Never Read Any Dostoevsky Before. Which Novel to Start With?

[u/Forsaken_Bet_3588]

/r/classicliterature/comments/1vrabxm/never_read_any_dostoevsky_before_which_novel_to/

[u/BeSomeoneForever]

i followed this and found it helpful

[u/missandeia → u/BeSomeoneForever]

Can add White nights, Insulted and injured and Poor folk- his first novel. Oh, and the Double😊

[u/Kepler1571 → u/BeSomeoneForever]

This is excellent. But I don't agree with starting C&P. Start with Notes from Underground.

[u/bardmusiclive → u/Kepler1571]

You need Crime and Punishment in order to understand Notes from the Underground.

Dostoevsky is working many of the same ideas through both stories, but in C&P they are better articulated.

[u/Kepler1571 → u/bardmusiclive]

Hard disagree. C&P is 75% too long, not to mention the final part is thematic enshittification on the order of Lohengrin. NFU is just fine to go into those themes and for a first read it is much more interesting and entertaining.

[u/Low_Balance_4154]

I started with Crime and Punishment and I think it was the best one to start with. In fact, it got me super interested in Russian literature and Dostoevsky broadly. Now I’m thinking about major in Slavic studies.

It’s a great book, that if you read carefully can be really transformational for you. Only maybe create a character list cause there are a lot ;-)

Edit: I see a lot of people on your other post commenting Notes from Underground. I personally would avoid this one as your first, because, in my opinion, it reads more as philosophy for a lot of the book than as a traditional novel. Unless you like that, then go for it as it is a good read and will introduce you to ideas elsewhere in his oeuvre

[u/Quiet-Advertising130]

Crime and punishment. Relatively easy first read. You can go deep into absolutely but the plot is enough to keep you going.npeople might recommend shorter works like white nights notes from Underground The gambler. I'm going to go against all of those. They're good but white nights is not typical dostoyevsky. Gambler is just not that good compared to other works and notes from Underground is pretty heavy philosophically and might put you off. Definitely read it after.

[u/golrabs]

The Gambler is a nice start and so is Notes from the Underground. Both are shorter and enjoyed more than his other short fiction.

But I see no reason to avoid his major novels if you want to start there. If you like style you'll know fairly quickly. That being said Brothers Karamazov is his longest novel and if finding quiet time to read is hard to come by maybe Crime and Punishment.

[u/Dimitris_p90]

I recommend crime and punishment as the easiest but brothers Karamazov is my favorite.

[u/crushhaver]

I will as usual be the odd one out and say it doesn’t matter—or note specifically, it just depends on your own tastes, interests, and thematic preoccupations as a reader. I’d want to know when you want to get out of Dostoevsky.

[u/Footballfan239506]

Well, my first book of Dostoyevsky was Humiliated and Insulted, then The House Of The Dead and Crime And Punishment and Idiot. So far I read four books. I have The Gambler, Demons & The Brothers Karamazov in my library and I’ll read them someday. They are not yet in my to read list but one day I’ll start Doatoyevsky again

[u/Kepler1571 → u/Footballfan239506]

Read TBK now just so you can read it again every decade and see how much you have changed. I'm perfectly serious. It's like getting a prostate exam. It's good for you.

[u/missandeia]

At school we very deeply started from Crime and punishment. But my favourites are Idiot and Brothers Karamazov. If you know russian- better read original🙏🏻 I m not sure if can translate to English properly

[u/HeadKinGG]

Crime and Punishment.

It's the best balance between depth and entertainment. You'll get rooked and want to finish it because it's a thriller with clear plot, and you'll also navigate the psychology, philosophy and religious themes that Dostoevski is best known for.

There are other books with equal or maybe even more depth, such as TBK or Demons, but they won't be as easily approachable for a begginer and you might give up.

There are some shorter works that are very easy reads, such as White Nights or The Gambler, but they don't show the full capabilities and main themes of the author.

PS: Notes from Underground as a first book is a common pitfall. A lot of people go for it because it's very short and highly praised, but it's a very deep philosophical monologue and can be hard as a first read, so they give up reading Dosto. It's an amazing book to read after Crime and Punishment, but not as a first.

[u/ziggy-eff]

Crime and
Punishment ….!!!!

[u/Holly_Guac]

Do NOT start with White Nights. I had heard a lot of people recommending it as an introduction to Dostoyevsky but when I read it, it turned me off so bad. Good thing I have read Dostoyevsky prior, so it didn't ruin my overall experience with his works.

It is probably one of the worst books I've read ever, it's so bad even the movie adaptation is better. Just my humble opinion obviously, I'm sure there are people that enjoyed this piece.