Thank you to Thomas Nelson for the review copy of Peter Leithart's Fyodor Dostoevsky. Below is my fair and honest review:

I was interested in this book for three reasons:

1. Dostoevsky is one of the best and most profound novelists whoever lived. Crime and Punishment is incisive in its critique of 19th century European philosophy and insightful on the complexity of the human heart, illuminating both its darkness and its goodness. is a classic of Western literature. But what about the man? Before reading this book, my only exploration of what sort of man Dostoevsky was, was Wikipedia and a chapter from a Yancey Book. So I was eager to read more.

2. Peter Leithart is an excellent author and has published books in several genres (theology, historical theology, sermons, literary criticism, cultural criticsm, commentaries and other books about the Bible). He also blogs, A LOT at www.Leithart.com and has published numerous articles. To use the adjective prolific, may be an understatement. And while I haven't read everything he's written and know it can't all be good, generally he has keen insight and is worth listening to.

3. I fancy myself a history buff and Russian history is incredibly interesting. Dostoevsky lived in 19th Century Russia, a period fraught with growing political unrest and conservative entrenchment. Anything focusing on Dostoevsky and needs to explore these dimensions.

In this thin volume, Leithart gives us an intimate portrait of Dostoevsky, the lover of Russian and lover of Christ. This is not a work of hagiography, Dostoevsky is too real to allow himself be sainted. He drinks to much, he is arrogant and full of rage, he is a gambler and a poor money manager, he is a scoundrel who has a mistress while his first wife is on her deathbed. But he is also somebody who sees with clarity the bankruptcy of European philosophy on Russian soil and that the only hope for his beloved country is Christ.

Leithart's book is copiously researched as his end notes attest. Though his biography is written in narrative form, many of Dostoevsky's words come from various of his correspondence and writings.
Having not read another biography on Dostoevsky, this sufficed for my purposes; however I imagine that a better book than this could have been written. This is relatively a brief treatment and while Leithart is fair, this is not him at his most creative or insightful.

But I do recommend it as a short, engaging treatment of a great novelist. ( )

Fyodor Dostoevsky
Christian Encounter Series
Peter Leithart © 2011
Thomas Nelson Publishers
ISBN 978-1-59555-034-7
175 pp. plus bibliography and Notes (ppbk)

This brief biography brings Dostoevsky alive through his experiences, speeches and relationships. Wrongly accused of being a political dissident he was imprisoned for four years in Siberia. There he says he fully found Christ and developed his personal philosophy of life--that every person in every nation deserves respect because some of Christ can be found in almost everyone.
. He loved Russia deeply and was dismayed by atheistic voices leading young Russians astray. He also spoke against divisions between individuals and nations.
He became one of Russia’s most loved novelists, often portraying characters who learned, often through great trials and wrong choices, that following Christ was the way to live. His writing and conversations became his methods of teaching about God.
Although a Christian he sometimes failed woefully to follow the Lord and finally decided that was only possible when we reached heaven. He was never afraid to speak about the importance of living for Christ even when ridiculed.
This great Russian writer suffered from poor health most of his life but wrote diligently, often all night.
An interesting book although some of Dostoevsky’s speeches that are quoted were several pages long. The speeches do reveal this man’s heart. His reputation is still outstanding in our present age. ( )

This book is very interesting. Not only does it provide you with background information on Dostoevsky's life, but it does it in such a way that you forget that you are reading a historical biography and, instead, you find yourself lost in the story. Definitely, the best way to teach students about his life. I recommend it!

That being said, I think it should be noted that the reader needs to get passed the first portion of the book without putting it down before they can really enjoy it. I found the first portion to be very trying and I hate the images of Dostoevsky that the writer created in my head at the beginning. I found him to grate on my nerves (Dostoevsky, not the author). Of course, that's probably how Dostoevsky really was, so it's not the author's fault. That being said, once you get past that portion and you get into the story, you begin to learn why he is the way that he is and you begin to accept Dostoevsky as a flawed and brilliant man. This knowledge makes him a little less grating and a little more likeable (but not by much). Regardless, it was a great book! ( )

http://jvpearce.blogspot.com/2012/01/book-review-leitharts-dostoevsky.html ( )