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

Julia Kristeva explores Dostoyevsky's novels and journalism, offering a luminous vision of his achievements and insights into the passionate heroines and Orthodox Christianity. An original and profound interpretation of one of the nineteenth centurys greatest writers, relevant to the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Format: Paperback / softback
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 brilliant insights into the passionate heroines of the great novels, illuminating their inner struggles and motivations.

Kristeva also focuses on Dostoyevskys polyphonic writing, demonstrating the profound influence of Orthodox Christianity throughout his body of work. She analyzes the intricate ways his carnivalesque theology informs his fiction and commentary, shedding light on the complex interplay between religion, morality, and human suffering. This book offers an original and profound interpretation of one of the nineteenth century's greatest writers, with insights that remain relevant to the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Kristeva's humane reading of Dostoyevsky's suffering provides understanding and solace, offering a lens through which to comprehend the complexities of human existence and the enduring power of great literature.

Weight: 458g
Dimension: 141 x 216 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231210515