Brothers Karamazov

Fyodor Dostoyevsky's final novel, considered to be the culmination of his life's work, "e;The Brothers Karamazov"e; is the story of the murder of Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov, whose four sons are all to some degree complicit in the crime. Fyodor is a contemptible man who during his two marriages has three sons, Dmitri, Ivan, and Alexei. A fourth, Pavel, whom he employs as his servant, is suspected to be the illegitimate product of a union with "e;Reeking Lizaveta,"e; a mute woman of the street who died in childbirth. Fyodor takes little interest in the raising of his children and as a result finds himself in a contentious relationship with them. Within the context of this crime story evolves a brilliant philosophical debate of religion, reason, liberty, and the nature of guilt in a modernizing society. Considered by Sigmund Freud as "e;The most magnificent novel ever written,"e; Dostoyevsky's "e;The Brothers Karamazov,"e; remains to this day to be regarded as one of the finest accomplishments of literature in any language. Through the lives and loves of the Karamazovs, Dostoyevsky presents a compelling examination of Russian life in the 19th century. This edition follows the translation of Constance Garnett and includes a biographical afterword.