Tolstoy vs Dostoevsky: Who's the father and who is the mother?

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  • čas přidán 10. 06. 2024
  • In this video I will compare the two giants of Russian literature, Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky. I will tell you about their lives, novels, styles of writing, themes, characters, beliefs and much more. At the end I will tell you which author is more popular today. I will show you some stats as well, and tell which author I prefer and why.
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    • Russian Literature
    🕔Time Stamps🕔
    00:00 Intro
    02:27 historical context
    03:43 Tolstoy and Dostoevsky's life and career
    09:03 Theme: suffering
    11:23 Theme: how to cope with suffering
    14:00 Their writing style
    14:44 Their characters
    19:20 tolstoy and Dostoevsky during USSR
    20:36 Who's is better?
    24:56 my recommendations
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    #tolstoy
    #dostoevsky
    #russianliterature

Komentáře • 422

  • @Fiction_Beast
    @Fiction_Beast  Před 2 lety +9

    Please leave your comment and questions here. I will respond to your comments in a video. czcams.com/play/PLyKyeehuJVIHnoH6S-8JW_ZY01yfceGKa.html

    • @ayten6169
      @ayten6169 Před 2 lety

      Did Tolstoy accept İslam in last years of his melancholic life?

    • @rmp7400
      @rmp7400 Před rokem

      Thank you for the video!
      However, it may not be true that the two great authors never met: Almighty God is merciful as well as holy - and Eternity is long, my friend🎆

  • @nigelbryant7980
    @nigelbryant7980 Před 2 lety +308

    “The Brothers Karamazov is the summit of world literature.” -Einstein

    • @Andros-oo1je
      @Andros-oo1je Před 2 lety +5

      I can't found this citation. Could you help me?

    • @alexneville8168
      @alexneville8168 Před 2 lety +13

      What are the three greatest novels?
      James Joyce: "Anna Karenina. Anna Karenina. Anna Karenina."

    • @chickencharlie1992
      @chickencharlie1992 Před 2 lety +4

      Clearly this Einstein fella never read a little book called THE BIBLE, written by a little someone you may have heard of named JESUS.
      Repent.

    • @0KJo
      @0KJo Před 2 lety +2

      @@chickencharlie1992 he was jewish?

    • @chickencharlie1992
      @chickencharlie1992 Před 2 lety

      @@0KJoMaybe a few times

  • @rik.writing.roughly3058
    @rik.writing.roughly3058 Před rokem +51

    Tolstoy’s “A confession” hit me like a ton of bricks. What an intellectual giant. Doestoevsky’s however, has taught me more about life. Thanks to both of them for inspiring me to be a writer.

  • @cappy2282
    @cappy2282 Před 2 lety +132

    Tolstoy is easier to read but Dostoevsky digs deep into human psyche. Both of them are BOSS

    • @cainandabel7059
      @cainandabel7059 Před 2 lety

      both suck

    • @johnnynoitel1897
      @johnnynoitel1897 Před 2 lety

      @@cainandabel7059 why?

    • @kitochka500
      @kitochka500 Před 2 lety +2

      @@johnnynoitel1897 because in my country we are forced to read whole four tomes and analyze every detail and it takes a lot of time lol

    • @styngr
      @styngr Před 2 lety +2

      @@kitochka500 i dislike being forced to read something i don't want to too, but that doesn't mean that the writers are bad because of this. don't blame tolstoy blame whoever is in charge of your curriculum

    • @jarx7500
      @jarx7500 Před 2 lety +4

      @@kitochka500 Well both authors would advise aginst actually anaalyzing every detail and to instead read it as it is, beautiful arts on social sciences and human psyche that couldn’t be more alive and timeless today

  • @arctan5837
    @arctan5837 Před 2 lety +164

    Tolstoy is a sociologist while Dostoevsky is a existensial philosopher.

    • @nostalji75
      @nostalji75 Před 2 lety +5

      Well Id argue you need to consider your environment if you contempatling existance and that includes society. You can't say Dostoesvsky didnt judge or generelly include society in his ideas. The way I see it they just had different ideas when it comes to the "nature vs nurture" question.

    • @fideletamo4292
      @fideletamo4292 Před 2 lety +8

      Both of them were existensial philosophers, tolstoy had a severe depression in his 30s cause he couldn't find meaning to his life, he Also read Schopenhauer during this period, a philosopher who clearly stated that life is painful and meaningless..he talked about it in a Book called confession i think..

    • @MCGaar
      @MCGaar Před 2 lety +2

      Yes, existentialist Albert Camus quoted Dostoevsky often

    • @jaye2491
      @jaye2491 Před rokem

      Psychologist/Philosopher, but yes very true.

  • @johannschneider6372
    @johannschneider6372 Před 2 lety +187

    I think, geniunely after reading Dostoievsky and Tolstoy in Russian, that with reading both, you get quite an insight into the human nature. Dostoievsky, pointing out your darkest spots, your deepest - tremending - feelings and sorrows whereas Tolstoy gives you a light, a way, a reason to deal with them.
    I personally don't like Tolstoy - I am just not a fan of his style and topics, but you should have read both authors, at least one work of each.
    Oh, by the way, I consider "Crime and Punishment" to be maybe the best novel ever written. Subjectively, personally, for me - because this novel was the reason for me to start my career as a writer next to being a law student (at the moment in Saint Petersburg, no need to ask why, I think...)

    • @KUWERTZUO
      @KUWERTZUO Před 2 lety +7

      Try Brother Karamasov, way better than Crime and Punishment (and that tells a lot). Also Dead Souls from Gogol, Oblomow from Gontscharow and of course Eugen Onegin from Pushkin are very nice reads. Outside of Russia only Tolstoi and Dostojevski are "knwon" as the big russian Authors, but if you ask Russian they will tell you (and they are right) that Pushkin is the one that brought Russian litreture to the world, also Dostojevski heavily got inspired by Gontsharow (if you read it you will see what i mean). I think Tolstoi was very good in describing the envioroment you are reading and Dostojevski, as you said, could describe and analyze the insight of the human in an unique and realistic way.

    • @johannschneider6372
      @johannschneider6372 Před 2 lety +7

      @@KUWERTZUO Thanks, I've read all mentioned works in Russian. Nevertheless, Crime and Punishment is my favourite next to the works of Pushkin. After three times reading, I am able to recite the hole Bronse Horseman in one piece.

    • @rubenpartono
      @rubenpartono Před 2 lety +2

      @@johannschneider6372 What's your opinion on Brothers Karamazov?

    • @SkoolNerds
      @SkoolNerds Před rokem +3

      How could you read anna k and not absolutely marvel at tolstoys absolute genius

    • @lly_09
      @lly_09 Před 17 dny +1

      I wish you all the best, I also love Dostoevsky and want to be a lawyer too

  • @jackcroatan
    @jackcroatan Před 2 lety +28

    Even though both are titans of world literature - Dostoevsky is the one who was in my opinion the best novelist that ever walked the earth. Brothers Karamazov is probably the best book ever written.

  • @sharontheodore8216
    @sharontheodore8216 Před 2 lety +55

    Very interesting and informative.
    Perhaps Tolstoy is somewhat less read is because he wrote about an era that had long gone while Dostoevsky wrote about human emotions that can always resonate with someone somewhere. Thank you so much.

    • @Fiction_Beast
      @Fiction_Beast  Před 2 lety +3

      Good point!

    • @fideletamo4292
      @fideletamo4292 Před 2 lety +11

      I disagree, human nature or emotions didn't change that much since the Era tolstoy wrote about..

    • @user-so8kx7uj2x
      @user-so8kx7uj2x Před 2 lety +4

      What about War and Peace? One of the most popular themes. Also, theology and sociology of Tolstoy was "prophetic". I hope that people will always read Tolstoy

    • @josuerestrepo1476
      @josuerestrepo1476 Před 2 lety +2

      Everyone knows Tolstoi

  • @mohammadaminsarabi6207
    @mohammadaminsarabi6207 Před 2 lety +16

    It's the battle of simplicity vs complexity, form vs content, sanity vs insanity, poor vs rich, hope vs despair, i love both of these giants.

  • @todesque
    @todesque Před 11 měsíci +15

    Have been a huge fan of Russian literature since discovering it in my mid-20s. Personally, I find WAR AND PEACE to be the greatest novel in all of history -- a work of extraordinarily deep beauty and insight that repays repeated readings. (Have read it 6 times, and plan on reading it another 6 times.) At heart, its main characters are on a spiritual/sexual journey. Many people miss the complex and gradual character development on the first reading because quite frankly the book is overwhelming for newbies. Once you get past the military action, which is merely the backdrop, you will gradually realize that our main characters are at war with their own natures, and are seeking love, meaning, depth, and, ultimately, peace. That is the true meaning of war and peace, which is missed by 99% of readers. (See John Hagan's essays for information on this topic.) Dostoevksy's greatest ability was his prescience. The man somehow predicted the future with uncanny accuracy, anticipating our godless 20th century, and all the mayhem and murder and moral/spiritual confusion that would result. (In this sense, he was ahead of Kafka, for example, by decades.) So, in brief, Tolstoy is all about man's search for God. Whereas Dostoevksy is all about the consequences of man turning away from God. These two giants of world literature complement one another perfectly, and both demand to be read throughout your lifetime. Finally, and not trivially, Tolstoy created the greatest female character in the history of world literature -- Natasha Rostova. Surely that counts for something.

    • @meggy8868
      @meggy8868 Před 10 měsíci +1

      Great analysis. Which translation do you prefer for WP.

    • @todesque
      @todesque Před 10 měsíci +2

      @@meggy8868 My pleasure! So my favorite translation by far is by Anthony Briggs. Truly magnificent, the gold standard. Ann Dunnigan’s is in second place. Constance Garnett’s/Maudes’ in distant equal third place. And avoid at all costs ANY translations by P&V. (I have only three years of Russian language study behind me, so take the following with a grain of salt: Dunnigan’s translation is very accurate and literal and straightforward. Briggs’ is a little looser and more artistic. I truly love what he’s accomplished. His style is a thing of beauty. Enjoy!)

    • @meggy8868
      @meggy8868 Před 10 měsíci

      @@todesque I’m struggling through P&V. Read Anna by Maude’s. I think WP will be my favorite.

    • @todesque
      @todesque Před 10 měsíci

      @@meggy8868 Burn P&V, burn it!!

  • @pedromaranhao9777
    @pedromaranhao9777 Před 2 lety +33

    Reading the commentary section it is clear that people nowadays perefer Dostoevsky, but to be honest i prefer Tolstoy by a very large margin. To say that Tolstoy was a writer only for the upper classes is not accurate, he have wrote deeply about peasents and their way of life, he even wrote short stories with a very simple language that could easily be understood by them. When people say Tolstoy was a writer for the aristocracy i believe they are taking into account he´s two most famous books: Anna Karenina and War and Peace, both of which truly revolves primarely around rich families, but if you consider all of he´s work you will see that this is not the case. To cite one example there is an essay wrote by Tolstoy with the title ''Who should learn Writing of whom; Peasant Children of us, or we of Peasant Children?'', and that title can give you an idea of how much he was interested and in fact wrote about them.
    That been said it was a very good video and i subscribed for the channel :)
    Sorry if my english is incorrect, cheers from Brazil!

    • @fideletamo4292
      @fideletamo4292 Před 2 lety +3

      True, it's like saying Dostoïevski only wrote for criminal since they are the main characters of his Books..lol..it's deeper than that

  • @ahmetalakus2298
    @ahmetalakus2298 Před 2 lety +10

    I think this question is the common question is the common question of the whole word . We have discussed this subject a lot in Turkiye , some like Dostoyevsky some like Tolstoy some like both . This question is " Do you love your mother more or your father ?" I liken it to the question . I love both of them very much , I can't say Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky ...
    Thanks for the Turkish subtitles .

  • @Insatiableviel007
    @Insatiableviel007 Před 2 lety +38

    Both are my favourite authors. The works of both complement each other.
    On one hand Dostoevsky's works are claustrophobic, dark, feverish, explosive, dense, comedic, deeply psychological but lacks artistic sensibilities and the long monologues can be sometimes intimidating
    Whereas tolstoy's works are vivid, his characters are more real than I can think of, and his grip on the plot is marvelous in whole "pure art"

    • @peterivankovich2990
      @peterivankovich2990 Před 2 lety +1

      You have put it quite well. Short and sweet. And to the point. Kudos!

    • @raskolnikov1461
      @raskolnikov1461 Před rokem +1

      Nah. It’s exactly the other way around. DOSTOYEVSKY is divine. He feels for people. For every lost soul. Understanding poverty, suffering, pain and crime. Tolstoy always speaking a bit from above and telling you what is good and what is bad. But Dostoyevsky died in peace and with deeply loving wife by his side. While Leo run away from himself, from his family, from his church, from his house. Dostoyevsky is truly unimaginably deep. Tolstoy is undeniably intelligent.

    • @reader7508
      @reader7508 Před rokem

      ​​@@raskolnikov1461 I disagree
      Doestovsky is definitely a genius, but his works didn't touch me the way Tolstoy did

  • @Phavonic
    @Phavonic Před rokem +5

    Dostoevsky on Tolstoy, from his letters
    “I'll give you my impressions, such as they are: Turgenev please me best; it is only a pity that he is often unequal to his great talent. L. T. [Leo Tolstoy] I like very well, but I have an idea that he won't do much (Perhaps I'm mistaken, however).” (18/1/1856)
    “Do you [his niece Sofia] not know that I am absolutely aware that if I could have spent two or three years at that book [The Possessed]-as Turgenev, Gontscharov, and Tolstoy can-I could have produced a work of which men would still be talking in a hundred years from now!” (17/8/1870).
    “Perhaps you [N. Strachov] have merely expressed yourself confusedly......[but] know this: all that school is no more than 'landed-proprietor's literature'. And that kind of literature has said all it had to say (particularly well in the case of Leo Tolstoy). It has spoken its last word, and is exempt from further duty.” (18/5/1871).
    “And now I want to say this to you and others: I have been driven to the conviction that an artist is bound to make himself acquainted, down to the smallest detail, not only with the technique of writing, but with everything-current no less than historical events-relating to that reality which he designs to show forth. We have only one writer who is truly remarkable in that respect: it is Count Leo Tolstoy.” (9/4/1876).
    Tolstoy on Dostoevsky, from his letters to A.N. Strachov.
    “Lately I was ill and read Dostoevsky's 'House of the Dead'. I have read much, and forgotten much; but I do not know in all modern literature, Pushkin included, any better book. Not the manner, but the point of view, is what is so remarkable; it is so frank, natural and Christ-like. A fine, edifying book. Yesterday, when I read it, I knew such pleasure as I have not had in such a long time. If you see Dostoevsky, tell him that I love him.” (26/9/1880).
    “I wish I had the power to say all that I think of Dostoevsky! When you inscribed your thoughts, you partly expressed mine. I never saw the man, had no sort of direct relation to him; but when he died, I suddenly realized that he had been to me the most precious, the most dearest, and the most necessary of beings. It never even entered my head to compare myself with him. Everything that he wrote (I mean only the good, the true things) was such that the more he did like that, the more I rejoiced. Artistic accomplishment and intellect can arouse my envy; but a work from the heart-only joy. I always regarded him as my friend, and reckoned most confidently on seeing him at some time. And suddenly I read that he was dead. At first I was utterly confounded, and when later I realized how much I valued him, I began to weep-I am weeping even now. Only a few days before his death, I had read with emotion and delight his 'injury and insult'.” (early 1881).

  • @raskolnikov1461
    @raskolnikov1461 Před rokem +7

    DOSTOYEVSKY is divine. He feels for people. For every lost soul. Understanding poverty, suffering, pain and crime. Tolstoy always speaking a bit from above and telling you what is good and what is bad. But Dostoyevsky died in peace and with deeply loving wife by his side. While Leo run away from himself, from his family, from his church, from his house. Dostoyevsky ❤ is truly unimaginably deep. Tolstoy is undeniably intelligent.

  • @soul17169
    @soul17169 Před 2 lety +21

    Little known fact. Read somewhere that before writing Anna Karenina, Tolstoy witnessed the aftermath of a somewhat similar tragedy at a train station. He felt sorrowful and began to ponder.
    Always thought of these two writers as two opposites but they are quite similar as well.

    • @fideletamo4292
      @fideletamo4292 Před 2 lety +2

      I read Somewhere that tolstoy wife used to tell him she would throw herself under a train..when they had arguments..

    • @Saber23
      @Saber23 Před rokem

      If the person was anything like Anna they probably deserved to be run over lol

  • @mekkibayachou6127
    @mekkibayachou6127 Před 2 lety +17

    Stumbled on this video by algorithmic “chance” and loved it! a very good and succinct comparison of these two authors. Keep up!

  • @madking1021
    @madking1021 Před 2 lety +29

    Great video. I havent read tolstoys novels but i have read almost everything by Dostoievski, my favorite is Crime and punishment as well. I am currently reading Demons, i might give a try to War and peace after.

    • @EphraimSyriacus
      @EphraimSyriacus Před 2 lety +3

      Just begin with a small book of Tolstoy. I think the death of Ivan Ilych is one of the greatest books. It is in par with the greatness of Notes From the Underground from Dostoevsky. Also a small book but damn when you finish reading both books, you can only kiss the book and say thank you.

  • @saudalghamdi1267
    @saudalghamdi1267 Před 8 měsíci +4

    Dostoevsky is literature’s real MVP, all due respect to Tolstoy and the rest of the greats, Fyodor is just incomparable… RIP. ♥️

  • @maybeantoniovivaldi2522
    @maybeantoniovivaldi2522 Před 2 lety +9

    It's truly fascinating to realize that what they were writing about is how the other was shaped, through sociological conditions Dostoyevsky came to understand psychological truths through psychological reflection Tolstoy came to understand sociological truths

  • @armintabakovic9961
    @armintabakovic9961 Před 2 lety +1

    This is the first video I have watched on this channel and it is also by far the best video I have watched in a long time. It is informative, the background music fits perfectly and not to forget it has a creative and humorous ending. Keep up the good work!

  • @donaghcoffey2416
    @donaghcoffey2416 Před 2 lety

    Dear Fiction Beast,
    You are doing great work. Excellent video. Superb analysis. Informative, detailed, concise - bang on. Well done. Thank you 👏👏

  • @terrygorry
    @terrygorry Před 2 lety +3

    Thanks for this informative, educational video. Your channel is excellent and I am a subscriber. Thanks to you I reread Madame Bovary last week and this week I am rereading The Brothers Karamazov and I intend rereading many of the other classics, thanks to your videos and the context you provide, background information etc. Thanks again, keep up the great work.

  • @Adib_.95
    @Adib_.95 Před 2 lety +3

    I enjoyed this very much
    Thanks and keep the good stuff coming.

  • @whspore9534
    @whspore9534 Před 2 lety +7

    Love your wry humour, Fiction Beast! BTW, Milan Kundera, in his The Art of the Novel(Grove Press, 1988) has given tremendous insight of fiction writing too. Thank you.

  • @banoushaderi2215
    @banoushaderi2215 Před 2 lety

    A truly good video. A really nice work dude. Go on and the views will eventually arrive

  • @yassinesultan7252
    @yassinesultan7252 Před 2 lety +2

    This is quality content, keep it up with videos like these bro!

  • @Entertainer114
    @Entertainer114 Před 2 lety +2

    What a great video. Thank you for sharing your opinions and summaries of both authors. I haven't read either of them yet, but I want to now!

  • @henriquenunes5867
    @henriquenunes5867 Před 2 lety

    It's amazing how many subtitles you put in your videos. Hugs from Brazil.

  • @tomashenriquez5806
    @tomashenriquez5806 Před 2 lety +1

    This video is amazing, you did a great work! Congratulations :)

  • @ytang5615
    @ytang5615 Před 2 lety +8

    I enjoy your programs so much. Your method of "compare and contrast" is very effective because it highlights each author's characteristics.
    I have more respect for Dostoyevski's humility than Tolstoy"s greatness, as he was trying to meet Tolstoy who refused and then wined after Dostoyevski's death how " he was his close friend " etc.
    I am not sure I agree the comment that " Death of Ivan Illyich is about how selfishness can harm those around you ", I think its about examining his meaningless life and acceptance of death.
    thank you again for the wonderful program.

  • @antoniopaesano3026
    @antoniopaesano3026 Před 2 lety

    Fantastic job! Thank you very much.

  • @nebyuelias5222
    @nebyuelias5222 Před 2 lety +10

    I joined a few days ago and I love this channel. I couldn't stop watching your videos. After this video I am really interested in the brothers karmazov and was wondering which translation does the original its righteous justice. Please let me know, thanks. And good job!

    • @patrickhassing120
      @patrickhassing120 Před 2 lety

      I have the Constance Garnett translation and it read very well. I can’t comment on other translations, however.

    • @theKobus
      @theKobus Před 2 lety

      Pevear and Volokonsky’s translations are incredible.

    • @Fiction_Beast
      @Fiction_Beast  Před 2 lety

      Awesome! Thank you!

    • @theKobus
      @theKobus Před 2 lety

      @@vlc-cosplayer Well, I liked their Karenina but I'm always open to suggestions --
      Who do you like for an English version of Eugene Onegin? (or Oblomov?)

  • @Thus-Spoke-Zarathustra
    @Thus-Spoke-Zarathustra Před rokem +5

    No word about The Kreutzer Sonata: the secret treasure from Tolstoy... Tolstoy is deeper than one may think. He powefully got that life is empty and meaningless (the depiction of the Austerlitz battle in War and peace in particular...). I was leaning towards Dostoevsky as a young man, while my attention grows toward Tolstoy as I mature, matching the young existential crisis of the first & the old man's radical rebellion of the latter. Both men's lives are used to the fullest. I admire both of those giants and recommend the lecture of Tolstoy or Dostoevsky from George Steiner, a jewel of comparative literature.

  • @catalinav4930
    @catalinav4930 Před 5 měsíci +2

    I love them both, but I feel more comfortable reading Tolstoy. I have read Anna Karenina a few times now, but cannot yet make myself finish The Brothers Karamazov, it’s just traumatizing :D However, I will manage to do it one day. I feel like Tolstoy is… sunnier, brighter. Dostoievsky is tougher to read. Both brilliant writers, sociologists, and psychologists.

  • @Guro004
    @Guro004 Před 3 měsíci

    Great job, really interesting video!

  • @arijitmoitra1018
    @arijitmoitra1018 Před 2 lety +19

    Tolstoy's Short stories and Novellas are superior; while Dostoevsky's Novels are superior.

    • @josuerestrepo1476
      @josuerestrepo1476 Před 2 lety +6

      War and peace it's superior to all Dostoievsky works,just read the epilogue Of that awesome book

  • @AvatarSoul
    @AvatarSoul Před 9 měsíci

    I love this video, its very informative and fun.

  • @vincenzopanto1309
    @vincenzopanto1309 Před 2 lety +2

    First of all: You made such a great video and research. To watch such a and brilliant and informative video, does not happen very often to me.
    Could you maybe make some videos about DANTE or GOETHE .? I think it would be quite helpful for a better understanding of these complex writers.
    Your videos are awesome!!!

  • @ZaKrakilla
    @ZaKrakilla Před 2 lety +16

    No matter how much talent and how intelligent Tolstoy was, he lost the race before it even started. There is no better teacher than pain, in a clear majority, most of the great people we learn today are the people that have a perfect idea of what hell looks like. What Dostoevsky had to go thru in life so we can now enjoy his genius should make you sick. For a normal person it is impossible to imagine the amount of pain this man carried everyday in his heart and this is a big part of the reason his work is a masterpiece.
    I would kiss the feet of any great man that lived before us and left for us little parts of themselves, to guide us in this terrible journey called life. But, if I would have to chose, there is no doubt that Dostoevsky gave us more than Tolstoy, even thou that was due to his unbareble pain... Thank you for the great video, I subscribed without thinking twice.

    • @Zekayiii
      @Zekayiii Před 2 lety

      couldnt explain or say better:)

    • @donaghcoffey2416
      @donaghcoffey2416 Před 2 lety

      My thoughts exactly 👍

    • @christophkiesewetter1871
      @christophkiesewetter1871 Před 2 lety

      Thank you. I think the same.

    • @fideletamo4292
      @fideletamo4292 Před 2 lety +4

      Enduring pain doesn't make you a better writer or a better man, Ernst Jünger went through War..there are people who suffered more than Dostoïevski does that make them better writers? No..most of the writers were rich people cause they had the luxury of Time..it doesn't make them Bad writers

    • @ZaKrakilla
      @ZaKrakilla Před 2 lety

      ​@@fideletamo4292 you missed 99% of what I have said to have some stupid argument about something I have never said in the context you imply... In my country there is a saying: it is preferably to shut up and let everybody think that you are stupid, to opening your moth and eliminate any doubt..."

  • @srivathsaankarunakaran3237

    Great work mate keep it up....

  • @timbrinkhof4683
    @timbrinkhof4683 Před 2 lety

    just discovered the channel, subscribed!

  • @thrive9416
    @thrive9416 Před 2 lety +13

    I think to fully appreciate Dostoevsky you have to read his novels/novellas before and after his exile to Siberia. It’s no secret his earlier works lacked what his later ones had, but that doesn’t mean you should neglect them. You literally witness the change right before your eyes from his last book he wrote before exile, to every single one after. The transformation is chilling in a good way and also my favorite thing about Dostoevsky.

  • @zaccheusanton9470
    @zaccheusanton9470 Před 2 lety +287

    Dostoy is obviously better than Tolstoyevsky

  • @Apollothecrowing
    @Apollothecrowing Před 2 lety

    Fantastic video and analysis 👌

  • @bertor.r2645
    @bertor.r2645 Před 2 lety +2

    Great review, I've already read Dostoevsky and he is an awesome writer, I'm about to read Tolstoy and from what I've found out about him, it matches much with what you've said in the video.

  • @carlosdheartnet7364
    @carlosdheartnet7364 Před 2 lety +3

    That was very informative and intresting thank you alot!!!
    A year ago i tried to read for the first time for Dostoevsky, i tried "white nights" and i couldnt finish it i couldnt understand the writing but when i gave "Crime and Punshment" a try i immediately fell in love!! Even thought its a long book ( abd in arabic its two big books each almost 500 pages) i do recomend it for people as a first read for Dostoevsky to understand his wtiting style and his thoughts!! It was very magical that i started to learn Russian just to be able to read it in the language he wrote it in!! 🤩

    • @Fiction_Beast
      @Fiction_Beast  Před 2 lety +1

      It's tough to read in Russian. I have tried but failed.

  • @luizotaviomoraessss
    @luizotaviomoraessss Před 2 lety

    Thanks for the Portuguese subtitles, great video ! Brazilians thank you!

  • @gracefitzgerald2227
    @gracefitzgerald2227 Před 2 lety

    Superb per usual. Bravo

  • @haniffhaniff5764
    @haniffhaniff5764 Před 2 lety

    very insightful

  • @ganda_bandadada_log5647
    @ganda_bandadada_log5647 Před 2 lety +1

    I love all your videos

  • @anotherbibliophilereads
    @anotherbibliophilereads Před 2 lety +6

    Thank you for this comments. I’ve read all major Dostoevsky except the Demons and read Anna Kerenina, Death of Ivan Ilyich, other stories, and Resurrection, but I will read War and Peace in March. Today I’m on team Dostoevsky, but that could change in April.
    Do read Russian? Or translations? I read translations.

  • @madhubhaduri8155
    @madhubhaduri8155 Před rokem +3

    Thank you for your views on these 2 great novelists. I share your views and understanding of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. I find Tolstoy a shade better than his contemporary perhaps because he is more insightful and has a strong notion of history. Thank you.

  • @BrandonsBookshelf
    @BrandonsBookshelf Před 2 lety +6

    what a video man! love the deep dive into both of these giants. for me its gotta be Dostoevsky though!

  • @malathyshanmugam313
    @malathyshanmugam313 Před 2 lety

    Excellent wholesome true analysis of great authors in less than half an hour is appreciated sir .

  • @markwilliams3174
    @markwilliams3174 Před 2 lety +1

    Brilliant as always.
    Have you explored the great Russian classical composers & the philosophical, sociological and psychological contexts? Maybe you could partner with a Russian musicologist using a Q & A format?

    • @Fiction_Beast
      @Fiction_Beast  Před 2 lety

      Thank you! Are you a Russian musicologist? I know very little about music

  • @MrExtraordinaire16
    @MrExtraordinaire16 Před 2 lety +10

    Awesome video man,If you like dostoyevsky's work , I recommend the demons it's my 2nd favourite of his work and it's one of his most underated, fun fact: this book is actually Albert camus's favourite dostoyevsky book he even wanted to play the main character of that story in a theater.

    • @winniethuo9736
      @winniethuo9736 Před 2 lety

      Thank you. At least the dead are trying to unite the living thru CZcams. Life is no fair over there. Life is just life in-spite of how our mind want to analyse it. For me apart from the money part, bills and living cost going up, if you enjoy reading even a cleaning job becomes fun. I do most of my reading as scrub some very shallow minded employers who believe they are better and worth a little more than I because they are full of someone else’s knowledge and have money to make a slave out of me. If only I can be paid to read like they have or in this case audio read, I am happy to read anytime.

    • @winniethuo9736
      @winniethuo9736 Před 2 lety

      24:27 😸🤴 Harry is not a new phenomena.

    • @MrExtraordinaire16
      @MrExtraordinaire16 Před 2 lety +1

      @@winniethuo9736 yeah i guess so😂

  • @annetwardowskydidonato9390

    Crime and punishment messed up with my psychological status. It made me feel hopeless. War and Peace gives us a very interesting historical view about the time it was written.

    • @Saber23
      @Saber23 Před rokem

      Why did a novel make you feel hopeless?

  • @vilas3960
    @vilas3960 Před 2 lety

    amazing video

  • @Stoite-tq8pu
    @Stoite-tq8pu Před rokem

    What a great analysis! I love reading both authors, but I’m drawn more to Dostoevsky’s writing and characters.

  • @jelliott0077
    @jelliott0077 Před 2 lety +1

    100% agreed. I usually hate critical analysis or more so critics but you have an objective and light-hearted view. Wait, did I just become a critic? 😉

  • @rv.9658
    @rv.9658 Před 2 lety +9

    Tolstoy supremacy

  • @tikhongilson3770
    @tikhongilson3770 Před 10 měsíci +1

    The Idiot is an overlooked masterpiece. It includes a detailed description of epilepsy and its mystical aspect.

  • @seanberube
    @seanberube Před rokem +6

    Tolstoy is a master at dramatizing life
    Dostoevsky is a master at depicting psychological and philosophical truths
    I love both but gotta pick Dostoevsky

    • @Fiction_Beast
      @Fiction_Beast  Před rokem +1

      Both moralizing but Dostoevsky is more covert while Tolstoy is more overt. But both were amazing writers.

    • @sunkintree
      @sunkintree Před měsícem

      I thought Tolstoy handled the philosophical truth of death in both War & Peace and Ivan Ilyich much better than Dostoevsky ever did. I don't know that Dostoevsky even ever handled the topic (having read only Crime, Underground, and Karamazov). He just never got there.

  • @orglancs
    @orglancs Před rokem +5

    You have not mentioned Tolstoy's ''other novel'; Resurrection. It is not up to the other big two, but it is still Tolstoy after all, and well worth a read. It's strange how neglected that book is in the English-speaking world. I have read and re-read W and P and am now watching the great 1969 film, just re-posted on YT by Mosfilm. It is very true to the novel. At times you can tell exactly which page the film is on.

  • @dedrickhill2238
    @dedrickhill2238 Před 2 lety +2

    Tolstoy was most likely alluding to the after-life (heaven) when speaking on seeing Dostoevsky someday at 1:17. It’s a bit confusing because how he said it, although it could be the translation (or I could just be wrong).
    Either the had should be have or the will, would.

  • @galatea2801
    @galatea2801 Před 2 lety

    would love to see you cover maxim gorky♡

    • @Fiction_Beast
      @Fiction_Beast  Před 2 lety +1

      I read mother a very long time ago. Gorky was my favourite Russian author in my teenage years, but alas that rvolutionary fire has ceased inside me :) Is there a specific question? I will do my best to answer.

  • @ranaozakca7940
    @ranaozakca7940 Před 2 lety +3

    I love both writers and I don’t understand why they are pitted against each other so much - they are both absolutely brilliant, reading Tolstoy is perhaps a bit more joyful. I think calling Dostoevsky the ‘psychologist’ and Tolstoy the ‘sociologist’ is very misleading. It is true that Tolstoy was very preoccupied with society but his focus was always how individuals find their own place and meaning in it. That’s true for all his main characters but especially his later work. Just look at Resurrection. It is a critique of the hypocrisy of the society he lived in but the point is to find oneself and one’s own values, sticking to them despite what everyone is saying and doing. His life was mired with his own demons and guilt for the way he used to live. Anyways, when you are comparing people you usually miss out important bits to draw out contrasts. It is not that necessary.

    • @Fiction_Beast
      @Fiction_Beast  Před 2 lety

      It is meant to be educational and an introduction to these two authors.

  • @laltkumar
    @laltkumar Před měsícem

    Good !

  • @lorenzomizushal3980
    @lorenzomizushal3980 Před 7 měsíci +3

    Dostoevsky is a great violinist but Tolstoy is the whole orchestra.

  • @lonelycubicle
    @lonelycubicle Před rokem

    Great summaries, funny ending.

  • @ilovenature9077
    @ilovenature9077 Před 2 lety +3

    Dostoevskij! He writes about human nature and for this his books are immortal. It is thanks to him if I understood that I am a maladaptive daydreamer (like the protagonist of White Nights).

  • @khier-eddinehennaoui9783
    @khier-eddinehennaoui9783 Před 2 lety +2

    I have red Anna Karenina and i didn't find what makes its so beloved. Maybe i should give it another try.

    • @cinnamongirl9869
      @cinnamongirl9869 Před 2 lety +2

      Nope no need to give it another try i think you have suffered enough those 700+ pages

    • @khier-eddinehennaoui9783
      @khier-eddinehennaoui9783 Před 2 lety

      @@cinnamongirl9869 I have loved War & Peace. But yes, maybe you are right.

  • @chickencharlie1992
    @chickencharlie1992 Před 2 lety

    This is awesome.

  • @dmtdreamz7706
    @dmtdreamz7706 Před rokem +1

    If you have something that you really want in your life, spend lots of time thinking about it. The more you think the more ideas will pop up the more creative your gonna start to get. Your subconscious mind doesn't care if your vision is crazy. It doesnt care if you dont know how to do it.
    When you see a thing clearly in your mind, your creative "success mechanism" within you takes over and does the job much better than you could do it by conscious effort or willpower.
    A different psychedelic from a different planet every nanosecond.
    All sorts of dreams are possible.
    The human nervous system cannot tell the difference between an "actual" experience and an experience imagined vividly and in detail.
    Synthesize "experience," to literally create experience, and control it, in the laboratory of our minds.
    A vision is a very emotional image, the most powerful image that you can come up with for yourself at this time. This vision will become like a hallucination in other peoples mind and this could be the cause of them creating extraordinary things.

  • @godparticle89
    @godparticle89 Před 2 lety +1

    Hi love your channal, have you read soviet authors who published in the samizdat like petrushevskia, dvatlov, senievsky and the guy who wrote moskva petushky, strugatzky brothers and the great bulgakov. i am from israel but my family came from soviet ukrain so i was fascinated by that era.

    • @Fiction_Beast
      @Fiction_Beast  Před 2 lety

      Not much. I should read more. Those are great recommendations.

    • @hunkydory3521
      @hunkydory3521 Před rokem

      @@Fiction_Beast oh yes. Please do a video on Bulgakov.

  • @usmnt4423
    @usmnt4423 Před rokem +1

    There are few other feelings quite like the overwhelming sadness that comes with reading The Gambler.

  • @rajivbhatia7960
    @rajivbhatia7960 Před rokem

    Respected sir, par excellent explanation…good video…no comparison…make video on Anton Chekhov if possible…regards

    • @Fiction_Beast
      @Fiction_Beast  Před rokem

      Yes Chekhov for sure.

    • @BrandonCook74
      @BrandonCook74 Před 2 měsíci

      Chekhov was Bin Ladens' brother and George Bushes step bro bro

  • @josh0710
    @josh0710 Před rokem

    Excellent content. Both Tolstoy and Dostoevsky shared a similar trate of doing the crazy-thing in order to stoke the flames of their spiritual brilliance. Tolstoy was an aristocrat who often lived like a peasant doing hard labor in the fields while Dostoevsky gambled away his money. Greatness requires sacrifice.

  • @mouadlahjiri6325
    @mouadlahjiri6325 Před 2 lety +3

    You start with Dostoevsky and then you move to Tolstoï. That's the answer you're looking for.

  • @hernandemornay7559
    @hernandemornay7559 Před 2 lety

    Reading karamasov right now Is great

  • @osoio
    @osoio Před 2 lety +7

    Anton Chekov ou Ivan Turguenev?
    Ivan Kramskoy ou Maiakovski?
    Tchaikovsky ou Tchaikovsky?
    Abraços do Brasil.
    Obs: A resposta certa é Leão Tolstói.

    • @Saber23
      @Saber23 Před rokem

      I don’t think there is a correct answer brother

  • @phillylifer
    @phillylifer Před 2 lety +1

    It is true. Each of these authors'bodies of work is a treasure, but taken together the wisdom and poetry are beyond value.

  • @rext4607
    @rext4607 Před rokem

    Finding your channel was like finding a treasure

  • @ColonelFredPuntridge
    @ColonelFredPuntridge Před rokem

    I'm curious: what do you make of Мёртвые души?

    • @Fiction_Beast
      @Fiction_Beast  Před rokem

      Gogol’s Dead Souls and The Nose
      czcams.com/video/FmBKQirqMI0/video.html

  • @ravijakhmola2821
    @ravijakhmola2821 Před 2 lety +14

    Tolstoy is the greatest author of the world. He doesn’t blow the mind like Dostoevsky with his words. He takes away reader’s heart and soul with him. Anyway comparison of the two literary giants can never be done. They both are great.

  • @christopherfleming7848
    @christopherfleming7848 Před 2 lety +3

    It depends on whether you prefer breadth (Tolstoy) or depth (Dostoevsky).

    • @Fiction_Beast
      @Fiction_Beast  Před 2 lety

      That's a great way to put it. Again society vs individual comes to mind.

  • @eurlfastgaztiaret5996
    @eurlfastgaztiaret5996 Před 2 lety +1

    Thanks for translating Arabic

  • @shengcer
    @shengcer Před 2 lety +5

    Dostoevsky’s popularity is also partially due to the rise of Jordan Peterson. Its the same thing for Nietzsche who is probably *much* more popular than any other philosophers among CZcams videos.

    • @Fiction_Beast
      @Fiction_Beast  Před 2 lety +1

      i agreee. JBP popularised Dostoevsky perhaps his reading is more from a Christian perspective.

    • @joliebunny88
      @joliebunny88 Před 2 lety +1

      I’m pretty sure Dostoevsky was already popular before Peterson.

    • @Saber23
      @Saber23 Před rokem

      @@Fiction_Beast I mean it would make sense they’re both Christians

    • @Saber23
      @Saber23 Před rokem

      @@joliebunny88 yeah he was

  • @Kova-ow2en
    @Kova-ow2en Před rokem

    9:38 i know that feeling well

  • @portishphonic
    @portishphonic Před 2 lety +3

    Dostoievski predicting socialism in The Devils and a few phrases here in there in other novels still gives me goosebumps. Also, the only Tolstoy book that impressed me and stayed with me for a decade was The Resurrection, while in Dostoievski's case, I consider most of his work masterpieces.

    • @TheNabOwnzz
      @TheNabOwnzz Před 2 lety +2

      I genuinely wonder how anyone can seriously think Resurrection to be a good book. Seems quite impossible to me.

    • @portishphonic
      @portishphonic Před 2 lety

      @@TheNabOwnzz 😆 well, I was about 14 when I read it, soooo...

    • @TheNabOwnzz
      @TheNabOwnzz Před 2 lety +1

      @@portishphonic That would explain it, forsooth. It's the most unsubtle propaganda piece i've ever read.

    • @portishphonic
      @portishphonic Před 2 lety

      @@TheNabOwnzz I do remember listening to a radiophonic theatre adaptation a few years later that struck me as a bit too 'revolutionary'. I suppose I should revisit the book or at least parts of it and analyze it with 'mature' eyes.

    • @fideletamo4292
      @fideletamo4292 Před 2 lety +3

      Tolstoy was definitively a better writer..Death of Ivan illich, notes from sebastopole, kreutzer sonata..his confession are good..

  • @christophkiesewetter1871
    @christophkiesewetter1871 Před 2 lety +2

    Dostoevsky, no doubt. My favorite of all time and worldwide.

  • @stevenhuang3635
    @stevenhuang3635 Před rokem

    Dear sir, I have a question. If I wanna be a great writer like these two, do I have to be profoundly knowledgable and very socially experienced? Or is it just requires a pure gift in writing?

    • @Saber23
      @Saber23 Před rokem

      It could be both but the best advice is just start writing and use/write about what you know asking to many questions means you’ll never get started most of what writers produce in rough drafts is pretty crappy and we may never be satisfied fully with what we write even if we get praised for it but that’s what makes it interesting I guess

  • @MahmoudIsmail1988.
    @MahmoudIsmail1988. Před 2 lety

    good thorough analysis but it seems more of a comparison of Anna Karanina and Crime and punishment.. I think if Dostoyovski's The idiot and Tolstoy's War and peace were more integrated in this scrutiny, some of the conclusions would've been drastically inverted

  • @FaridUlIslam-co2ys
    @FaridUlIslam-co2ys Před měsícem

    However both are the strong pillars of the art and literature!

  • @RawanShenasi
    @RawanShenasi Před rokem

    Looking at Dostoyvosky popular the most, then context matters: a) D speaks more to western audience hence Amazon review b) he is popularized by famous people such Jordan Peterson c) psychology as a subject is quite famous now a days and human suffering is on the rise (depression) and forefront as food, almost, is no longer an issue, so D's work is more in relevant/ in demand/meeting current needs of individuals.
    As a psychologist I loved D's work, perfect depiction of human psyche, and as a reader I always go for Tolestoy. He gives us a bigger picture of how and why an individual makes choices that is largely influenced and constrained by society's rules, norms, values etc. He knows we r not one-island man and never free of society's "chains" or "blessings" depends who and how is looking at it.

  • @geraldmeehan8942
    @geraldmeehan8942 Před 2 lety

    thank you for this comparison of the 2 towering giants of Russian (probably European) literature

  • @samlee2321
    @samlee2321 Před 2 lety

    Please add spoiler disclaimers next time ;)

  • @sebasebatmedia1731
    @sebasebatmedia1731 Před 2 lety

    It is so good

  • @musriffvigneshaviraj6952

    I like their books but i am fan of neither i like camus philosophy