July 16, 2001
The Insulted and Injured Yes,
The Insulted and Injured Yes, I've said it right. This cover is a fairly recent American version (1975) and they, of course, fumbled the title to ...Humiliated.
Just the other night I finished The Author's out-of-print work The Insulted and Injured. As I struggled to read the final pages through my tear laiden eyes, I once again came upon, what is to my mind, further proof of Dostoyevsky's godly brilliance.
No human author has moved me so. No other writer speaks with such humble honesty: The Author grapples with life right before my eyes, he wrestles not unlike Jacob with the Angel...Fyodor is transparent through his books, indeed his hip has been pulled from its socket.
Although this work is often difficult to find, it is certainly worth the effort. I consider it to be very autobiographical in that it tells the story of a young author, Vanya, who, just completing his first novel, begins to see some joy in life. He begins to find some success, his health improves, he falls in love-- madly in love with Katya-- he feels he's found an instanciation of truth, but then... on page 48
"...and a hot tear scalded my fingers...The cab started. I stood a long while watching it. All my happiness was ruined from that moment, and my life was broken in half."Vanya spends the next year watching the girl he loves practically throw her life away to a man it seems she shouldn't love, while he himself struggles with that pain of loss. All the while Vanya is caring for an orphaned girl, Nellie, who becomes the ironic catalyst to the demise and salvatory rebirth of all.
Page after page I found myself mesmorized by the viceral tale of living a truly human life: as one human who, like all, in one way or another, yearns for despair and suffering--those are the ones who themselves have suffered great loss.
Kate is next on the list to read this splendid story, and after that her and I will delve into The Idiot, another of The Author's classics.
Praise God for the masterpieces that have survived for our reading!
Posted by jeremy stock at July 16, 2001 05:58 PMI found your comments on Dostoyevsky to be refreshing. I am currently enjoying this work, and so far it is fascinating. As for this work being rare, I don't doubt the printed book is, but you should check out ipl.si.umich.edu/div/books/ - they have 41 different title by The Author, as you dubed him. All are text, all are free. This is the internet public library. I love all of the great Russian Author's, but my favorite is still Tolstoy. This site has a good number of his works, as well as many of the other famous Russians. Let me know what you think.
Chris