Karl Marx's domestic life reflected the highs and lows of his unwavering commitment to the Communist cause. In "Love and Capital", Mary Gabriel reveals the man behind the Marxism, centering the Marx family's colourful dynamics over half a century as they navigated the costs and tragedies of a revolutionary life.| Russophile Reads
In "The Brothers Karamazov", Dostoevsky creates one of the most famous family feuds in literary history. Fyodor Karamazov is notorious in his village for both his depravity and his wealth. When his three sons -- Dmitri, Ivan, and Alyosha -- come back to town, an uncomfortable family reunion and brutal reckoning is sure to follow . . .| Russophile Reads
When the naive and good-hearted Prince Myshkin arrives back in Petersburg after several years away from Russia, he quickly finds himself the heir to a large fortune and caught up in a strange love triangle. But how will Russian high society respond to the presence of this pure young man . . . ?| Russophile Reads
Dostoevsky's youthful brush with radicalism left him with a permanent distaste towards revolutionary ideas. In "Devils", he delves into a small revolutionary cell in a Russian town that is intent on tearing down the old order, centered upon the shadowy figure of Nikolay Stavrogin. All hell is about to break loose . . .| Russophile Reads
In "Crime and Punishment", Dostoevsky dives into the mind of Raskolnikov, an arrogant young man who dreams of becoming a 'great man', but who believes the first step of his ascent is committing a murder. Once there's blood on his hands, however, Raskolnikov's world becomes ever more claustrophobic and nightmarish, forcing him to confront not only justice, but the nature of his own delusions.| Russophile Reads
Written in a white heat to outrun his creditors, Dostoevsky's "The Gambler" is a messy, dizzying novel that shows glimmers of masterpieces to come. Alexey Ivanovitch, a Russian tutor abroad, is drawn to roulette and the hope of an instant fortune. But as he soon discovers, every risk has its price . . .| Russophile Reads
Russophile Reads is gearing up for a special Readathon series in Fall 2024, featuring the greatest works of one of Russia's -- and one of the world's -- greatest novelists, Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881). Join me in my Dostoevsky Readathon as we celebrate his life and legacy!| Russophile Reads
Throughout our lives, various individuals impact us in ways both large and small. In this personal essay, I pay tribute to someone who made a special difference in my own life through introducing me to Dostoevsky and the world of Russian literature.| Russophile Reads
In "Second-hand Time", Nobel Laureate Svetlana Alexievich creates a mosaic of voices emerging from the collapse of the Soviet Union, offering a portrait of a society wrestling with the public and private tragedies of a world come undone.| Russophile Reads
In times of war and rapidly-escalating tensions between Russia and the West, what role does Russian literature and culture play? In this personal essay, I offer my reflections on the current crisis…| Russophile Reads
For nearly half a century, Leo Tolstoy and his wife Sofia had one of the most tempestuous marriages in literary history. While Tolstoy became a towering public figure both on and off the page, Sofi…| Russophile Reads
