How many times have you read the works of Dostoevsky?

[Worm]

I've read "The Idiot", "The Possessed", "The Brothers Karamazow", "Crime and Punishment",  and all of his minor works, one time.
"The adolescent" I've read two times.

[hibernance]

Crime and Punishment twice.
Brothers Karamazov once.
Some minor works, most of which I couldn't name in English, once.
And I'm currently reading The Idiot, on page 300 or something.

[Radio Saturday]

"Notes From Underground" and "Notes From the House of Dead":  .5 times (started and never got around to finishing).

"Crime and Punishment," "The Brothers Karamazov" and most of the short stories:  Once.

"Demons" and "The Adolescent":  About 1.5 times.

"The Idiot" and "The Insulted and Injured":  Twice.

"White Nights":  At least three times.

I need to re-read almost all of them, especially "The Brothers Karamazov" because it's been a year or so and most of the details have slipped away from me because I tend to read at night.  

[TheGoldenFlamingo]

I have only read Crime and Punishment 1 time.

[slicingbike]

I'm halfway through crime and punishment, though I'm going to at least attempt to read part of demons during Thanksgiving week, since I need to know about it for my research report. Does anyone know how long it is?

[TheGoldenFlamingo]

It's about 700 pages, depending on the translation.

[slicingbike]

I was hoping it was 200 or less. My thanksgiving is going to be one huge reading session. Hopefully it's as invigorating and insightful as Crime and Punishment is turning out to be.

[TheGoldenFlamingo]

tell me if it is, i'll check it out.

[slicingbike]

Sure thing. I'm going to buy it today when I go and get the foam board

[Radio Saturday]

Hopefully it's as invigorating and insightful as Crime and Punishment is turning out to be.

It certainly is, but with about three times as many sub-plots and characters. It isn't confusing, though. I highly recommend the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation (it has good cover art, too).    Enjoy!

[Astolfo]

  Geez, your question sure sends me down memory lane.

  I think I was 12, so it coulda been 1971, when I bought a paperback copy of the Karamazov Bros in a gift shop just two blocks from my place. Tried to read it, and could not, so I left it there on the shelf, as living proof that altough I still didn't have what it takes to get to The Man, I knew that it was the right thing to do.  

  So I finally made it back to the book when I was seventeenish and went through it the first time -the one you can't forget- absolutely amazed at what i was reading. Then I read "Notes from the Underground" and decided then and there that this was probably one of the works the beginning of modern literature (some thirty years later, I still agree with myself on that point), so I starting eating all the rest.

   I did "The Demons" in practically one long feverish session over a week, in bed with the flu, using a diagram I had drawn on the back cover of a notebook (that I still posess) to orientate myself among the plethora of subplots, political connections and family ties. The chapter with the serie of nocturnal visits by Stavorgin is still vivid in my mind.

   And of course I reread The Man all the time, specially "Underground Man", "Idiot", "Karamazov Bros" and "Demons": the Great Inquisitor story, the apocalyptic "progressive" fundraiser at the end of "Demons", the private lobby restaurant scene in "Underground Man"...  I just keep coming back to them every once in a while, safe in the knowledge that FD's books are on my wall, and I can always pick them up whenever I feel the time is right.

   In a nutshell: if you start reading FD, why stop?

[nektarios]

I rea TBK,twice,Notes from the underground,3 or 4 times.And all other at least 1 time.

When i start reading Dostoyevski,seriously,at my 19th,i had a feeling,that i was in other dimension,i read,all his books,in 2 or 3 months,then.Fantastic experience.

As Berdyaev said(I separate people,from those who read Dostoyevski,and from those who didnt).

I think that people,who are familiar with Dostoyevski,are the most lucky individuals in the world.

[Radio Saturday]

I think I was 12, so it coulda been 1971, when I bought a paperback copy of the Karamazov Bros in a gift shop just two blocks from my place. Tried to read it, and could not, so I left it there on the shelf, as living proof that altough I still didn't have what it takes to get to The Man, I knew that it was the right thing to do.  

I did about the same thing, only mine was "The Idiot" and it was my dad's copy. And it was a few years later...  

[Astolfo]

  I guess one HAS to fall at least once from the horse to be really motivated to ride, right?

   But in my personal case, my father was also instrumental in introducing me to a number of authors, among them FD. I clearly remember being a child (say 8-9 years old) when he mentioned me for the first time the story of this a guy who wakes up one morning to discover he has become a bug...

   As per TBK, he also explained me that he had dreamed up an age related theory concerning the bros, namely that when you read the novel in your younger days you tend to identify with either Dimitri or Ivan -depending if you're more of a romantic or an intellectual, I guess- and only once you have grown a bit you can start to grasp the meaning of Alyosha.

   By the way, I have modified the same theory, only applied to The Beatles: you start out by either being a John or Paul guy (rebel vs cute, bass vs guitar, etc), then slowly in time you start to appreciate more and more George's contribution, and if you really are a devoted beatlemaniac for years and years you may finally get to understand that it was actually Ringo who held the whole act together. Talk about poliphony!

   Oh and Nektarios, I guess I'm a lucky guy, son of a lucky guy. A pity Dad is dead. Well, he's probably discussing his age theory with My Main Man Fedor himself! I'll drink to that..

[nektarios]

Exactly,is not easy,someone to grasp Alyosha symbolism,thats why many people,are seducted,from other more dark heroes because are more trendy.But i think if someone stuck,to Demetri,or Ivan,is doing something like intellectuall masturbation.When you realize what Alyosha is,you entering to other dimension.