Dostoyevsky in the Face of Death: or Language Haunted by Sex

Julia Kristeva explores Dostoyevsky's novels and journalism, exploring his fascination with the Russian author and offering insights into his achievements and the importance of Orthodox Christianity. An original and profound interpretation of one of the nineteenth centurys greatest writers, this book is relevant to the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Format: Hardback
Length: 344 pages
Publication date: 19 December 2023
Publisher: Columbia University Press

Julia Kristeva has had a complex relationship with Fyodor Dostoyevsky, oscillating between attraction and repulsion since her youth. In this extraordinary book, which blends poetic prose with intensely personal insights, Kristeva applies her unique critical sensibility to explore the tormented and visionary Russian author. Spanning Dostoyevskys extensive literary oeuvre, including his novels and journalism, Kristeva delves deep into the great works, as well as many of the lesser-known ones, in search of her fascination with the Russian master. What emerges is a luminous vision of Dostoyevskys achievements, seen through the prism of Kristevas distinctive perspective on language. Through her keen psychoanalytical eye, she offers insightful interpretations of the passionate heroines that populate Dostoyevskys great novels. Moreover, Kristeva explores Dostoyevskys polyphonic writing, highlighting the profound influence of Orthodox Christianity throughout his body of work. She analyzes the intricate ways in which his carnivalesque theology informs his fiction and commentary, providing an original and profound interpretation of one of the nineteenth century's greatest writers.

This book's insights extend beyond the nineteenth century, resonating with the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, particularly in our uncertain present. Kristeva's humane reading of Dostoyevsky's suffering offers understanding and solace, providing a lens through which to comprehend and navigate the complexities of human existence.

Weight: 556g
Dimension: 147 x 225 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231210508