Thursday, January 15, 2004
I have finished reading Crime & Punishment by Dostoevsky, and I consider him a master of Russian literature. Granted I read a translation, but I referenced it with another translation that I had of the same book. So if the two translations are any indication (and I believe them to be) then I have read a masterpiece. But then, not only have I read the work of a master but it is easy for me to identify with the main character, Rodya. A former student at the University in Petersburg, he must drop out because of a lack of funds. Eventually his part-time earnings from tutoring also dry up and he is left with nothing, save his mind. Of course, an idle mind sets itself upon many inane and dangerous subjects and all the while drawing his mind inward. Clearly suffering, he commits a desperate act, a crime.
The Punishment comes in many forms, an illness, his conscience, his friends' judgement, his newfound lover's unhappiness, his family's dire circumstances, etc. In the end he confesses, but is no happier with his physical punishment.
A timeless novel, though set in the days before the Russian revolution, it only references the political climate in asides throughout. The book really dwells on the educated, lower-middle class and their struggle for life in such infertile surroundings. I definitely recommend it as a book of particular (and current) importance.
The Punishment comes in many forms, an illness, his conscience, his friends' judgement, his newfound lover's unhappiness, his family's dire circumstances, etc. In the end he confesses, but is no happier with his physical punishment.
A timeless novel, though set in the days before the Russian revolution, it only references the political climate in asides throughout. The book really dwells on the educated, lower-middle class and their struggle for life in such infertile surroundings. I definitely recommend it as a book of particular (and current) importance.
