Dostoevsky's Occasional Writings

Northwestern Univ Press, July 1997. Paper Back. New. Dostoevsky's occasional writings compile thirty-three years of newspaper and journal articles, sketches and correspondence collected from 1847-1880, shortly after the success of his first novel until a year before his death. While these writings suffer from (as Dostoevsky himself confessed) the same diffuseness of style that characterizes his novels, the ideas Dostoevsky expresses in them give an important view into the development and genius of one of the greatest writers of all time (it's just true). Herein resides four articles from <i>The Petersburg News</i>, five articles from Dostoevsky's own <i>Time</i> (a literary/political/cultural journal), several sketches, four ''Manifestoes,'' nine of his personal letters, and ''The Triton'' -- an uncharacteristically succinct and good-humoured satire jibing the man who suspects a police spy in everyone he meets. Dostoevsky's slavophilic leanings are apparent throughout and occasionally hilarious in their dramatic effect -- ''To Europe, Russia is one of the riddles of the Sphinx. The perpetuum mobile or the elixir of life will be discovered sooner than Western Europe will comprehend the Russian truth, the Russian spirit, character or turn of mind. In this respect even the moon has been explored more thoroughly than Russia.'' The letters include a request to a correspondent for any observances he might offer concerning children (Dostoevsky was then preparing to write <i<The Brothers Karamazov</i>) and an apology to an unsuccessful writer.