Dostoevsky: His Life and Work

by Konstantin Mochulsky, Michael A. Minihan (Translator)

Konstantin Mochulsky's critical biography is, in the words of George Gibian, the "best single work in any language about Dostoevsky's work as a whole." Joseph Frank has called it one of the "indispensable studies by Russian critics." An established classic, it is here available for the first time in paperback in English translation.

Genres: Biography, Literature, Russian Literature, Literary Criticism, Nonfiction, Russia, 19th Century

712 pages, Paperback

First published December 21, 1967

Reviews

[David Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thank Cornel West for recommending this book while being interviewed by Chris Hedges. Hard to know where to start. Thorough is an understatement. This book is so many things, apart from being a biography, and a portrait of the times, it is also a an in-depth guide on how to write a novel. Dostoevsky was a Russian patriot. He was a slavophile - he understood the difference between being a European and a Slav - this alone is more than enough reason to read this book if you have any interest in trying to understand Russia today. Dostoevsky saw the Soviet Union on the horizon before it was there. I feel reasonably confident in saying he didn't like the move of his country towards socialism - an ism for which he blamed Europe. Given the choice however between the USSR and the EU (neither of which he ever experienced) I think he would have chosen the USSR - despite being a devout christian. This book will stay with me for a long time.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book! The author comparatively relates Dostoevsky's works to his influences - Gogol, Tolstoy, Hugo, Turgenev, etc.; explains the use of Russian names and language in the works; offers historical notes on what was happening politically and religiously at the time; and more. Although the use of examples and the explanations are long and sometimes repetitive, overall this is a very well researched analysis of Dostoevsky and his works.

[david · Rating 4 out of 5]

one of the better dostoevsky bios

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

all you need to know is that Dostoevsky had FRECKLES