PENGUIN Crime and Punishment

exactly what i expected

Physical quality it came in quite bad.

Love it!

Zeer interessant boek

The current Ukrainian conflict has brought into focus how differently many Russians seem to view the world, so it felt timely to read this classic novel and compare it to works by contemporary British novelists such as Dickens and Elizabeth Gaskell. In the same way that Putin, although constantly dealing in falsehoods, appears disinterested in Soviet-style depictions of utopian Russian society, so Dostoyevsky seems content to portray a dysfunctional and bleak St. Petersburg whilst evidently still convinced of the perceived evils of Western liberalism. I suppose the point is that, like Dickens, he was predominantly writing to entertain a domestic audience. The book does refer to topical philosophical and political debates but the author only subtly alludes to his own views (most notably concerning morality and the merits of religious faith). I don't think I've ever read a novel before that's so heavily comprised of dialogue; indeed many chapters are essentially a conversation between two (and sometimes a larger group) of characters. The scenes Dostoyevsky creates are consistently vivid and the exchanges credible: this is due to the skill not only of the author but also the translator. Occasionally you come across words, such as drinking-den, which you suspect sound much more evocative in Russian, but generally the English text flows well. Although there is a fair degree of plot overall, there are stretches in the book where not much is actually happening, providing an interesting contrast to Dickens. The fact that the latter tended to publish in weekly instalments, whereas Dostoyevsky apparently published each of 6 parts in one go, may go some way towards explaining this clear difference in styles. The book is not difficult to read, but I confess that the complexity of the names (and interchangeability of familiar and formal forms) drove me to the internet a few times to check I wasn't confusing different characters. The most unsatisfying part of the novel is its short epilogue ending, when the main protagonist undergoes a sudden shift in attitude that's hard to find entirely plausible. But I won't say any more about the plot, except to say that the main concept suggested by the title is masterful and wonderfully sustained. Finally a plea to publishing houses. Why they persist in putting pretentious essays that give away the entire plot as the introduction to classic literature is beyond me. Hopefully, like me, you will enjoy the book first and, if you can be bothered, scan through the scholarly opinions afterwards.

Genuinely one of the best books I've ever read.