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Reading journal: Crime and Punishment by Fjodor Dostojevski. Introduction.

Dostojevski’s Преступление и наказание (transliteration: Prestupleniye i Nakazaniye) or Crime and Punishment, was first published in 12 monthly instalments in a Russian literary magazine in 1866. It was almost immediately recognised for its literary value, and has become part of the literary canon, not only in Russia but in the whole of the Western world.

This is one of those classics that people who wish to be considered highly literate and well-read will proudly tick off their To Be Read list. I, on the other hand, am reading it because it's part of my mystery-reading challenge. Since it is often mentioned in the same instance as the epic War and Peace I expected it to be much longer than it tuned out to be: only 496 pages in the Icelandic translation, and not with particularly small lettering either. It is divided into six parts and a short epilogue, and I am going to read it in six sessions. I will try to write some thoughts and speculations and possibly analysis after each session.

Since this is a classic and not a newly published book like the book I journalled previously, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I am not going to try to hide what happens but will discuss the book as if I were writing to someone who has already read it and has asked me for my thoughts about it.



Source: Wikipedia. Retrieved April 1, 2009, 19:45 GMT.
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Anonymous said…
It is very interesting for me to read this blog. Thanks for it. I like such themes and anything that is connected to this matter. BTW, why don't you change design :).
January 22, 2010 12:57 pm
Bibliophile said…
Is there something wrong with the design? Is it perhaps hard to read?
January 22, 2010 2:03 pm
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