The Brothers Karamazov

The Brothers Karamazov, published as a serial in 1879 and 1880, is the last novel by Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky. Following the death of his two-year-old son Alyosha, he set out on a journey to Optina Hermitage, which had long been a dream of his. Throughout the journey, he was accompanied by Vladimir Solovyov, a philosopher and theologian with whom Dostoevsky discussed the plans for the work he had begun. Solovyov’s assertions about the Church as a positive social ideal marked the central theme of the novel, along with the theme of childhood, which was at the forefront of Dostoevsky’s mind during the stay at the hermitage. However, as the work continued to develop, it came to embrace all concerns that had troubled Dostoevsky over his long career, so the novel, in its final form, represents an aggregation of his philosophical and ideological convictions. The novel was immediately met with positive reviews, and today is considered by many to be one of the best works of world literature.