I suspect that this book is particularly enjoyable for those who are already a little familiar with Julia Kristeva's oeuvre. Because the thinking of the French linguist-psychoanalyst is a world apart, not always accessible to everyone. I read almost all of Fyodor Dostoevsky's work a long time ago, so I thought this little book would bring me closer to both the eminent Russian writer and Kristeva herself. Unfortunately, that turned out differently. I have no doubts about Kristeva's expertise: she has clearly read Dostoevsky thoroughly and in this book she goes into almost all of his books. So that requires that you are also familiar with that. But Kristeva's analysis of the Dostoevsky Empire is so tied to her own oeuvre that she tends to jump from one book to the next, piecemeal, making the reading very heavy. What I am left with is that Dostoevsky's work is so rich and prophetic that it belongs to the absolute pinnacle of existential literature. And I didn't need Kristeva to acknowledge that.
(Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!) ( )

Dostoyevsky, or the Flood of Language by Julia Kristeva is a sweeping and engaging look into the literature of Dostoyevsky, how it has spoken to Kristeva at times through the years, and how one can read literature with an eye toward how it relates to the present rather than in a vacuum of privilege like some might prefer.

I did go back and reread some of his works, mostly some shorter pieces plus Karamazov, after my first pass through this book. As is usually the case with Kristeva, I was surprised at just how much her ideas added to my reading. Also no surprise is my not always seeing everything the same way. Which is a wonderful thing since it makes me think specifically about where I agree, where I don't, and where I might agree but still prefer a different approach.

She is not at all acting like these works were prophetic, she reads and where something in a novel or story sparks a comparison in her mind to something contemporary she mentions it. Why does one read if not to engage with the work as both a story taking place then and a story being read now? Perhaps simple minds prefer to read in a privileged vacuum where they don't learn anything from the text or gain more insight, but active reading almost demands that you make connections. Those connections may not all be positive but if a reader doesn't make connections either the work or the reader is vacuous.

The thematic structure of the book will likely please some readers while irritate others. What it does allow for is a broad sweep of works to be discussed. If every work she cites were to have its own chapter and still touch on all of the themes, the book would become large and unruly with the connections between the works harder to understand. That said, it does sometimes make for slower reading since the reader (at least this reader) has to sometimes stop and make sure they know what work of Dostoyevsky is now being cited. But that effort is definitely rewarded.

I don't think this book will appeal to many readers who aren't somewhat familiar with most of Dostoyevsky's work. However, if you have followed Kristeva's thinking over the years I think you will enjoy seeing her mind in action when focused on one writer. I also think this offers some insight into how we might read and reread various writers we find important in our lives.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )