notes from the underground richard pevear and larissa volokhonsky

Besides the long, fleshy bags under his eternally insolent, suspicious, and leering little eyes, besides the multitude of deep wrinkles on his fat little face, a big Adam's apple, fleshy and oblong like a purse, hung below his sharp chin, giving him a sort of repulsively sensual appearance. 'Fyodor's physiognomy by that time presented something that testified acutely to the characteristics and essence of his whole life. Dostoyevsky wrote a description of Fyodor that still gives me a shiver every time I read it. The motivations of the other characters all revolve around reactions to the careless and insensitive behavior of the father. The recklessness at which Fyodor lived his life is really the basis of the plot. There are three legitimate sons Dmitri, Ivan and Alyosha, but I believe that Smerdyakov is also an illegitimate son, though not confirmed by the author given the tendencies of Fyodor to hop on anything in a skirt I would say chances are pretty good that the boy is a Karamazov. This is the story of the Karamazov family. Despite a plot that skipped around I did not experience the confusion that has marred my memories of other Russian novels. I did not have that issue with this book. I certainly spent too much time scratching my head and reading feverishly to see if I could figure out from the interactions of the characters if Vanky was actually Ivan or Boris or Uncle Vashy. One of my complaints, when I was in college, and liked to torture myself with the largest most incomprehensible Russian books I could find, was that the nicknames and diminutives of various Russian names increased my frustration level and decreased my ability to comprehend the plots. I will certainly be picking up more of these editions especially the Russian novels that are translated by the magical duo of Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. Despite the smaller size, the print size is still easily readable.

A 776 page novel that feels like a 300 page novel. I have to give a plug to these Everyman's Library editions. (Thank you to my fellow travelers who didn't feel the need to chat with the guy who obviously is so frilling bored he has resorted to reading a Russian novel.) I zipped through three hundred pages like it was butter and found myself absolutely captivated by the evolving drama of the Brothers Karamazov, the women that drive them crazy, and the father that brings to mind the words justifiable homicide. I absolutely fell under the thrall of Dostoyevky's prose. I took this on a plane flight, crazy right? Not exactly the normal 'light' reading I take on flights. It hops around and attention must be paid or you will find yourself flipping back a few pages to reestablish the thread of the story. If you like your books to move in a linear fashion this book is not for you.

Notes from the underground richard pevear and larissa volokhonsky