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The Insulted and Injured
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Originally published in 1915. Author: Dostoyevsky, Fyodor, 1821-1881 Language: English Keywords: Literature Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Obscure Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwo
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Paperback, 348 pages
Published
February 14th 2006
by Obscure Press
(first published 1861)
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Unizhennye i Oskorblennye = Humiliés et Offensés = The Insulted and Humiliated, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Natasha leaves her parents' home and runs away with Alyosha (prince Alexey) – the son of Prince Valkovsky. As a result of his pain, her father, Nikolai, curses her. The only friend that remains by Natasha's side is Ivan – her childhood friend who is deeply in love with her, and whom Natasha has rejected despite their being engaged.
Prince Valkovsky tries to destroy Alyosha's plans to marry Natasha, ...more
Natasha leaves her parents' home and runs away with Alyosha (prince Alexey) – the son of Prince Valkovsky. As a result of his pain, her father, Nikolai, curses her. The only friend that remains by Natasha's side is Ivan – her childhood friend who is deeply in love with her, and whom Natasha has rejected despite their being engaged.
Prince Valkovsky tries to destroy Alyosha's plans to marry Natasha, ...more

Why is this one not as 'famous' as Crime and Punishment or The Brothers Karamazov? It may not be as deep philosophically as either of those, but trust me, it aches your heart all the more for it. Humiliated and Insulted turned my insides into a weepy mess. Characters in a book, or real people? My mind and heart could not tell, or maybe they could, but it did not make a difference. Dostoevsky is that good, and I can only thank him for this beautiful novel.
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OH! What a novel! How is it possible a mere human could write something so wonderful and compelling? The Insulted and Injured is a beautiful, painful novel. It is not as complicated as War and Peace. The plot is not as philisophical as The Brother's Karamazov . It is not as well as known as Crime and Punishment. And yet...and yet it deserves a ranking alongside its more classic and well-loved brethren. The themes may be simple, but the message rings true.
Plot
Vanya is a young writer, initially ...more
Plot
Vanya is a young writer, initially ...more

The Insulted and the Injured goes also by the titles The Insulted and the Humiliated and Injury and Insult. It was first published in 1861 in the monthly magazine Vremya. It was Dostoyevsky’s first novel published after returning from his deportation to Siberia. The translation I read is by Constance Garner. I wonder how it compares to Ignat Avsey’s.
Primary Characters :
*Vanya (Ivan Petrovich) – author and narrator
*Nikolai Sergueych Ikhmenev – landlord of Ikhmenevka
*Anna Andreyevna – Nikolai' ...more
Primary Characters :
*Vanya (Ivan Petrovich) – author and narrator
*Nikolai Sergueych Ikhmenev – landlord of Ikhmenevka
*Anna Andreyevna – Nikolai' ...more

A magnificent novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky which can be read by itself, with ease, with enthusiasm! We run out of steam at one point; we catch our breath at another. The story escapes us sometimes, and then we pick up on it with a lot of enthusiasm. Although the feelings kneaded with a lot of violence, and also perspicacity, the universe of madness, so pronounced in other works of the author, is not yet in embryonic phase in Humiliated and Offended, which makes this book a real treat.

A bracing early novel from the most unflinching of the Russian Titans, (The) Humiliated & Insulted is the only Dostoevsky novel with a writer-as-narrator, but not the only based on autobiographical material. Vanya is an up-and-coming literary talent whose first novel—cough not Poor Folk cough—has been critically lauded. He is chummy with Natasha, who is overly chummy with the indecisive blithering imbecile Alyosha, who can’t choose between marrying Nat or a less-attractive Countess with a large
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It has become one of my favorites from Dostoevsky. The book is focused on social classes as well as the human soul. Characters, dialogues, emotional conflicts, all those elements make the book a whole package and it is one of the most flowing novels of the writer. I also like Brothers Karamazhov but that wasn't as flowing as this book. Especially the parts about cardinals and monastery at Karamazhovs were hard to read for me.
The Insulted and Humiliated is humanistic, psychological and thought-p ...more
The Insulted and Humiliated is humanistic, psychological and thought-p ...more

A fast-moving detective story of young lovers, unforgiving parents, wicked aristocrats and sordid brothel keepers. The young writer is based on Dostoyevsky himself. A highly readable, engaging and accessible 'classic' by Dostoyevsky. 6 out of 12.
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Jul 29, 2014
Sotiris Karaiskos
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
classics,
russian-literature
After many fluctuations, experiments, searches, and of course many hardships, the author has finally reached a state where, having found his own voice, he was able to write his immortal masterpieces. Of course for the specialists and for many non-specialists this book is clearly inferior to his most well-known works and I'm largely bound to agree but this cannot change my perception that it is a great book. The elements that make his best works stand out are all here, perhaps in their freer but
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This book would have only gotten 3 stars if it weren't for its final page, which was awesome and changed the book for me entirely. I started off really enjoying the read and the dramatic style of 19th C writers, but I tired of it by the end. I kept thinking of Dickens and all the other 19th C writers who left no plot line hanging and no character, however minor, without an end, or a solution, even if it consisted of a brief sentence in parentheses explaining what had come of so and so. Dostoevsk
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So far, I’ve only read 4 novels written by Mr. Dostoyevsky, the fourth being The Insulted and Humiliated ( the others : The Eternal Husband, Notes from Underground and The Adolescent). The first three books written by him that I’ve read made me feel a lot of sadness, regret, helplessness, and so every time I felt like picking up a book written by him, I decided not to. I was scared of having my good mood ruined or of being induced into a certain mood that I could not stand.
A few weeks ago I de ...more
A few weeks ago I de ...more

Dostoevsky's first full novel after his release from the Siberian labor camp and his subsequent attempts to reenter the Russian literary scene, The Insulted and Injured incorporates many of the motifs and tropes popular in the roman-feuilltons of the time. Think Dickens at his most heartstrings-pullingly sympathetic, pathetic, and bathetic; often I found myself remembering Nicholas Nickelby, among others, though often without Dickens's ironic humor.
A romantic narrator willing to sacrifice himsel ...more
A romantic narrator willing to sacrifice himsel ...more

Sometimes even a minor work by a great author can endear one. In this case, it is The Insulted and the Injured by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. While it is not the first book he wrote after returning to Petersburg from his stint in Siberia -- both Uncle's Dream and The Village of Stepanchikovo were published earlier -- it is the first real hint of the greatness that was to come.
The story is about a young author (suspiciously like Dostoyevsky) named Ivan Petrovich who falls in love with a young woman who c ...more
The story is about a young author (suspiciously like Dostoyevsky) named Ivan Petrovich who falls in love with a young woman who c ...more

In a culture of busy-ness that bleeds into the way we read and enjoy books, the slow and steady burn of Dostoyevsky’s writing does the soul good. With rich writing and proper character development, The Insulted and Injured displays the glories of love and heartbreak, of pride and forgiveness, of selfishness and selflessness. The feeling of accomplishment and increased intelligence is an added bonus of reading Russian literature!

Jan 21, 2012
Bryn Hammond
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
novelists-or-shorts
A writer at the time said the book was ‘beneath aesthetic criticism; but he acknowledged everyone had been reading what stood out as the most interesting Russian novel published in 1861.’ [Joseph Frank, Dostoevsky: The Stir of Liberation, 1860-1865] Funny, that’s how I felt: it’s awful, but it’s interesting.
It seems to be his most derivative work yet (English Dickens and the French ‘social-humanitarian’ school). D.’s obsessive urge to describe not only ‘the insulted and injured’ but the functio ...more
It seems to be his most derivative work yet (English Dickens and the French ‘social-humanitarian’ school). D.’s obsessive urge to describe not only ‘the insulted and injured’ but the functio ...more

I really enjoyed this novel. Dostoevsky's characters were engaging, if melodramatic. I didn't want to put the book down! What would happen to little Nellie? Would Alyosha pick Natasha or Katya? Would the prince get what was coming to him? You'll have to read it to find out. The major theme was identified in the title, "The Insulted and Humiliated". Dostoevsky points out the cruel behavior of the aristocracy towards the "common" person, and Dostoevsky favors the ability of the downtrodden to main
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'The insulted and the Injured' was Dostoevsky's first novel and an acorn from which the oaks that are 'Crime and Punishment', and 'The Brothers Karamazov' grew. It isn't as deep nor bites as hard as the later novels, and, at times, has the feel of a soap opera, but it reads well and as an interesting if ambiguous ending. Worth reading for that reason alone.
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It ' s not as deeply as The Brother Karamazov or the other strong books of Dostoyevsky.But I'm not unhappy for reading it.Because you can see and understand the social classes in Russia in that years.In some chapters -about Nelly's life- it hurts and feels you bad .
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ENGLISH: A typical great novel by Dostoievski, with great characters, although some of them are a little simple. Aliosha, for instance, is completelly will-less, while his father is one of the evilest characters of literature.
Natasha provides a good example of what C.S.Lewis meant in "The Four Loves" when he said that Eros (erotic love) can become a God that demands complete submission whatever the cost. Lewis illustrated this with this quote by Denis de Rougemont: When love begins to be a god, ...more
Natasha provides a good example of what C.S.Lewis meant in "The Four Loves" when he said that Eros (erotic love) can become a God that demands complete submission whatever the cost. Lewis illustrated this with this quote by Denis de Rougemont: When love begins to be a god, ...more

This really should be ranked among Dostoevsky's top few novels, based on character type alone. The concept he expands most here is forgiveness. The character types, especially the villain Prince Valkovsky, are complete and believable and timeless.
The first scenes remind me of White Nights, dipping into (then abandoning for the remainder of the novel) a romantic intrigue with the narrator. His temporarily beloved becomes the central character, as her reputation is sullied by her fiancee's father. ...more
The first scenes remind me of White Nights, dipping into (then abandoning for the remainder of the novel) a romantic intrigue with the narrator. His temporarily beloved becomes the central character, as her reputation is sullied by her fiancee's father. ...more

Apr 02, 2016
Descending Angel
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
russian,
dostoevsky
A very unsung masterpiece, and judgeing by the rating it's got, alot of people agree.
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This is my re-reading of "The Insulted and Injured" as part of my attempt to complete the complete work of Feydor Dostoyevsky. I had read the novel for a very long time, when I began reading Dostoevsky, and at that time I did not have the literary interest that makes me search about this novel, and I get enough for saying: It is a good novel.
I definitely knew that studying such a novel would require preparation. I did not begin it until I had finished with Henry Trouba's book “Dostoevsky: His Li ...more
I definitely knew that studying such a novel would require preparation. I did not begin it until I had finished with Henry Trouba's book “Dostoevsky: His Li ...more

Sep 10, 2007
Matthew Reed
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Doestoevsky fans
This is an early work by Dostoevsky that you don't hear much about. He wrote it after Notes from the House of the Dead and before Notes from Underground. Sometimes the title is translated "The Insulted and the Injured" but I am glad this one is translated "The Insulted and the Humiliated" because it sounds less like a soap opera. The titles comes from a memorable speech by one of the main characters:
"O Lord, I thank Thee for all, for all, for Thy wrath and for Thy mercy! ... And for Thy sun whic ...more
"O Lord, I thank Thee for all, for all, for Thy wrath and for Thy mercy! ... And for Thy sun whic ...more

Easily became my new favourite.
This 'lost' work of his (due to either not highly renowned as his Crime and Punishment or Karamazov Brothers or mass availability) has a slightly different style.
His potrayal of betrayal, suffering in the early part is very real, that one might ask, "is this based on a true story?", as the backcover stated?
Moving further through the pages, Dostoevsky later aoapt a different style, particularly in part 4, where the story is non-linear in time with recollections fro ...more
This 'lost' work of his (due to either not highly renowned as his Crime and Punishment or Karamazov Brothers or mass availability) has a slightly different style.
His potrayal of betrayal, suffering in the early part is very real, that one might ask, "is this based on a true story?", as the backcover stated?
Moving further through the pages, Dostoevsky later aoapt a different style, particularly in part 4, where the story is non-linear in time with recollections fro ...more

Feb 06, 2017
Ryan
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction-novels,
fiction-in-translation-russian
A bit soap-opera-ish, with a touch of Dickens. Worth a read none-the-less.
The narrator, Vanya, is a novelist in the mold of the author. One of his critics says that his books border on mawkish, and are stained by Vanya's sweat and tears, who works with such febrile intensity to complete them (always under the pressure of a deadline). This weakness is apparent in Dostoevsky's characterizations as well, as nearly everyone in this novel is in a near constant state of delirious emotional upheaval, c ...more
The narrator, Vanya, is a novelist in the mold of the author. One of his critics says that his books border on mawkish, and are stained by Vanya's sweat and tears, who works with such febrile intensity to complete them (always under the pressure of a deadline). This weakness is apparent in Dostoevsky's characterizations as well, as nearly everyone in this novel is in a near constant state of delirious emotional upheaval, c ...more

Dostoevsky, you stole my heart! You are Master of literature, my absolute favourite author and I adore your works! You never betrayed me, even with the shortets stories and novellas. I am glad I found your works!
I felt the pain the brothers Karamazov had, I was hiding in the darkest corners with Raskolnikov when he did his crime, I hated the society that could not understand the feelings of prince Mishkin who was called an idiot, I was in the casino with the gambler, I was with Stavrogin and wi ...more
I felt the pain the brothers Karamazov had, I was hiding in the darkest corners with Raskolnikov when he did his crime, I hated the society that could not understand the feelings of prince Mishkin who was called an idiot, I was in the casino with the gambler, I was with Stavrogin and wi ...more

Oct 14, 2012
Aygul A. Baghirova
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorites
recently I picked up this book to read for the second time, I am not that kind of person who prefers to read one novel or a story for many times - there're plenty of them to be read and what is the purpose to re-read if the content is already clear and causes curiousity no more? - nevertheless, my first interaction with this story dated back to early teenager years, so I thought it would do no harm)) and def. not a waste of time.
great Dostoevsky is one of those really few authors whose philosoph ...more
great Dostoevsky is one of those really few authors whose philosoph ...more

Jul 19, 2010
James Henderson
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
from-russia-with-love
This was the first of Dostoevsky's full-length novels. With the characteristic Dostoevskian emphasis on suffering this melodramatic story features a young writer (not unlike Dostoevsky himself) who is in love young girl who, in turn, loves another young man named Aloysha. Ivan has philosophical disputations with Aloysha's father, Prince Valkovski. The melodrama is further heightened by the presence of another girl, Nelly, who is harassed by the Prince. The melodramatic sequences reminded me of e
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Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky was born in Moscow in 1821. His debut, the epistolary novella Poor Folk (1846), made his name. In 1849 he was arrested for involvement with the politically subversive 'Petrashevsky circle' and until 1854 he lived in a convict prison in Omsk, Siberia. From this experience came The House of the Dead (1860-2). In 1860 he began the journal Vremya (Time). Already married,
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“هل تعلم؟ ما من شئ أمتع للإنسان من أن يعيش في صخبة حمقى، ومن أن يعزف على أوتارهم: إنه يستفيد من ذلك! لا تأخذ عليَّ أنني أقيم وزناً لأراء المجتمع، وإنني أحرص على بعض المواضعات، وأنني أنشد الاعتبار والجاه. أنا أعرف أنني أعيش في مجتمع تافه .. ولكنني حتى الأن أتحمس له، وأنعق مع الناعقين؛ إنني أتظاهر بالدفاع عنه دفاعاً حاراً، ومع ذلك فمن الممكن، إذا اقتضى الأمر، أن أهجره أول من يهجره. إنني أعرف جميع أفكارهم الجديدة، رغم أنني لم أحفل بها يوماً. وعلام أحفل بها؟ إنني لم أشعر يوماً بعذاب الضمير. إنني أقبل كل شئ، متى كان لي فيه نفع. وأمثالي كثيرون، ونحن جميعاً في أحسن حال حقاً. يمكن أن يفنى كل شئ على الأرض، وأن نظل نحن وحدنا لا نفنى أبداً. إننا نوجد منذ وُجِدَ الوجود .. قد يغرق الكون كله، ونبقى نحن نطفو على وجه الماء، نطفو إلى الأبد. أنظر، بهذه المناسبة، كم تطول حياة أمثالنا. إننا نعمر كثيراً، ألم يلفت نظرك ذلك؟ إننا نعيش حتى الثمانين، حتى التسعين. فالطبيعة نفسها تحمينا إذن .. هه هه .. أريد أن أبلغ التسعين حتماً، أنا لا أحب الموت. سحقاً للفلسفة. فلنشرب، يا عزيزي. كنا نتحدث عن البنات الجميلات لماذا تقوم؟”
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