Welcome to the Dostoevsky year

Ready to dive into the world of Dostoevsky?

Welcome to the year long reading of Dostoevsky!

This year, we'll be reading the major works of Dostoevsky and discussing them in weekly posts. I won't be opening any chat threads for the time being to avoid scattered discussions (if any). So, here’s the reading schedule for the Year of Reading Dostoevsky:

1. January - Poor Folk and Other Stories

2. February - Notes from a Dead House

3. March - Notes from Underground

4. April - Crime and Punishment

5. May - Crime and Punishment (continued)

6. June - The Gambler

7. July - The Adolescent

8. August - The Idiot

9. September - Demons

10. October - Selected Short Stories - White Nights, The Double and Others

11. November - The Brothers Karamazov

12. December - The Brothers Karamazov (continued)

I have tried to organize this list in chronological order of publication, except perhaps for the short stories. Dana from the Dostoevsky Book Club is hosting a year-long read-along of The Brothers Karamazov, and I will also be reading it with them throughout the year. Hence, I have reserved the book for the last two months.

When I posted this schedule on Reddit, a few users suggested that The Idiot and Demons might take a little longer to read, and that both Notes from Underground and Notes from a Dead House probably wouldn't need as much time. So, I might adjust this schedule and will update it if there are any changes.

I am also hosting this read-along on The Storygraph, if you want to track your reading there instead.

Editions & Translations

I primarily know of two translators for Dostoevsky’s works: David McDuff and Pevear & Volokhonsky. All the editions I’ve recently bought for this read-along are by one of them. I’ve also heard that Michael Katz’s translations of Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov are good; however, I haven’t read them yet. You can pick up any edition that’s available to you. I’ll post mine in the first post for each book we read for your reference.

So, that's it for today. Every Friday, I'll send out a post with that week's reflections. I'll also share my annotations, if possible, along with any other additional sources. See you all on Friday!