of recommended commentaries and other works.

Even the works that did not make it to the recommended list are all essential to know Tolstoy. Tolstoy has a surprisingly large number of works, many of which are not introduced in this blog. So, basically, all of the works introduced in this blog are considered to be recommended works, but we have selected the 10 most important ones.
Marx Engels Writings and Related Works

The Intellectual Heritage of Humanity 49 Bakunin - A biography recommended to learn about the life of Russian revolutionary Bakunin.

Like Gertzen, whom I mentioned in my last article, I took this book to learn more about Marx and the revolutionaries of his time. Bakunin is another figure that you will find in any Marx biography and in the biography of Dostoevsky.

Bakunin was born into a great Russian aristocratic family. It was surprising to learn that two of Russia's leading revolutionaries of the 19th century were both sons of aristocratic families. Incidentally, Lenin, who played a leading role in the Russian Revolution of 1917, was also born into a noble family.

You will see a strong personality that is just blown away.

I also enjoyed this biography very much. I also recommend this book!
Marx Engels Writings and Related Works

Mitsuo Naganawa, "Critique Gertzen" - Recommended Biography! What is the tumultuous life of a Russian revolutionary?

Gertzen is a figure that always comes up when researching Russian writers such as Dostoevsky and Turgenev, and he is also related to Marx, whom we continue to update now.

The book reveals a surprising number of surprising facts. There is also the fact that Gertzen, the revolutionary, was an incredibly wealthy man who entrusted the management of his assets to Rothschild. This was a surprise to me. It also becomes clear that Gertzen was not a dangerous revolutionary as a human being, but a moderate and rational person.

I would highly recommend this book.
Tolstoy, the Russian Giant

Tolstoy's "Shakespeare and Theatre Theory" Summary and Comments - Tolstoy hated Shakespeare with all his heart. What were the reasons for this?

The paper is a work of some wonder, as Tolstoy, a well-known Shakespeare hater, goes on and on about 50 pages in two columns, top and bottom, about why he hates Shakespeare.

I love Shakespeare as opposed to Tolstoy, so this was a question that bothered me in reverse. I can't help but think, "What's not to like about Shakespeare? I can't help but think, "What's not to like about Shakespeare?

This article will take a closer look at why Tolstoy hates Shakespeare.
Tolstoy, the Russian Giant

Tolstoy's "Childhood" Synopsis and Comments - Tolstoy's debut novel, which surprised the Russian literary world!

This work is the starting point of Tolstoy's literature, and the literary techniques Tolstoy utilized here have been carried over into his later works.

Read this work and you will feel Tolstoy's incredible sensitivity and subtlety.

In terms of volume, the work is quite compact, with less than 200 pages in the paperback edition. Although the name "Tolstoy," a great writer, may give an image of being difficult to understand, the narrative style of this work is very easy to read.

This work is a good gateway to understanding what makes Tolstoy unique.