El narrador de la novela es un escritor cuya primera obra la ha valido el reconocimiento, pero que, poco amigo de la adulación y de la sociedad, parece incapaz de proseguir su carrera. Está enfermo y aceptado la perdida del amor... ( )

La societta e il suo fedele bardo mi regalano un romanzo minore di Dostoevskij, una delle prime opere, proposta in appendice ai giornali dell’epoca. Si intravvedono le peculiari capacità d’indagine dell’animo umano del grande scrittore russo, nonostante la complessità delle storie che si intrecciano nel romanzo spesso portano il lettore, almeno io lettore, fuori strada. Infatti, la storia principale, quella di Vanja, un giovane scrittore incuriosito dal vecchio Smith decide di traferirsi in casa del vecchio, all’indomani della morte di questo, si interseca con altre storie. Vanja inizia a questo punto a proteggere la nipote di Smith, la piccola Nelly e prende forma un secondo tema narrativo che diventa man mano prevalente, quello del rapporto tra il principe Valkovsj e Natasa; ma anche qui ben presto la storia si articola su più livelli, richiedendo attenzione e concentrazione. Ma, d’altronde Dostoevskij è Dostoevskij e non ci si possono aspettare letture semplici. Rimane l’incredibile capacità di scandagliare l’animo umano, di vivisezionare i sentimenti, le angosce e le paure dell’uomo con una sensibilità unica. Un romanzo complesso ma che si legge con grande piacere. ( )

Com xilogravuras de Osvaldo Goeldi ( )

This was an excellent novel by Dostoevsky. There was plot twists, extensive character studies, pervasive themes, literary merit, and rapid intrigue all combined into one. You vied for the characters and they became real in their actions, thoughts, and feelings. The plot is one that you can completely absolve yourself into and it becomes persuasive in its impetus that rides alongside you through your reading of it. I was thoroughly interested in this one and I feel it's among Dostoevsky's best novels.

4.5 stars and no less- fully earned! ( )

A bit soap-opera-ish, with a touch of Dickens. Worth a read none-the-less.

The narrator, Vanya, is a novelist in the mold of the author. One of his critics says that his books border on mawkish, and are stained by Vanya's sweat and tears, who works with such febrile intensity to complete them (always under the pressure of a deadline). This weakness is apparent in Dostoevsky's characterizations as well, as nearly everyone in this novel is in a near constant state of delirious emotional upheaval, convulsing (often literally) after every confrontation, as the narrator rushes from one scene to the next with no respite even in dreams. It is easy, not to mention disconcerting, to imagine Dostoevsky on the verge of a nervous attack, in hot-pursuit with his pen as he feels all the emotions as he describes them. It is impossible to sustain a climax for hundreds of pages, so this intensity undermines the arc of the story as the reader habituates to the style, and any revelations only have the force of added melodrama when they emerge.

Each character is again an exaggerated "type," although they are more involving and believable than in Dostoevsky's prior work, and seem based in part on his experience of individuals he knew in reality.

There are hints of Dostoevsky's full powers at work here, though obscured by over-use of certain techniques and under-maturation of his literary/philosophical themes. ( )