My travel/vacation read this summer was The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky. I’ve only made it thus far through 400 pages (halfway done!), but I understand now why some consider it the best novel of the 19th century, or even the greatest novel of all time. It has some profound themes related to family, love, conflict, sin, and Christianity.
If you pick up a copy, make sure it’s the critically acclaimed 1990 translation by the husband-wife team of Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.
I’ve heard that the 1958 film version isn’t that great, so I hadn’t planned to watch a film version. After all, movie adaptations are notorious for rewriting the story and ultimately disappointing—probably a function of boiling down the story into a two-hour format.
So I was intrigued to see that in 2009 a Russian mini-series was produced in 12 episodes. My wife and I are currently watching the DVD (with English subtitles) and greatly enjoying it. The film follows the book very closely, and it’s very well done.
The DVD isn’t widely available, it seems, but if you can locate a copy it’s definitely a rich, entertaining, thoughtful experience.
Here’s the trailer:
