A Writer's Diary Volume I: 1873 - 1876

Writer's Diary #1

by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Kenneth Lantz (Translator), Gary Saul Morson (Introduction)

The Diary is Dostoevsky's attempt to create a new genre maximally open to present experience and unforeseen historical change--to capitalize on the excitement of an author's creative process, which would itself become material for art, and to demonstrate how an artist reflects on experience as it happens.

Genres: Russian Literature, Literature, Russia, Nonfiction, Diary, Essays, Biography

805 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1886

About the author

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)

Reviews

[Bekhradaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

38
معروف است که همه روسهای تحصیل کرده بسیار با ادب اند - یعنی هر وقت سر و کاری با اروپا پیدا می کنند، یا فکر می کنند اروپایی ها دارند نگاهشان می کنند، حتی اگر اصلا نگاهشان نکنند. اما در خانه، خانه خودمان، سرزمین خودمان، ما راه و رسم خود را داریم - آن اروپایی مآبی در خانه می تواند حذف شود... در روسیه روشنفکران پیشرو، و کسانی که مرتب به بازار سهام سر می زنند، در واقع رهبران فکری ما، همه تظاهر به طرفداری از افکار اروپایی می کنند

[Mehdii · Rating 4 out of 5]

نمرهٔ واقعی: ۳/۵

[Yuri Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who admires Dostoyevsky a great deal, this work was heavy going for me. Frankly, I found much of it repetitive and tedious.
I do not agree with the contention that the work is best comprehended as a novel in progress. I see it as a compendium of assorted works, some of which are anti-Semitic, others religiously bellicose in favour of spreading Orthodoxy. I am tempted to say that there are people in the present Russian power elite who may see this book as supporting their position – but what would I know?

[Ali Di · Rating 4 out of 5]

"در اینجا همه چیز تا هزار سال آینده آشفته است. در اینجا، برای اینکه کاری کنم که مردم نوشته‌ام را بخوانند، حتی بهتر این است که نامفهوم بنویسم..در روزگار گذشته عبارت «من چیزی نمی‌فهمم» صرفا به معنی اظهار جهل از ناحیه‌ کسی بود که این عبارت را ادا کرده بود. حال آنکه امروزه همین عبارت، احترام و افتخار بزرگی نصیب گوینده می‌کند. کافی است آدم با قیافه و لحن بزرگوارانه بگوید «من چیزی از روسیه نمی‌دانم، من چیزی از هنر نمی‌دانم..» تا در لحظه، به مدارج عالی برکشیده شود. و این البته بسیار مفید است، اگر شخص در واقع چیزی نفهمد."

[Parmyc Grimm-pitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

— نمی‌داند چه کند و گویي احساس می‌کند که در خانه‌ی خودش مهمان است. دیرتر، موقعي که درمانده و مشوش آواره و پرسه‌زنِ خاک مادری و سرزمین‌های بیگانه می‌شود و به میان غریبه‌ها می‌رود، او که در هوش و صداقتش تردیدی نیست در می‌یابد که بیش از همه چیز و همه‌کس از خود بیگانه شده. درست است که دوست‌دار سرزمینش است، اما اعتمادی به آن ندارد. البته سخناني درباره‌ی آرمان‌هایش شنیده، اما باورشان ندارد؛ صرفاً بر آن است که در سرزمین آب‌و‌اجدادی‌اش هیچ کاری شدني نیست و — حالا هم مثل سابق — بر کساني که این عقیده را دارند با ریشخند حز‌ن‌آمیزی می‌نگرد.

این کتاب درواقع «اروپا» ترجمه‌ی مهران صفوی از نشر چشمه بود که متاسفانه در گودریدز پیداش نکردم.
یک بخش مقالاتي در باب اروپاست و بخشي «خطابه‌ی پوشکین» که فقط در صورتي جالبه که آدم راجع به پوشکین اطلاعات داشته باشه.
امتیاز اصلي ۲.۵ بود که به بالا گرد کردم.

[Paul H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

So it turns out that Dostoevsky was a blogger, and not a particularly impressive one ...? I seriously felt like I was reading Ross Douthat's blog on NYT Opinion, except with more Slavophilism (like, a lot more)

[Manik Sukoco · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book and its companion volume present the contents of a journal written, edited, and published by Dostoevsky over a period of eight years. It is a fascinating collection. There are stories; there are literary discussions; there are commentaries on current events, especially court cases and international developments. There are jaw-drop-inducing vamps on the harmful effects of the Jews on decent Christian people. As time passes and Dostoevsky grows older and sicker, most other topics are abandoned in favor of eschatological Slavophile ruminations on the "Eastern Question" and the coming triumph of Russian Orthodoxy. All of this will be much more than the casual reader will want to wade through. Yet for the serious student or fan of Dostoevsky's novels, the diaries provide a unique and amazing window into the author's thinking. For the student of 19th century history, they are an unforgettable presentation of one side of the passionate arguments over the future of the Balkan countries. For the student of Russian history, they provide eyewitness commentary on the struggles that accompanied the introduction of Western-style legal reforms, such as trial by jury. They are unique and amazing volumes, enhanced by a superb editor's introduction and useful end notes.

[Frankie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's tough to review this book. It's like describing a busy day to someone briefly, when there were a dozen good and bad events – you usually just say "it was busy." After finishing this first volume/year of A Writer's Diary I can only say it was busy and that you should read it. I'll try to list some highlights.

First, however, I have to remark on Morson's 117-page Introductory Study. It's far too extensive and over-indulgent. Twelve pages of notes?! I agreed with some points, disagreed with others. Mostly I wish I had saved this heavy reading for after completion of the Diary.

Beginning with the bad news – the worst bits are, of course, his political "current affairs" discourse. The Serbian/Turkish strife of 1876 turns the Diary into fox news and Dostoevsky into almost a glenn beck character. These long chapters of nationalist propaganda slowed my enthusiasm. Also, it's difficult not to cringe at Dostoevsky's periodic anti-semitic comments. I'm awaiting his final answer to the "Jewish Question" in Volume 2 before I give an answer to my "Dostoevsky's Anti-Semitism Question."

Nearly everything else (non-political) was brilliant. I'll only mention two features that struck me: the "paradoxicalist" and the suicide discussions. Dostoevsky created a character called the "paradoxicalist" to represent his most improbable and criticized ideas. He would even argue with the character. These chapters reveal much more of D's inner life than his standard "polite" narration exhibits. The several chapters on suicide are fascinating, especially in the October 1876 edition, where he discusses the difference between the rational and the suicidal mind. I have to include this quote:

"For some observers all the facts of life pass by in the most touchingly simple manner and are so plain that it's not worthwhile to think about them or even to look at them. Those same facts of life will sometimes perplex another observer to the extent that he (and this happens not infrequently) is at last incapable of simplifying and making a general conclusion about them, of drawing them out into a single line and so setting his mind at rest. He resorts to simplification of another sort and very simply plants a bullet in his head so as to quench at one stroke his tormented mind and all his questions. These are only the two extremes, but between them lies the entire range of the human intellect."

There were some great short fictions included – Bobok, The Heavenly Christmas Tree (also The Boy at Christ's Christmas Party), The Peasant Marey and The Meek One (also A Gentle Creature). For my reviews of these, see the PV translations The Eternal Husband and Other Stories.

I look forward to volume two, and hopefully a more complete review looking back.

[Маx Nestelieiev · Rating 5 out of 5]

maybe he was even more essay writer then just writer of fiction. IMO the Diary is interesting then many of his books.

[Neno · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I shall talk to myself and for my own amusement, in the form of this diary, whatever may come of it.”

Written in 1873, A Writer’s Diary is not the usual orthodox literature, nor does it appear to be an integrated work. As part of what the translator refers to as “madness and conversations with oneself,” the apparent structure of A Writer’s Diary might be called sketches, articles, chapters, or books within a book. Nevertheless, it complements Dostoevsky’s collection with his cherished reasoning process, the usual feuilletonistic tone, riveting dramatization, and the contrast of moral dilemmas.
Resonating with common themes and motifs, Dostoevsky’s writing navigates unexpected depths—deconstructing pathological conditions, the sterile quarreling of the intelligentsia, and link-tracing situational fictional and semi-fictional stories with fundamental conclusions of great ancient philosophers and dogmas. It flows through the veins of Russia’s martyrdom and reaches the very heart of its people. Although it lacks rule-bound formations, it is fair to say that it confides some memories and explains a part of the recipe for who he is.
Much like Aurora from Nietzsche, Dostoevsky’s conclusions, after a long reasoning process, seem to me like carved aphorisms. Discussing the formation of nations with higher and unifying ideas, the importance of education, the doctrine of environment, the vile corruptive aspects molded into society, escapism, and the shadows of spiritualism—it is an entire odyssey on faulty social structures. In his own words, the source of Russian disunities and dissociations is founded on misunderstandings but has no real substance in them.
It is worth mentioning some great reflections on trying to understand things deeper than we’ve been led to believe throughout the course of our lives, such as: the perspective of this infinite and mysterious universe, the paths and dangers of convictions, the soul as a higher ideal of existence to live by, an everlasting search for truth and kinship with the earth, the rough path to noble qualities, the recognition that people are intertwined with the gradual development of a prolonged independent life of a nation and its institutions, and the overall instability and transitional state of things
Czarism loomed over much of Dostoevsky’s existence—an absolute monarchy where prolonged peace was a bleak and distant concept. It is fascinating how, at that time, he made sense of things, learned the context, and eternalized a bygone era into words. His brazen manner of portraying the tightly interwoven anguish of Russian society either tells the story of a movement that has gone too far or of the indestructibility, hope, and resilience of life, fostering the virtues of renaissance while trying to distance ourselves from the painful joke of how similar we are to monkeys.
“And so I jotted down only a few sad thoughts about the way our Petersburg working classes spend their spare time. The sparseness of their joys and entertainments; the poverty of their spiritual lives; the basements where they raise their pale, scrofulous children; the boring, broad Petersburg streets straight as arrows-as places for their walks; this young tradesman-widower with his child in his arms (an actual picture)-all that seemed to me material enough for a feuilleton so that, I repeat, I might have been accused of something quite the opposite, i.e., that I did little with such an abundance of material. I was consoled by the fact that I managed at least to suggest my main conclusion: that among the vast majority of our People-even the ones in Petersburg basements, even given the most impoverished spiritual environment-there still is a striving for dignity, for a certain decency, for genuine self-respect; love for the family”. Dostoevsky

Link to my highlights: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13GKU...

[ლუკა წიქორია · Rating 1 out of 5]

რუსულ სატელევიზიო არხებზე გავიზარდე და სწორედ ტელევიზიის დახმარებით ვეზიარე რუსულ ენას და კულტურას. იქედან გამომდინარე, რომ ჩემს ბავშვობაში ქართული ტელე არხები, როგორც დღეს საშინელება იყო თუ მეორე არხს არ ჩავთვლით, რუსული ტელე არხები იყო ჩემთვის ძალიან საყვარელი გასართობი საშუალება და ასევე შემეცნებითი, რადგან არა მხოლოდ კარგი ფილმები და მულტფილმები გადიოდა, ასევე ბევრი შემეცნებით დოკუმენტური ფილმი იყო, საიდანაც დიდი ცოდნა მივიღე. ასევე სწორედ რუსული ტელე არხების საშუალებით შევისწავლე რუსული ენა, რომელიც ჩემი პირველი უცხოური ენა იყო.

რატომ ვიბოდიალე ახლა ამდენი :დ
მოკლედ, ერთი სიტყვით რუსული ენა და კულტურა მიყვარდა და ძალიან ვაფასებდი ყველაფერს რუსულს გარდა რუსული ესტრადისა, რომელსაც არ ვუსმენდი.

ხოდა, რუსულ ლიტერატურასაც მაქედან გავეცანი და დოსტოევსკის შემოქმედება ძალიან იწვევდა ჩემში აღფრთოვანებას, მაგრამ როგორც ადამიანი არ მომწონდა, რადგან როდესაც დასახვრეტად გაიყვანა რუსეთის იმპერატორმა და ფაქტობრივად მასხრად აიგდო და მაგხელა ფსიქოლოგიური ტრავმა მიაყენა, ფედია შემდეგ რუსული ცარიზმის მოტრფიალე და მხარდამჭერი გახდა.
ვერ ვიტან ეგეთ ხალხს, თავისი ჯალათები რომ უყვარდებათ ან მათი მონები ხდებიან.

შემდეგ თანდათანობით დოსტევსკის შემოქმედებაში რუსული შოვინიზმი დავინახე და კიდე უფრო არ მომეწონა ეს კაცი, მაგრამ მის შემოქმედებას ვაღიარებდი. არც რუსი ხალხის მიმართ მაქვს ზიზღი და არც რუსული კულტურის და ვაღიარებ კიდეც მათ უპირატესობას ბევრ სფეროში, თუმცა რუსეთი არ მიყვარს და უკრაინის ომი მაგასთან არაფერ შუაშია.

აი, ამ წიგნმა კიდევ ერთხელ დამარწმუნა თუ რა მძიმე მდგომარებაშია რუსული ცნობიერება, რომელიც რუს ერსაც ვნებს და მთლიანად კაცობრიობასაც.

გული ამერია ამ რუსული შოვინიზმის და ბოღმით გაბერილი ტიპის ბოდვებზე.
მართლა ევროპას რა ვუთხარი თავის დროზე ეს ბოღმა პატარა კაცუნა რომ გააპიარა.

იმენა ჟირინოვსკიც და დუგინიც ამასთან შედარებით ბევრად კარგი ტიპები არიან.

[Sinan Öner]

Russian Novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "A Writer's Diary, Volume One, 1873-1876" is very important book was published in 1997 again! Dostoyevsky wrote a lot of novels, stories, essays, speechs and notes. But, Dostoyevsky's Diary is very useful source to understand his work, his writing and his thoughts. Dostoyevsky lived a very rich life in Russia in the 19. Century, from Moscow to Siberia, from Saint Petersburg to the different European cities, Dostoyevsky's life teachs a lot of experiences of a Russian novelist in "a transition age" in the world. Dostoyevsky, one the one hand, wrote his novels, stories and notes, on the other hand, wrote notes about the novel writing of his age, wrote his thoughts on the different subjects of literature in the 19. Century.

[Aloy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dostoievsky est, et restera probablement, un de mes écrivains favoris. Après lu une partie de son œuvre fictive et ayant un grand amour pour les récits intimes, je me suis naturellement tourné vers son journal.
Ce n’est décidément pas l’ouvrage que je conseillerais pour débuter, et je préconise sincèrement des bases en histoire russe (ou alors une grande curiosité pour le sujet, poussant à faire des recherches au fur et à mesure).
Mais, cela dresse un portrait fascinant d’une manière de penser proche de celle de son temps et des préoccupations littéraires et politiques de l’époque.

[Vanjr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this is not Dostoyevsky at his best, recurrent themes remind you of his other writings. I recommend reading the introductory study after reading the rest of the book.
Particularly excellent sections include: Bobok, The Boy at Christ's Christmas Party, and the best, The Hundred Year Old Woman.

[Zahra · Rating 2 out of 5]

کتاب اروپا ترجمه مهران صفوی بود از نشر چشمه ولی متاسفانه هر چه قدر گشتم توی گودریدز پیداش نکردم.
کل کتاب درمورد اروپا و قسمتی از اون هم درمورد پوشکین هستش.
در صورتی میتونه مخاطب رو به خودش جذب کنه که فرد در مورد پوشکین و اروپا اطلاعات کاملی داشته باشه.
درسته از نظر حجم خیلی کمه ولی تمرکز زیادی میطلبه
خوندنش آنچنان پیشنهاد نمیشه مخصوصا اگه تازه میخواین شروع کنین به خوندن آثار داستایوفسکی.

[Olivia Caciuleanu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slaps.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monthly essays on current events for a magazine he was editing. It’s interesting to see this side of him, and what makes him passionate, though he can get verbose. On to volume two!

[Alireza Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

این جلد خواننده را با دغدغه‌های فلسفی و اجتماعی داستایفسکی آشنا می‌کند و عمق فکری او را نشان می‌دهد، هرچند ساختار یادداشت‌ها پراکنده است و نیاز به صبر و تأمل دارد.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Late in life, Dostoevsky decided to write more nonfiction, and his chosen method for publishing most of that content was his Writer's Diary. Published monthly, Dostoevsky would write several piece per month, often grouped together on a theme, or at least following a thread of thought from one to the next. This volume contains the first grouping of those articles, with a second volume to follow.

The articles cover a variety of topics--responses to his writing, poverty, prison, the legal system, and the ever popular Eastern question in the last half of 1876 [Dostoevsky also makes about ten derogatory references to Jews, a troubling blind spot in a man whose compassion is evident in other circumstances]. In these, we see a portrait of the author with compassion for the downtrodden of his people; one who was willing to find value not just in education, but also in the simpler lives of the "People," and also one who was generally suspicious of the liberalizing, Eurocentric elites of his country. Throughout the author lionizes "the Russian spirit" and shows himself clearly as one who loves simple people. He argues strongly for Russia's involvement in "the East," meaning Eastern Europe, as the elites enamored with the philosophy and socialized politics of the West stand suspicious of Russia's protection of these nations from Muslim invaders.

The most affecting portions of the Diary come in the final third of 1876, as Dostoevsky recounts the proceedings of a particular court case involving the crime of a young, pregnant stepmother. Dostoevsky's keen sense of the psychology of the situation, even only as an observer of the case through the newspapers, reveals even in the recounting of a historical situation his power as a novelist. As he discusses this case in the October and December entries, he includes one of only three (or maybe four, depending on your view of The Peasant Marey) fictional entries in this volume of the Diary, a short story called The Meek One, for his November entry. While the details of this story are different from the court case, it too involves the tragedy of a young wife. This story exists in the great tradition of art that serves a social, rather than just an entertaining or personally enriching, purpose. While Dostoevsky doesn't explicitly link the story to the court case, its placement in the Diary, combined with the surprising turn of events recorded in the December entry, make plain the impact that good fiction can have.

[Madison Petta · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book is fuckin THICK. I read and enjoyed some of his work in college so when I saw a beautiful first edition of this in a vintage store, I splurged. I also may regret it

[Andrea C · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5