This inciteful look into the life of Punin is quite a page turner. From references to his affair with Akhmatova to reflections on the politics of the time, the diaries provide a rare chronicle of the early Soviet era. The tactful translation is smooth and easy to comprehend. Jennifer Greene Krupala is a very talented translator and does great justice to the diaries of Nikolay Punin; it is obvious that she has a deep understanding of the work and a strong command of the Russian language.

I initially approached this book with a great deal of trepidation. I had never read Dostoyevsky, and was concerned that I would get bogged down in some lengthy, mind-numbingly boring, nineteenth-century treatise on the bestial nature of man or something. I am happy to report this is not the case. Instead, and to my delight, it is a smoothly flowing and fascinating story of a young man who succumbs to the most base desire, and the impact this has both psychologically and otherwise on himself and those around him.

To be sure, the book seems wordy in places, but I suspect this has to do with the translation. And what translator in his right mind would be bold enough to edit the great Dostoyevsky? But this is a very minor problem.

What we get with Dostoyevsky is dramatic tension, detailed and believable human characters, and brilliant insight into human nature. Early in the novel our hero meets and has a lengthy conversation with Marmeladov, a drunkard. This conversation is never uninteresting and ultimately becomes pathetic and heartbreaking, but I kept wondering why so much time was spent on it. As I got deeper into the book, I understood why this conversation was so important, and realized that I was in the hands of a master storyteller. This is also indicative of the way in which the story reveals itself. Nothing is hurried. These people speak the way we actually speak to one another in real life, and more importantly, Dostoyevsky is able to flesh out his characters into whole, three-dimensional human beings.

And what a diverse group of characters! Each is fleshed out, each is marvelously complex. Razujmikhin, the talkative, gregarious, good-hearted, insecure and destitute student; Sonia, the tragic child-prostitute, with a sense of rightness in the world; Petrovich, the self-important, self-made man, completely out of touch with his own humanity; Dunia, the honorable, wronged sister: we feel like we know these people because we've met people like them. They fit within our understanding of the way human beings are.

Dostoyevsky also displays great insight into human nature. Svidrigailov, for example, talks of his wife as liking to be offended. "We all like to be offended," he says, "but she in particular loved to be offended." It suddenly struck me how true this is. It gives us a chance to act indignantly, to lash out at our enemies, to gain favor with our allies. I don't believe I've ever seen this thought expressed in literature before. In fact, it never occurred to me in real life! Petrovich, Dunia's suitor, not only expects to be loved, but because of his money, and her destitution, he expects to be adored! To be worshipped! He intentionally sought out a woman from whome he expected to get this, and is comletely flummoxed when she rejects him. His is an unusual character, but completely realized.

There is so much more to talk about: the character of Raskolnikov, which is meticulously and carefully revealed; the sense of isolation which descends on him after committing his crime; the cat and mouse game played on him by the police detective. I could go on and on. I haven't even mentioned the historical and social context in which this takes place. Suffice to say this is a very rich book.

Do not expect it to be a rip-roaring page turner. Sit down, relax, take your time, and savor it. It will be a very rewarding experience. And thank you SL, for recommending it.

This is book is one of the greatest novels written. It was however written originally as a piece of propaganda. Its author was a political conservative who was concerned about the spread of Western ideas in Russia and how they could destroy society. It was a theme that he was to return to in some of his other novels notably the Devils. The book was written at a time when novels produced in Russia had to be supportive of the autocratic system and this was passed by a state board.

The central theme is about a young student who decides to kill an older woman in his apartment block. The reason for the murder is not gain but rather to show that he is a person who is free and like a Napoleon. Dostoevsky also intended to write another novel called the drunkard at the same time. The plot of that novel involved a man who forces his daughter into prostitution because of his inability to control his urges. Instead of bringing them out as separate novels Dostoevsky intertwines the two stories and makes the young prostitute the means by which his main character can be redeemed.

The book starts with the murder and follows the gradual realisation by the police of the identity of the murderer. Although the book started out as a simple expose of the way that western ideas could corrupt the youth of Russia it grew into something else. In part that was because of the development, some time after the novel was published, of philosophical systems which stressed a moralism of self actualisation. The sorts of systems of Nietchze and Kirkagaard. It is also a novel which tends to speak to young people. At least once in a young person's life they feel like the hero, wanting to do some act which defines them as superior to the common heard, to express their freedom or individuality. Ironically they identify with the hero who is meant to be an example of a person who is redeemed by rejecting the sorts of ideas which is the reason why people now read the book.

Whilst the main attraction of the book is a message which was at variance with the reason it was written it is still a classic. Everyone has to read this as it is one of the most remarkable books written.

This book was written in 1865-1866 and shows the dark side of the human psyche. A young man (Rodion) commits a horrible, disgusting crime for two main reasons: 1) He believes that he is above the rest of humanity and that it is "permissible" for him to commit murder and 2) He believes he will be doing society a huge favor by getting rid of this old woman. He murders the old woman and is overcome with grief and guilt, although he doesn't recognize them as such. He is angry about these feelings because, as a superior human being (which is believes he really is), he shouldn't be having these kinds of emotions. The novel continues through his emotional hell and finally, at the end, his redemption through the love of a young woman. The details of this novel are incredible and, in my opinion, far surpass those found in the thriller novels of today. Dostoyevsky has a style that has yet to be equalled. This is not a "quick and easy" read, it is a somewhat heavy read, but it is (in my opinion) worth every minute of the reader's time!