The Brothers Karamazov (Everyman's Library)

Random House Inc, March 1992. Hardcover. New. Dostoevsky's crowning masterpiece and the quintessential expression of his thought, <i>The Brothers Karamazov</i> tells the tale of a man's murder and the search to discover his murderer. As a novel, this book has every requisite: romance; vengeance; murder; intrigue; religion; philosophy; and a big dose of ''whodunnit.'' Dostoyevsky is without peer in his capacity for depicting numerous plausible characters and, thereby, presenting differing lines of philosophical thought compellingly. His famous depiction of Father Zossima, the Russian staretz, is contained in this novel, as is his infamous Grand Inquisitor. The blessing of belief, the curse of unbelief, the sordidness of life lived refusing to believe and the vacuity of the apathetic life are all portrayed. If one were to read only one novel by Dostoevsky, this would be the one to choose. And, if one were to choose a translation, this would be the one. Critics have deemed this recent translation (1990) to be the most faithful to date, reflecting the wit and the varied stylistic levels of Dostoevsky's writing with a clarity that no other English translation achieves. 796 pp.