Joseph franks dostoevsky biography series librarything. The seeds of revolt is the first volume in the series. A writer in his time, a onevolume, 984page condensation of franks fivevolume biography of the author, written over the course of a long and distinguished career. Along with being a five volume work by joseph frank about fyodor dostoevsky, joseph frank s dostoevsky is also an essay by david foster wallace. Consider the lobster originally published august 2004 for 56 years, the maine lobster festival has been drawing crowds with the promise of sun, fun, and fine food. With incisive critical comments, elegant analyses, and deft. This volume, the third of five in joseph frank s widely acclaimed biography of dostoevsky, begins with the writers return to st.
From consider the lobster from consider the lobster search search. The idiot 5 of 1149 the wearer of this cloak was a young fellow, also of about twentysix or twentyseven years of age, slightly above the middle height, very fair, with a thin, pointed and very light coloured beard. Joseph frank s masterful study seems destined to replace all earlier biographies of dostoevsky, because it treats him first as a novelist, not as a member of the russian intelligentisa who happened to write novels, and because it is both thorough in its research and objective in its findings. Mar, 20 after getting marginally personal on the subject of franks photograph, wallace goes all the way to the other side of objectivity with the first of a series of intimate asides so much in the style of notes from the underground that if it were not for the double asterisks surrounding the paragraph, you might almost think he was quoting from dostoevsky. Joseph frank, a professor emeritus of slavic languages and literatures at stanford, is remembered for his remarkable dostoevsky biography series and a lifelong commitment to teaching. Mar 07, 20 joseph frank, the class of 1926 professor of comparative literature, emeritus, at princeton university, died of pulmonary failure feb. In the essays published in responses to modernity joseph frank is as committed to the unexpended spirit as he was in his own life. Jun 30, 2002 frank s final volume follows the pattern of his earlier ones, covering a relatively short period of the author s life in painstaking detail, in this case the years of dostoyevsky s last decade. Mar 04, 20 the dostoevsky biography, conceived as a single volume, began in earnest in the early 1970s, and quickly outgrew mr.
It was collected in consider the lobster much like i wrote about another essay in that book, the essay. In the early 1860s, as editor of two important journals, dostoevsky stood much more directly at the center of russian socialcultural life than during the. Zimniye zametki o letnikh vpechatleniyakh is an essay by the russian author fyodor dostoyevsky. It is important to know how the writer started to see. Excellent in itself, like frank s spatial form, it marks a fresh excellence. Joseph frank is professor emeritus of slavic and comparative literature at stanford and princeton.
A great life of time and punishments books the guardian. Five volume biography of russian writer fyodor dostoevsky, by joseph frank. Crime and punishment translators preface a few words about dostoevsky himself may help the english reader to understand his work. Mar 07, 20 joseph frank, a professor emeritus of slavic languages and literatures at stanford, is remembered for his remarkable dostoevsky biography series and a lifelong commitment to teaching. Franks study, even at this preliminary stage, has no rival. Joseph frank, stanfords acclaimed dostoevsky biographer. Joseph frank and the unknown dostoevsky morris dickstein.
Few biographers could muster the intelligence and imagination needed to capture all this in a single. His fivevolume biography of fyodor dostoevsky is widely recognized as the best biography of the russian writer in any language, according to princeton university press, which published the work. It was first published in vremya, a monthly magazine edited by dostoyevsky himself. Joe frank politician born 1942, american lawyer and former mayor of newport news.
The timespan covered here 18601865 deal with an extremely important period in dostoevsky s life that has received little attention. Joseph frank books list of books by author joseph frank. Joseph frank declares his interest to be in dos toe ysk y s ari ist ic and in te i lec t u al. Joseph franks awardwinning, fivevolume dostoevsky is widely recognized as the best biography of the writer in any language and one of the greatest literary biographies of the past halfcentury. Joseph frank, whose magisterial, fivevolume life of fyodor dostoevsky was frequently cited among the greatest of 20thcentury literary biographies, alongside richard ellmanns of. Fyodor dostoevsky 18211881is the worlds greatest pyschological novelist probing the human mind without peer. Published shortly before the end of frank s life he died on february 27, 20, aged ninetyfour, this small book doesnt cite everyone who contributed to modernism, but it does describe all the forces and name the names central to the age.
Does anyone have a link to dfws essay about dostoevsky in. Joseph frank declares his interest to be in dos toe ysk y s ari ist ic and in te i lec t u al career. Project muse joseph frank on dostoevsky and modernity. Now frank s monumental, 2500page work has been skillfully abridged and condensed in this single, highly readable volume with a new preface by the author. This is the dostoevsky we encounter in joseph frank s superb dostoevsky. Thus one s future is indeterminate since reality is. In joseph franks dostoevsky, wallace expresses a desire to supplement this narrow worldview with the complexity of conflicting ideas. Lectures on dostoevsky by joseph frank, hardcover barnes. This meaning that knowledge was intuitive in whole but also abstraction in logic. This book refers to the author as dostoevsky, however, other acceptable spellings include dostoevskij and dostoyevsky. These posthumously published lectures on dostoevsky are a new distillation of joseph frank s lifetime of work devoted to the russian writer, and in a new form. For 91yearold stanford scholar joseph frank, a newly published capstone volume in a sixpiece series marks three decades of research on the russian author. Does anyone have a link to dfw s essay about dostoevsky in the village voice. The seeds of revolt, 18211849 by joseph frank the term biography seems insufficiently capacious to describe the singular achievement of joseph frank s fivevolume study of the life of the great russian novelist fyodor dostoevsky.
This is the 3rd installment of a fivevolume work dealing with the life and writings of dostoevsky. Professor joseph frank of princeton has written a five volume biographyliterary commentary on the works of dostoevsky. Now frank s monumental, 2500page work has been skillfully abridged and condensed in this single, highly readable volume with a new preface by the. Dostoevsky the seeds of revolt 18211849 joseph frank. The lectures are almost informal talks, in which we hear the living voice and passionate involvement of the man as he speaks both about and with dostoevsky. Franks subtitle, the seeds of revolt, is well chosen, for his book illuminates both the roots of russian socialism and the seeds of dostoevskys own rebellion against it, in the name of a christianity which, in franks words, always retained the strongly altruistic and socialhumanitarian cast of the 1840s. Now franks monumental, 2500page work has been skillfully abridged and condensed in this single, highly readable volume with a new preface by the author.
Dostoevsky the seeds of revolt 18211849 by joseph frank princeton university press. Geordie williamson, australian frank s monumental fivevolume study of dostoevsky deserves to be read, if only as an inspiring lesson about how much more thrilling a focus on ideas can be than the standard biography s. Joseph frank s dostoevsky david foster wallace free download as word doc. She was sorting through mountains of photos and papers of her husband, the late and wonderful dostoevsky scholar joseph frank among the pile, she handed me this, from the village voice literary supplement. The mantle of the prophet, 18711881 by joseph frank princeton. Stanford scholar on dostoevskys continued relevance youtube. Sep 22, 2003 this fifth and final volume of joseph frank s justly celebrated literary and cultural biography of dostoevsky renders with a rare intelligence and grace the last decade of the writer s life, the years in which he wrote a raw youth, diary of a writer, and his crowning triumph. Joseph frank october 6, 1918 february 27, 20 was an american literary scholar and leading expert on the life and work of russian novelist fyodor dostoevsky. Joseph franks awardwinning, fivevolume dostoevsky is widely recognized as the best biography of the writer in any languageand one of the greatest literary. A writer in his time, a onevolume, 984page condensation of frank s fivevolume biography of the author, written over the course of a long and distinguished career. One critic, writing upon the publication of the final volume, casually tagged the series as the ultimate work on dostoevsky in any language, and quite possibly forever. Problems with his father, and the schools times, his personality started to develop in this time. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. Should i read joseph franks dostoevsky before or after i.
Oct 19, 2009 joseph frank s awardwinning, fivevolume dostoevsky is widely recognized as the best biography of the writer in any languageand one of the greatest literary biographies of the past halfcentury. Semyon frank s philosophy was based on the ontological theory knowledge. A writer in his time book will be provide using wonderful book reader and its might gives you some access to identifying the. Nineteen pieces gathered heresome from the fifties, some from a few years agocelebrate his intellectual strength and moral clarity, for they with certainty limn their cultures and dramatize the poses, stages, and attitudes that lead literary men and women to. Having met with sudden fame as the highly praised young author of poor folk in 1845, dostoevsky was abruptly forgotten after his arrest and exile for political conspiracy. Franks fivevolume biography of dostoevsky is frequently cited among the major literary biographies of the 20th century. On one hand, he views dostoevsky s characters as stilted. Dostoevsky by frank, joseph, 1918publication date 1976 topics dostoyevsky, fyodor, 18211881 publisher princeton, n. His parents were very hard working and deeply religious people, but so poor that they lived with their five children in only two rooms. Am i remembering correctly that wallace says smerdyakov is the character with whom he most identifies. I didnt mean to read the whole thing, but i got sucked in by the second page. Dostoevsky by joseph frank overdrive rakuten overdrive. Because fyodor dostoevskys works have been translated from russian to english, his name and his characters names are spelled differently among the various translations. Irritable, morbid, fickle, he was utterly unfit for petersburg society.
Frank s fivevolume biography of dostoevsky is frequently cited among the major literary biographies of the 20th century. His neverbeforepublished stanford lectures on the russian novelists major works provide an unparalleled and accessible introduction to some of literatures greatest masterpieces. The present book, lectures on dostoevsky, captures for those who did not know frank, the teacher and interlocutor. The term biography seems insufficiently capacious to describe the singular achievement of joseph frank s fivevolume study of the life of the great russian novelist fyodor dostoevsky. This is the dostoevsky we encounter in joseph franks superb dostoevsky. If i read frank s dostoevsky first, then i would have a really great background and understanding with which to better read dostoevsky. Dostoevsky, in franks telling, was not a likable man. Frank taught that existence was being but also becoming. Dostoevsky by joseph frank, 9780691155999, download free ebooks, download free pdf epub ebook. Joseph frank 191820 was perhaps the most important dostoevsky biographer, scholar, and critic of his time. T he glory of joseph frank s biography of dostoevsky is that it is a biography of the writer, and the great novels are where they should be, at the centre. There is little doubt that joseph frank s study will be the one indispensible biography for students. A writer in his time thus immediately becomes the essential onevolume commentary on the intellectual dynamics and artistry of this great novelists impassioned, ideadriven fiction.
Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. This fifth and final volume of joseph frank s justly celebrated literary and cultural biography of dostoevsky renders with a rare intelligence and grace the last decade of the writer s life, the years in which he wrote a raw youth, diary of a writer, and his crowning triumph. Fyodor dostoevsky s final novel, the brothers karamazov dostoevsky, 1991, is almost uni versally acknowledged as his masterpiece. In 1976, when he was a fiftyeightyearold princeton professor of comparative literature, joseph frank brought out the first volume of what has become a magisterial life of fyodor dostoevsky. Frank s bio prompts us to ask ourselves why we seem to require of our art an ironic distance from deep convictons or desperate questions, so that contemporary writers have to either make jokes of them or else try to work them in under cover of some formal trick like intertextual. Joseph frank s fivevolume work is equal parts biography, dense sociocultural history, and literary analysis. Joseph frank s fivevolume critical biography of dostoevsky is the best such study in any language. Joseph franks dostoevsky david foster wallace free download as word doc.
Dostoevskys biography is very well known, but i will go over the important elements for those of you who do not know it, and also because i want to emphasize a couple of things in particular for more details, see joseph franks fivevolume biography, or the onevolume abridged edition, or for a concise work on dostoevskys life, robert birds recent study is useful. Sep 24, 2010 im saving joseph frank s fivevolume epic for later. Frank s elucidations of dostoevsky s masterpieces fully illuminate the contemporaneous social and cultural conversations as well as the more timeless religiousmoral quandaries feverishly animating all of the writers work. The seeds of revolt, 18211849 by joseph frank dostoevsky. A writer in his time with a new preface by the author by frank, joseph isbn. Frank s elucidations of dostoevsky s masterpieces fully illuminate the contemporaneous social and cultural conversations as well as the more timeless religiousmoral quandaries feverishly animating all of the writer s work. I drove over to visit marguerite frank at her stanford apartment one night last week. Frank s biography honours the polyphony of dostoevsky s novelistic imagination. Has any authors reputation fallen further or faster than. To understand dostoevskys often savage satire or nightmarish visions or just the conversations among the karamazov brothers, one needs to grasp. Joseph frank cricketer 18571940, english amateur firstclass cricketer joseph frank physician 17711842, german physician joseph frank writer 191820, american literary scholar and dostoevsky expert joe frank 19382018, american radio personality. Joseph frank s awardwinning, fivevolume dostoevsky is widely recognized as the best biography of the writer in any languageand one of the greatest literary biographies of the past halfcentury. Dostoevsky wasnt just a genius he was, finally, brave.
1612 631 1381 206 685 111 1364 1454 74 181 213 117 1235 350 224 929 1174 466 680 741 1352 1526 673 829 1074 1338 1629 722 418 42 1657 153 1376 1005 445 125 1037 950 600 932 986 1117 868