The Brothers Karamazov
by Fiódor Dostoievski, Constance Garrett · first published 2015
46% recommend47% neutral7% critical
Why HN recommends it
Psychologically deep novel of ideas about humanity, with vivid characters and layers of meaning that reward rereading; suits readers who want a demanding, philosophical literary experience.
Common criticism: Long philosophical discussions can feel slow or heavy
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Completed only a few months before the author's death, The Brothers Karamazov is Dostoyevsky's largest, most expansive, most life-embracing work. Filled with human passions―lust, greed, love, jealousy, sorrow, and humor―the book is also infused with moral issues and the issue of collective guilt. A terrifying answer to man's eternal questions, this monumental work remains the crowning achievement of perhaps the finest novelist of all time.\ It is a murder mystery, a courtroom drama, and an exploration of erotic rivalry in a series of triangular love affairs involving the 'wicked and senti
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"Orthodoxy" - GK Chesterton "The Abolition of Man" - CS Lewis "The Master and Margarita" - Mikhail Bulgakov "The Brothers Karamazov" - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
on “Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?” ↗…Scott - *The Unwinding* by George Packer - *People's History of the United States* by Howard Zinn Fiction - *East of Eden* by John Steinbeck - *Sometimes a Great Notion* by Ken Kesey - *The Brothers Karamazov* by Fyodor Dostoyevsky edit: formatting
on “Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?” ↗I decided to try reading the classic literature this year. The books that stood the test of time. I started with Brothers Karamazov by F.Dostoyevsky Middlemarch by G.Eliot After that I plan to continue with East of Eden by J.Steinbeck Ulysses by J.Joyce They all have incredible characters, deep thoughts, delicious language.…
on “Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?” ↗I'd recommend Steinbeck's East of Eden and Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov.
on “The Best Books I Read in 2013” ↗The big ones for me: 1) Antifragile by Taleb (Skin in the Game is so far excellent as well) 2) The Border Trilogy by McCarthy 3) The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky 4) East of Eden by Steinbeck 5) Slaughterhouse Five by Vonnegut
on “Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?” ↗I'm not OP but let me take this opportunity to recommend Fyodor Dostoevsky. I started with The Brothers Karamazov when I was fresh out of high school and struggling with identity (coming from a traditional Hindu society in Nepal). It has helped me immensely and I consider it to be one of the best most comprehensive…
on “Ask HN: What to do after the workday?” ↗I read Crime and Punishment after reading The Brothers Karamazov. I found Crime and Punishment shallow in it's story and characters when compared to The Brothers Karamazov.
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?” ↗The Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky) It's a book that raises a lot of good questions about good vs. evil, free will, morality, religion and so much more.
on “Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?” ↗"The Brothers Karamazov" - Fyodor Dostoevsky. Perhaps the very first existentialist novel ever written. Dostoevsky was an existentialist before anyone knew what existentialism was.
on “Ask YC: Favorite Philosophical novel?” ↗King Lear (Shakespeare). Disgrace (Coetzee). The Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky). Тихий Дон (Sholohov's name is on the cover; there are several translations under various titles as Quiet Don or something like that).
on “Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?” ↗Nassim Taleb's "Antifragile", Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov", Robert Greene's "48 Laws of Power" were some of the good books I read this year.
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012” ↗The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Picked this up after recently finishing The Selfish Gene, as I remembered what a thrilling read Crime and Punishment was. Dostoyevsky is funny, thought-provoking and anxiety-inducing…
on “Ask HN: What books are you reading?” ↗To add a conflicting voice, my own opinion is that Constance Garnett's translation of The Brothers Karamazov is Dostoyevsky's best work for English readers.
on “Dostoyevsky's “Dream of a Ridiculous Man” (2014)” ↗Progress & Poverty (1879) by Henry George Orthodoxy (1908) by G.K. Chesterton The Brothers Karamazov (1880) by Fyodor Dostoevsky
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?” ↗Victory - Joseph Conrad Notes from the Underground - Dostoyevsky Brothers Karamazov - Dostoyevsky (there is a bunch of other brilliant Dostoyevsky books)
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?” ↗