Tag Archives: Russian Literature

The Brothers Karamazov

Posted on September 9, 2020 by smellincoffee

The Brothers Karamazov© 1879 Fyodor Dostoevsky, trans. 1992 Pevear & Volkonsky840 pages Fathers and teachers, I ask myself: “What is hell?” And I answer thus: “The suffering of being no longer able to love.” The Brothers Karamazov has the unusual … Continue reading →

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Wisdom Wednesday: Live not by Lies

Posted on September 2, 2020 by smellincoffee

From The Brothers Karamazov, an early chapter in which the brothers and their father receive advice from an Elder at the monastery:   “Above all, above everything else — do not lie.” “About Diderot, you mean?” “No, not exactly about … Continue reading →

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War and Peace

Posted on December 11, 2019 by smellincoffee

War and Peace pub. 1869 Leo Tolstoy trans.  1957 Rosemary Edmunds 1444 pages My word, what a book!   In the beginning, dear readers, I’ll confess that I anticipated failure. Tolstoy’s epic addressing the nature of history and war,  and the … Continue reading →

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The book as a squarish chunk of hot smoking conscience

Posted on November 30, 2018 by smellincoffee

In autumn of 2017, The New Criterion published an article about Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s “cathedrals“, his Gulag Archipelago and a series of epic ‘novels’ known as the Red Wheel series. I delayed posting this until I was finished with the trilogy, … Continue reading →

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We the Living

Posted on July 28, 2018 by smellincoffee

We the Living © 1936  Ayn Rand 528 pages   “I fear for your future, Kira,” said Victor. “It’s time to get reconciled to life. You won’t get far with those ideas of yours.” “That,” said Kira, “depends on what … Continue reading →

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