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Letters of Fyodor Michailovitch Dostoevsky to His Family and Friends
Excerpt from Letters of Fyodor Michailovitch Dostoevsky to His Family and Friends
In the German translator's preface to this volume it is pointed out that a complete collection of Dostoevsky's letters does not yet exist. "The first volume of the first collected edition of Dostoevsky's works (St. Petersburg, 1873), contains only a selection, which is usually lacking in the later editions." Herr Eliasberg goes on to tell us that "a series of letters which were to have been included in the present work was at the last moment withdrawn by the novelist's widow; the corrected proofs of these are to be preserved in a sealed portfolio at the Dostoevsky Museum in Moscow."
The present volume derives chiefly from the book by Tchechichin: "Dostoevsky in the Reminiscences of his Contemporaries, and in his Letters and Memoranda" (Moscow, 1912). The letters here numbered XXXVIII., XLIV., L., LVI., and LVIII. are lacking in Tchechichin's book, and were taken from a Russian monthly journal, Rousskaya Starina. Those numbered XXXIX., XLVI., XLVIII., and LIX., which are incompletely given by Tchechichin, are here given in full.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
In the German translator's preface to this volume it is pointed out that a complete collection of Dostoevsky's letters does not yet exist. "The first volume of the first collected edition of Dostoevsky's works (St. Petersburg, 1873), contains only a selection, which is usually lacking in the later editions." Herr Eliasberg goes on to tell us that "a series of letters which were to have been included in the present work was at the last moment withdrawn by the novelist's widow; the corrected proofs of these are to be preserved in a sealed portfolio at the Dostoevsky Museum in Moscow."
The present volume derives chiefly from the book by Tchechichin: "Dostoevsky in the Reminiscences of his Contemporaries, and in his Letters and Memoranda" (Moscow, 1912). The letters here numbered XXXVIII., XLIV., L., LVI., and LVIII. are lacking in Tchechichin's book, and were taken from a Russian monthly journal, Rousskaya Starina. Those numbered XXXIX., XLVI., XLVIII., and LIX., which are incompletely given by Tchechichin, are here given in full.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1961
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 22, 2020
It is never clear to me. Is everything a coincidence or is it nothing?
My eschatology needs a tune-up.
Whatever the causal chain, I found myself listening to Eric Dolphy and Ben Webster while relishing these letters. All point back to a younger self, a hungrier Jon Faith. The letters themselves provide a comparable autobiography, but yet again this edition lacks quality annotation (that was my complaint with the collected letters of Simone de Beauvoir to J-P Sartre that I finished. The few footnotes referred to a film she had seen) but overall they delineate his youthful hubris, a burning desire to both create and change. The latter bit is tempered by his mock execution and exile to Siberia. The Dostoevsky that emerges is a bit of a holier-than-thou conservative kook. He ultimately goes abroad with his wife and they find themselves stuck for lack of cash. His time at the gaming tables didn't help. The reactions to both Turgenev and Tolstoy follow nearly opposite arcs over time. Whether Dostoevsky is soliciting a loan or commenting on the oppressive Italian summer, these letters are amazing. They are well worth anyone's time.
My eschatology needs a tune-up.
Whatever the causal chain, I found myself listening to Eric Dolphy and Ben Webster while relishing these letters. All point back to a younger self, a hungrier Jon Faith. The letters themselves provide a comparable autobiography, but yet again this edition lacks quality annotation (that was my complaint with the collected letters of Simone de Beauvoir to J-P Sartre that I finished. The few footnotes referred to a film she had seen) but overall they delineate his youthful hubris, a burning desire to both create and change. The latter bit is tempered by his mock execution and exile to Siberia. The Dostoevsky that emerges is a bit of a holier-than-thou conservative kook. He ultimately goes abroad with his wife and they find themselves stuck for lack of cash. His time at the gaming tables didn't help. The reactions to both Turgenev and Tolstoy follow nearly opposite arcs over time. Whether Dostoevsky is soliciting a loan or commenting on the oppressive Italian summer, these letters are amazing. They are well worth anyone's time.
April 1, 2026
"To be a human being among people and to remain one forever, no matter in what circumstances, not to grow despondent and not to lose heart - that's what life is all about, that's its task."
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January 1, 2025Hamlet ! Hamlet ! When I think of his moving wild speech, in which resounds the groaning of the whole numbed universe, there breaks from my soul not one reproach, not one sigh. . . . That soul is then so utterly oppressed by woe that it fears to grasp the woe entire, lest so it lacerate itself.
I have a new plan : to go mad.
Brother, it is so sad to live without hope I When I look forward I shudder at the future. I move in a cold arctic atmosphere, wherein no sunlight ever pierces.
I have a new plan : to go mad.
Brother, it is so sad to live without hope I When I look forward I shudder at the future. I move in a cold arctic atmosphere, wherein no sunlight ever pierces.
October 4, 2022
I’m happy this book exists, loved it!
January 10, 2024
Incredible. What a hidden gem.
April 18, 2024
gorgeous intricate writing and then day to day casualties
TOOK ME SO FUCKING LONG TO TEAD
TOOK ME SO FUCKING LONG TO TEAD
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews