The Cambridge Companion to Dostoevskii

by William J. Leatherbarrow (Editor)

Key dimensions of Dostoevskii's writing and life are explored in this collection of specially commissioned essays. Contributors examine topics such as Dostoevskii's relationship to folk literature, money, religion, the family and science. The essays are enhanced by supplementary material, including a chronology of the period and detailed guides to further reading.

Genres: Literature, Literary Criticism, Nonfiction, Russia, Russian Literature, Reference, Biography

262 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2002

About the author

W. J. Leatherbarrow is a British literary scholar and professor of Russian at the University of Sheffield, known for his extensive work on Dostoevsky, including The Cambridge Companion to Dostoevskii and co-authoring A Documentary History of Russian Thought.

Reviews

[Samir Rawas Sarayji · Rating 3 out of 5]

So not what I expected, but then the introduction already said it - this addition to the series was different from others in that it did not take Dostoevskii's most prominent works and analyze them (because there were enough texts that do that according to the authors). Instead, the focus was on the context in which the works were published and the issues the critics think Dostoevskii was dealing with at the time, from personal beliefs to creative writing to religion and psychology. The result was a mishmash of essays that tried too hard to explain 'Dostoevskii' in his work, rather than keep enough of an objective distance between the author and the characters (the kind of criticism I enjoy). The topics were so varied, and the focus was on the themes, where several works were mentioned over and over, but each time in the context of the new theme. Other works were hardly recognized. All in all, a book for the most avid of Dostoevskii enthusiasts and for scholars. And nothing like other 'The Cambridge Companion to ...' series.