Synopses & Reviews
In this highly acclaimed work, now available for the first time in paperback, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams investigates the four major novels of one of literature's most complex, and most complexly misunderstood, authors: Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, Devils, and The Brothers Karamozov. Displaying an impressive grasp of the literary, historical, psychological, and theological frameworks underpinning Dostoevsky's text, Williams explores the intricacies of his speech, fiction, metaphor, and iconography. To understand Dostoevsky as a writer of fiction, Williams convincingly argues, one must also understand his religious commitments. Published in cloth in 2008, Rowan Williams' Dostoevsky is a rich and masterful guide--one that greatly enhances any reading of the great writers' work.
Review
"[Dostoevsky] is a wonderfully intelligent, stylish reading of the novels, with--as one would expect--fascinating things to say about the religious life at the heart of Dostoevsky's fiction, and about his handling of it. However well you think you know the novels, this book will show you new things you missed."
--A. N. Wilson, The Times Literary Supplement
Review
"This book is not at all what one expects it to be. Over five bold and compelling chapters, Rowan Williams performs a tour-de-force reading of Dostoevsky's major novels."
--Robert Bird, University of Chicago, The Journal of Religion, July 2010
Review
"Williams takes us on a journey through a world where philosophy and theology are not dry on a page, but moist with tears of compassion. After reading this breathtaking book, we return to Dostoevsky with new insight on what it means to be human, and above all, to sense the dark and urgent presence of the living God."
--N. T. Wright, Bishop of Durham
Synopsis
Rowan Williams explores the intricacies of speech, fiction, metaphor, and iconography in the works of one of literature's most complex, and most complexly misunderstood, authors. Williams' investigation focuses on the four major novels of Dostoevsky's maturity (Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, Devils, and The Brothers Karamozov). He argues that understanding Dostoevsky's style and goals as a writer of fiction is inseparable from understanding his religious commitments. Any reader who enters the rich and insightful world of Williams' Dostoevsky will emerge a more thoughtful and appreciative reader for it.
Synopsis
Now in paper: The Times Literary Supplement's 2008 book of the year
About the Author
Rowan Williams (Ph.D. Wadham College, Oxford) is the Archbishop of Canterbury. Having received his D. Phil. From Oxford, he held a variety of academic posts in Oxford and Cambridge, before leaving the Lady Margaret Professorship of Divinity at Oxford to be successfully Bishop of Monmouth and the Archbishop of Wales. He has published 12 books, including, most recently, Why Study the Past? (2005), Poems (2002), and Writing in the Dust: Reflections on the 11th September and Its Aftermath (2002).
Table of Contents
"[
Dostoevsky] is a wonderfully intelligent, stylish reading of the novels, with--as one would expect--fascinating things to say about the religious life at the heart of Dostoevsky's fiction, and about his handling of it. However well you think you know the novels, this book will show you new things you missed."
--A. N. Wilson, The Times Literary Supplement "This book is not at all what one expects it to be. Over five bold and compelling chapters, Rowan Williams performs a tour-de-force reading of Dostoevsky's major novels."
--Robert Bird, University of Chicago, The Journal of Religion, July 2010
"Williams takes us on a journey through a world where philosophy and theology are not dry on a page, but moist with tears of compassion. After reading this breathtaking book, we return to Dostoevsky with new insight on what it means to be human, and above all, to sense the dark and urgent presence of the living God."
--N. T. Wright, Bishop of Durham