Magarshak's Translator's Introduction

[Amyjzed]

I've been reading the Penguin Classics translation by David Magarshak (2004 reprint).

The big takeaway that stands out to me from his introduction is the concluding statements:
"Dostoevsky's spite and hatred not only of his opponents [apparently, Turgenev], but also of all imaginary 'enemies' of Russia, was perhaps entirely in harmony with his religious obsessions. In The Devils he was not able to overcome them, and this is a serious blot on a novel which, in spite of its structural and artistic blemishes, possesses a tremendous vitality, as well as moments of great tenderness. The novel is best regarded as a political melodrama (the stage at the end of it is literally strewn with corpses).
It would be absurd to take Dostoevsky's political views seriously; but it would be no less absurd to overlook his moments of great inspiration, his amazing insight into the human heart, and his shattering criticism of those aspects of man's character which profoundly affect human thought and behavior."