Summer Reading...cont...

Well, I'm nearly finished with Fyodor Dostoevsky's brilliant book entitled: The Brothers Karamazov. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in classic literature. Dostoevsky had the proclivity to inundate his novels with copious amounts of religious fervor (which reflects the years in which it was written: circa 1878-1880 C.E.); however, that does nothing to diminish the overall experience. Dostoevsky deserves my utmost respect, and now takes his place alongside such iconic figures as: Albert Einstein; Leonardo da Vinci; Ludwig van Beethoven; James Joyce; George Orwell, and Edgar Allan Poe (as well as many others). My next selection will either be Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince, or David Hume's A Treatise of Human Nature. I hope to enjoy them as immensely as I did The Brothers Karamazov!!

Comments

Anonymous said…
As much as I have tried to read most of the Russian authors,most of them put so much philosophy,innuendo,and seem to wander off at times.But then again I enjoyed Gulag Archipeligo,and One day in the life of Ivan Inesivitch(I don't think that is right but I know the book and the story of Soviet brutality).C.J.Cherryh wrote some stories and tales garnered from Russian history in the deeps of times that you may enjoy.Pasternak is also a good author.
November 11, 2012 at 1:38 PM
Anonymous said…
Machiavelli will probably be a good read for you and while you are there you may as well visit Dante.You would probably enjoy Ayn Rand too.And you might like L.Ron Hubbard.I haven't read him but he may well interest you.My poor old mind is regressing so I try to stay with fantasy and some history anymore,but keep me posted on my blog about your reading and whatever else you want to chat about.
November 11, 2012 at 1:51 PM
Anonymous said…
Guess whoooooooooooo!The books of Russian folklore from pre-christian Russia in the area north of Kiev are Rusalka and Yvgenie.
November 11, 2012 at 2:06 PM
Tony Priddy said…
Dostoevsky has been the only Russian author that I've read, to date; but, I'll make an effort to check out the titles that you mentioned. Since I've published these posts (several years ago), I've also read "Ulysses" by Joyce; "Nineteen Eighty-Four" by Orwell, and quite a few books on science, philosophy, and the like. I'm currently reading "Guns, Germs, and Steel" by Jared Diamond, and "The Hidden Reality" by Brian Greene.
November 11, 2012 at 3:39 PM
Anonymous said…
Good luck on the Russians,you'll need it.I am a great admirer of the land and its history but an attempt at War and Peace,The Brothers Karamazov,and others left me dizzy.And yet I read a biography by a Kentucky historian of Peter the Great and was stunned by the history of the great man.He stands with all the most important leaders of Europe and Asia as a revolutionary and far-seeing ruler and bloody-handed autocrat.He dragged Russia into Western civilization.Nineteen Eighty-four was a good book that was a lesson much like Animal Farm that I want to read.So much beautiful literature out there.Uncle Garry.
November 11, 2012 at 7:35 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Recondite Meanderings.

A bstrusive thought negated once more. Paralysis of the netherworld ensued whilst the knaves endured their perfunctory plights. Vitriolic pejoratives were the customary greetings from the hegemony; their contempt was ravenous and unrelenting. "No more! No more!!!" exclaimed the chief of the sectarian hordes. "They've disgraced us for the last time!!" They began in earnest by flaying their masters, thereby shedding their obsequious shells and exalting themselves beyond their designed purpose(s). A cataclysm ushered forth an affront from on high; then, and only then could one stand with such sacrosanct zealotry. When did one truly abolish their allegiance? When did one truly stand, when once, one could only crawl? Fortitude had arisen in victorious fashion, like the phoenix, only the ashes served to poison the well of the righteous! They imbued themselves with self-serving nihilism; destroying the temples that once demanded them to genuflect, humbly in awe. A v
Read more

Making science accessible

E ducating the public is essential to the progression of scientific literacy. We should take the initiative, both as professionals and dilettantes, to actively engage the public at large, and to present, as accurately as possible, the ideas that are currently relevant in the scientific community. We must also work to dispel any misconceptions that many individuals may have toward science. Not only should we disseminate solid, evidence-based scientific ideas, if we do manage to pique their collective interest, it's also imperative that we make a concerted effort to keep them in the loop. I know that this may seem like a Sisyphean task, but for what it's worth, I've added my two cents.
Read more