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The Russian Soul: Selections from a Writer's Diary
Not yet published
Expected 2 Jan 79Dosteovsky's immediate impulse for embarking on A Writer's Diary in 1873 was a desire to come into closer contact with his readers. Published in monthly instalments, it became a unique journalistic enterprise. Far more popular than his novels ever were, the Diary was Dostoevsky's favourite work. Brilliantly introduced by Rosamund Bartlett, the Diary stands revealed as the work of a writer-activist and blogger avant la lettre.
124 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1881
5 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Fyodor Dostoevsky
3,279 books73k followers
Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский
(Russian)
Works, such as the novels Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1869), and The Brothers Karamazov (1880), of Russian writer Feodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky or Dostoevski combine religious mysticism with profound psychological insight.
Very influential writings of Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin included Problems of Dostoyevsky's Works (1929),
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky composed short stories, essays, and journals. His literature explores humans in the troubled political, social, and spiritual atmospheres of 19th-century and engages with a variety of philosophies and themes. People most acclaimed his Demons(1872) .
Many literary critics rate him among the greatest authors of world literature and consider multiple books written by him to be highly influential masterpieces. They consider his Notes from Underground of the first existentialist literature. He is also well regarded as a philosopher and theologian.
(Russian: Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский) (see also Fiodor Dostoïevski)
Works, such as the novels Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1869), and The Brothers Karamazov (1880), of Russian writer Feodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky or Dostoevski combine religious mysticism with profound psychological insight.
Very influential writings of Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin included Problems of Dostoyevsky's Works (1929),
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky composed short stories, essays, and journals. His literature explores humans in the troubled political, social, and spiritual atmospheres of 19th-century and engages with a variety of philosophies and themes. People most acclaimed his Demons(1872) .
Many literary critics rate him among the greatest authors of world literature and consider multiple books written by him to be highly influential masterpieces. They consider his Notes from Underground of the first existentialist literature. He is also well regarded as a philosopher and theologian.
(Russian: Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский) (see also Fiodor Dostoïevski)
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 11, 2021
It was time I revisited one of my favorite authors, so I picked this up. Having read some of his other works, I knew a good bit about what to expect from Dostoyevsky. He pulls no punches and makes every effort to look truth and despair directly in the face, which is something I enjoy and admire. Though, at times, this can make for some difficult reading.
This particular book is a collection of excerpts and short stories from his personal diary, which was published in Russian print media during his lifetime. In it, he riffs on a huge variety of topics, so the focus in this collection was attempting to showcase the breadth of his knowledge without going too in-depth on any particular topic. I'm glad I picked this one up, as it has revealed to me some character traits and opinions of his which I did not realize. One of these was his shock and fascination with the rise in suicide rates amongst Russia's growing urban populations. While this trend was not uncommon as many places in the world began to modernize, it took a particularly dark turn in Russia as the CHILD suicide rate was also spiking. Dostoyevsky wrestled with this trend and, more specifically, the question of how a child could be in such a state of despair as to want to end their own existence. This makes for some heartbreaking sections in "The Russian Soul." He desperately wants others to see their value and to recognize the inherent humanity in each other so as to rebuild the bonds of community which were often frayed and broken during urbanization.
However, there were other sections which required more background knowledge that I did not have. His views on Pushkin and Tolstoy, in particular, were somewhat lost on me as I am unfamiliar with their work. Perhaps it is time for me to pick them up.
All that aside, Dostoyevsky remains one of my favorite authors of all time. His ability to force you to look the darkest sides of humanity directly in the face and come to terms with it is truly special. It is a powerful exercise in empathy and solidarity which I think can only be a benefit to those who take the time to delve into his work. I would recommend this book more for people who are a bit familiar with his other works as it will provide some context for what lies within.
This particular book is a collection of excerpts and short stories from his personal diary, which was published in Russian print media during his lifetime. In it, he riffs on a huge variety of topics, so the focus in this collection was attempting to showcase the breadth of his knowledge without going too in-depth on any particular topic. I'm glad I picked this one up, as it has revealed to me some character traits and opinions of his which I did not realize. One of these was his shock and fascination with the rise in suicide rates amongst Russia's growing urban populations. While this trend was not uncommon as many places in the world began to modernize, it took a particularly dark turn in Russia as the CHILD suicide rate was also spiking. Dostoyevsky wrestled with this trend and, more specifically, the question of how a child could be in such a state of despair as to want to end their own existence. This makes for some heartbreaking sections in "The Russian Soul." He desperately wants others to see their value and to recognize the inherent humanity in each other so as to rebuild the bonds of community which were often frayed and broken during urbanization.
However, there were other sections which required more background knowledge that I did not have. His views on Pushkin and Tolstoy, in particular, were somewhat lost on me as I am unfamiliar with their work. Perhaps it is time for me to pick them up.
All that aside, Dostoyevsky remains one of my favorite authors of all time. His ability to force you to look the darkest sides of humanity directly in the face and come to terms with it is truly special. It is a powerful exercise in empathy and solidarity which I think can only be a benefit to those who take the time to delve into his work. I would recommend this book more for people who are a bit familiar with his other works as it will provide some context for what lies within.
April 17, 2019
Best parts were the short stories
October 31, 2020
Υπέροχη συλλογή από κομμάτια με την εισαγωγή της Rosamund Barlett να έχουν απίστευτο ενδιαφέρον και να δίνουν πλήρη εικόνα στο τι θα διαβάσει και Ποιος είναι αυτός που το έγραψε.
December 24, 2024
In his last decade of life Dostoevsky published some 1800 pages of diary and feuilleton articles in newspapers and journals on whatever subjects came to mind; these short pieces, under the heading of The Writer's Diary, turned out to be the great popular success of his career.
This brief sample collection gives the flavor of the pieces, which are strikingly genial and relaxed compared to his intense, psychologically convoluted novels. Dostoevsky clearly enjoyed the popularity these writings brought him, not to mention his first steady income during a time when he and his wife were settled down raising three children. On the other hand, the author remained subject to periodic manic casino trips to satisfy his gambling addiction; he also kept busy polishing off his last great novel, The Brothers Karamatzov.
Rosamund Bartlett adds a fine introduction to this little-known body of work.
This brief sample collection gives the flavor of the pieces, which are strikingly genial and relaxed compared to his intense, psychologically convoluted novels. Dostoevsky clearly enjoyed the popularity these writings brought him, not to mention his first steady income during a time when he and his wife were settled down raising three children. On the other hand, the author remained subject to periodic manic casino trips to satisfy his gambling addiction; he also kept busy polishing off his last great novel, The Brothers Karamatzov.
Rosamund Bartlett adds a fine introduction to this little-known body of work.
September 15, 2023
My ratings of books on Goodreads are solely a crude ranking of their utility to me, and not an evaluation of literary merit, entertainment value, social importance, humor, insightfulness, scientific accuracy, creative vigor, suspensefulness of plot, depth of characters, vitality of theme, excitement of climax, satisfaction of ending, or any other combination of dimensions of value which we are expected to boil down through some fabulous alchemy into a single digit.
March 21, 2024
Roped me in with the chauvinism, kept me with the antisemitism.
On a real note, an incredibly compelling author who convinced me in fervors blending history and fiction on topics of death and statehood independent of not caring about the fact that it is no longer the late 1800s and I am not a Russian Christian.
Would love to read more Dostoevsky, or perhaps Tolstoy or Pushkin at his recommendation.
I doubt I'll ever read his full diary.
On a real note, an incredibly compelling author who convinced me in fervors blending history and fiction on topics of death and statehood independent of not caring about the fact that it is no longer the late 1800s and I am not a Russian Christian.
Would love to read more Dostoevsky, or perhaps Tolstoy or Pushkin at his recommendation.
I doubt I'll ever read his full diary.
January 10, 2024
This book was a real mix, with some excerpts brilliant and others seemingly delusional and very much over the top. I am not sure that I would recommend reading this, unless you were a die-hard Dostoevsky fan or wanting to better understand the man and the times in which he lived.
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March 17, 2024Dostoevsky isn't my favourite Russian author (although you English seem to love him), but he does amuse me. This is a really delightful little collection. His entire messianic vision also seems to be built on Pushkin, a fact often neglected...
October 31, 2025
Fyodor Dostoevsky is a complex author whose works challenge the reader extensively.
January 18, 2026
- Environment
- my paradox
- Anna Karenina as a fact of special importance
- a sketch of Pushkin
Much like the Irish, Dostoevsky understands that Russia also inhabits a strong feeling of insecure nationalism; a nationalism that is certainly able to parameter what it is not, but not particularly able to define what it is, or what it stands for. It is a sense of self not personally defined, but rather sculpted vis a vis the view of the neighbour or the outer world. A sense of self defined through the eyes of others. Amour propre, as Rousseau knew it. For some of the Irish this neighbour is Great Britain; for Dostoevsky this outer world is Europe. “Did Europe ever trust the Russians Can she ever trust us and stop seeing us as her enemy?” What of this observation? Dostoevsky posits the Russian mind as being one of gentle christian compassion and love. Reasonable, but is it true? Russia unlike Ireland does not seem particularly receptive to the international playground of friends. A hegemon, they are not given to cooperation. The Russian animal cannot be hugged. You cannot be a great power and subordinate yourself beneath your European neighbours. Europe has always known this of Russia, and Russia of herself. As Milton iterates in Paradise Lost, “it is better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven.” And though while the moral severity of this comparison may not be accurate - Russia is of course no Lucifer - the political power dynamic ostensibly remains. Dostoevsky wonders on this yet all the same grows more patriotic as he attempts to untwine this mystery. ‘My Paradox’ (pp63 -71). Confusion confusion.
- my paradox
- Anna Karenina as a fact of special importance
- a sketch of Pushkin
Much like the Irish, Dostoevsky understands that Russia also inhabits a strong feeling of insecure nationalism; a nationalism that is certainly able to parameter what it is not, but not particularly able to define what it is, or what it stands for. It is a sense of self not personally defined, but rather sculpted vis a vis the view of the neighbour or the outer world. A sense of self defined through the eyes of others. Amour propre, as Rousseau knew it. For some of the Irish this neighbour is Great Britain; for Dostoevsky this outer world is Europe. “Did Europe ever trust the Russians Can she ever trust us and stop seeing us as her enemy?” What of this observation? Dostoevsky posits the Russian mind as being one of gentle christian compassion and love. Reasonable, but is it true? Russia unlike Ireland does not seem particularly receptive to the international playground of friends. A hegemon, they are not given to cooperation. The Russian animal cannot be hugged. You cannot be a great power and subordinate yourself beneath your European neighbours. Europe has always known this of Russia, and Russia of herself. As Milton iterates in Paradise Lost, “it is better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven.” And though while the moral severity of this comparison may not be accurate - Russia is of course no Lucifer - the political power dynamic ostensibly remains. Dostoevsky wonders on this yet all the same grows more patriotic as he attempts to untwine this mystery. ‘My Paradox’ (pp63 -71). Confusion confusion.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews