Most Popular Books by Constance Garnett

Crime and Punishment'' concentrates on the mental tumult and moral confusion of Rodion Raskolnikov, an impecunious former student in St. Petersburg who contrives to murder a morally bankrupt pawnbroker in order to steal her money. Convinced by a friend who argues that using the pawnbroker''s money for benevolent reasons would counterbalance the killing, Rodion commits the crime, but is tormented by contradictory thoughts and the ever-present danger of being caught. This text is a classic work of Russian literature, and will appeal to fans of literature of this ilk. A veritable must-read for serious literature fans, no bookshelf is complete without a copy of ''Crime and Punishment''. Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky (1821 - 1881) was a Russian novelist, essayist, short story writer, journalist and philosopher. We are republishing this antiquarian book now in a modern, affordable edition complete with a new prefatory biography of the author.

Ivan Gontcharoff is best known for his second novel, "Oblomov. "One might say, only known, but, while his output was small, he did write two other novels, some short stories and some travel pieces. "A Common Story" was his first novel, published in 1847. It opens with its hero, Alexandr Fedoritch asleep. Its plot concerns his departure from the countryside to St Petersburg to pursue a bureaucratic career and his mother trying to prevent him, pointing out the superior qualities of the countryside. The title of the novel is a reference to the time-honoured psychological tension between son and mother. Many of the themes Gontcharoff developed more fully in "Oblomov" are first seen here.

THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky translated by Constance Garnett PART I Book I The History of a Family Chapter 1 Fyodor Pavlovitch Karamazov ALEXEY Fyodorovitch Karamazov was the third son of Fyodor Pavlovitch Karamazov, a landowner well known in our district in his own day, and still remembered among us owing to his gloomy and tragic death, which happened thirteen years ago, and which I shall describe in its proper place. For the present I will only say that this "landowner"- for so we used to call him, although he hardly spent a day of his life on his own estate- was a strange type, yet one pretty frequently to be met with, a type abject and vicious and at the same time senseless. But he was one of those senseless persons who are very well capable of looking after their worldly affairs, and, apparently, after nothing else. Fyodor Pavlovitch, for instance, began with next to nothing; his estate was of the smallest; he ran to dine at other men''s tables, and fastened on them as a toady, yet at his death it appeared that he had a hundred thousand roubles in hard cash. At the same time, he was all his life one of the most senseless, fantastical fellows in the whole district. I repeat, it was not stupidity- the majority of these fantastical fellows are shrewd and intelligent enough- but just senselessness, and a peculiar national form of it. He was married twice, and had three sons, the eldest, Dmitri, by his first wife, and two, Ivan and Alexey, by his second. Fyodor Pavlovitch''s first wife, Adelaida Ivanovna, belonged to a fairly rich and distinguished noble family, also landowners in our district, the Miusovs. How it came to pass that an heiress, who was also a beauty, and moreover one of those vigorous intelligent girls, so common in this generation, but sometimes also to be found in the last, could have married such a worthless, puny weakling, as we all called him, I won''t attempt to explain. I knew a young lady of the last "romantic" generation who after some years of an enigmatic passion for a gentleman, whom she might quite easily have married at any moment, invented insuperable obstacles to their union, and ended by throwing herself one stormy night into a rather deep and rapid river from a high bank, almost a precipice, and so perished, entirely to satisfy her own caprice, and to be like Shakespeare''s Ophelia. Indeed, if this precipice, a chosen and favourite spot of hers, had been less picturesque, if there had been a prosaic flat bank in its place, most likely the suicide would never have taken place. This is a fact, and probably there have been not a few similar instances in the last two or three generations. Adelaida Ivanovna Miusov''s action was similarly, no doubt, an echo of other people''s ideas, and was due to the irritation caused by lack of mental freedom. She wanted, perhaps, to show her feminine independence, to override class distinctions and the despotism of her family. And a pliable imagination persuaded her, we must suppose, for a brief moment, that Fyodor Pavlovitch, in spite of his parasitic position, was one of the bold and ironical spirits of that progressive epoch, though he was, in fact, an ill-natured buffoon and nothing more. What gave the marriage piquancy was that it was preceded by an elopement, and this greatly captivated Adelaida Ivanovna''s fancy. Fyodor Pavlovitch''s position at the time made him specially eager for any such enterprise, for he was passionately anxious to make a career in one way or another. To attach himself to a good family and obtain a dowry was an alluring prospect. As for mutual love it did not exist apparently, either in the bride or in him, in spite of Adelaida Ivanovna''s beauty. This was, perhaps, a unique case of the kind in the life of Fyodor Pavlovitch, who was always of a voluptuous temper, and ready to run after any petticoat on the slightest encouragement. She seems to have been the only woman who made no particular appeal to his senses.

Library of Liberal Arts title.

Underground* *The author of the diary and the diary itself are, of course, imaginary. Nevertheless it is clear that such persons as the writer of these notes not only may, but positively must, exist in our society, when we consider the circumstances in the midst of which our society is formed. I have tried to expose to the view of the public more distinctly than is commonly done, one of the characters of the recent past. He is one of the representatives of a generation still living. In this fragment, entitled "Underground," this person introduces himself and his views, and, as it were, tries to explain the causes owing to which he has made his appearance and was bound to make his appearance in our midst. In the second fragment there are added the actual notes of this person concerning certain events in his life.- -AUTHOR''S NOTE. I am a sick man.... I am a spiteful man. I am an unattractive man. I believe my liver is diseased. However, I know nothing at all about my disease, and do not know for certain what ails me. I don''t consult a doctor for it, and never have, though I have a respect for medicine and doctors. Besides, I am extremely superstitious, sufficiently so to respect medicine, anyway (I am well-educated enough not to be superstitious, but I am superstitious). No, I refuse to consult a doctor from spite. That you probably will not understand. Well, I understand it, though. Of course, I can''t explain who it is precisely that I am mortifying in this case by my spite: I am perfectly well aware that I cannot "pay out" the doctors by not consulting them; I know better than anyone that by all this I am only injuring myself and no one else. But still, if I don''t consult a doctor it is from spite. My liver is bad, well--let it get worse! I have been going on like that for a long time--twenty years. Now I am forty. I used to be in the government service, but am no longer. I was a spiteful official. I was rude and took pleasure in being so. I did not take bribes, you see, so I was bound to find a recompense in that, at least. (A poor jest, but I will not scratch it out. I wrote it thinking it would sound very witty; but now that I have seen myself that I only wanted to show off in a despicable way, I will not scratch it out on purpose!) When petitioners used to come for information to the table at which I sat, I used to grind my teeth at them, and felt intense enjoyment when I succeeded in making anybody unhappy. I almost did succeed. For the most part they were all timid people--of course, they were petitioners. But of the uppish ones there was one officer in particular I could not endure. He simply would not be humble, and clanked his sword in a disgusting way. I carried on a feud with him for eighteen months over that sword. At last I got the better of him. He left off clanking it. That happened in my youth, though. But do you know, gentlemen, what was the chief point about my spite? Why, the whole point, the real sting of it lay in the fact that continually, even in the moment of the acutest spleen, I was inwardly conscious with shame that I was not only not a spiteful but not even an embittered man, that I was simply scaring sparrows at random and amusing myself by it. I might foam at the mouth, but bring me a doll to play with, give me a cup of tea with sugar in it, and maybe I should be appeased. I might even be genuinely touched, though probably I should grind my teeth at myself afterwards and lie awake at night with shame for months after. That was my way.

Superb introductions to Turgenev''ssocial perception, rich characterization, and narrative command: "First Love" (1860), a semi-autobiographical novella, and "The Diary of a Superfluous Man" (1850), the fascinating tale of a Russian Hamlet."

Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy''s immortal tale of forbidden love in Czarist Russia, has been told many times and in many languages. It is the tragic story of a married woman and her affair with Count Vronsky. The novel explores a diverse range of topics throughout its pages. Some of these topics include an evaluation of the feudal system that existed in Russia at the time -- politics, not only in the Russian government but also at the level of the individual characters and families, religion, morality, gender and social class. We give the readers the opportunity to read "Anna Karenina " in English and Russian languages. We provide an English translation by Constance Garnett after the original Russian text. English version in volume 1, Russian version in Volume 2. A great way to practice your reading skills and expand Russian vocabulary is through reading original written works by famous Russian authors.

“The Kingdom of God Is Within You” Christianity Not as a Mystic Religion But as a New Theory of Life by Leo Tolstoy, translated by Constance Garnett, is a powerful and thought-provoking work of Christian anarchism. Originally written in Russian in 1893, the book critiques the alliance between the Church and the state, arguing that this alliance has corrupted the true meaning of Christianity. Tolstoy contends that true Christianity is incompatible with any form of violence, including war, capital punishment, and even the coercive power of the government. He calls for a return to the original teachings of Christ, which he believes are based on love, non-resistance to evil, and the rejection of all forms of worldly authority.

Fyodor Dostoevsky''s "The Possessed," also known as "The Devils," is a chilling exploration of nihilism and political intrigue in 19th-century Russia. This classic of Russian literature delves into the dangerous allure of radical ideologies and their devastating consequences. Dostoevsky masterfully crafts a psychological portrait of a society grappling with the rise of terrorism and revolutionary fervor. A powerful social commentary on the seductive nature of extremism, "The Possessed" remains relevant for its profound insights into the human condition. This meticulously prepared edition offers readers a timeless encounter with Dostoevsky''s literary genius, exploring themes of faith, doubt, and the destructive power of unchecked ambition. Experience the gripping narrative that solidified Dostoevsky''s place as a master of psychological fiction and a profound observer of societal upheaval. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

-THE DOUBLE- centers on a government clerk who goes mad. It deals with the internal psychological struggle of its main character, Yakov Petrovich Golyadkin, who repeatedly encounters someone who is his exact double in appearance but confident, aggressive, and extroverted, characteristics that are the polar opposites to those of the toadying "pushover" protagonist.The motif of the novella is a doppelganger (Russian "dvoynik"), known throughout the world in various guises such as the fetch.* * *It was a little before eight oclock in the morning when Yakov Petrovitch Golyadkin, a titular councillor, woke up from a long sleep. He yawned, stretched, and at last opened his eyes completely.For two minutes, however, he lay in his bed without moving, as though he were not yet quite certain whether he were awake or still asleep, whether all that was going on around him were real and actual, or the continuation of his confused dreams.Very soon, however, Mr. Golyadkins senses began more clearly and more distinctly to receive their habitual and everyday impressions. The dirty green, smoke-begrimed, dusty walls of his little room, with the mahogany chest of drawers and chairs, the table painted red, the sofa covered with American leather of a reddish colour with little green flowers on it, and the clothes taken off in haste overnight and flung in a crumpled heap on the sofa, looked at him familiarly. At last the damp autumn day, muggy and dirty, peeped into the room through the dingy window pane with such a hostile, sour grimace that Mr. Golyadkin could not possibly doubt that he was not in the land of Nod, but in the city of Petersburg, in his own flat on the fourth storey of a huge block of buildings in Shestilavotchny Street.

Anna Karenina (Russian: «Анна Каренина»; Russian pronunciation: [ˈanːə kɐˈrjenjɪnə])[1] is a novel by the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, published in serial installments from 1873 to 1877 in the periodical The Russian Messenger. Tolstoy clashed with editor Mikhail Katkov over political issues that arose in the final installment (Tolstoy''s unpopular views of volunteers going to Serbia); therefore, the novel''s first complete appearance was in book form in 1878. Widely regarded as a pinnacle in realist fiction, Tolstoy considered Anna Karenina his first true novel, when he came to consider War and Peace to be more than a novel. Fyodor Dostoyevsky declared it to be "flawless as a work of art". His opinion was shared by Vladimir Nabokov, who especially admired "the flawless magic of Tolstoy''s style", and by William Faulkner, who described the novel as "the best ever written".[2] The novel is currently enjoying popularity, as demonstrated by a recent poll of 125 contemporary authors by J. Peder Zane, published in 2007 in "The Top Ten" in Time, which declared that Anna Karenina is the "greatest novel ever written"

Anna Karenina was the next major novel of Tolstoy after his War and Peace."In order for a work to be good, one must love its main basic idea. In Anna Karenina I love the family idea while in War and Peace I loved the national idea," Tolstoy said once to his wife.The first idea of the plot occurred to Tolstoy as early as seven years before the novel was written. "Yesterday he told me," wrote Tolstoy''s wife in her diary, "that he imagined the character of a married woman belonging to the highest circles of society, but having lost herself. He said that his aim would be to make her pitiful but not guilty..."This edition is based on the translation by Constance Garnett, who was inspired with Russian literature after her travel to Russia and meeting with Leo Tolstoy in 1893. She was one of the first English translators of Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Leo Tolstoy and Anton Chekhov. In total, her translations include more than seventy volumes of Russian nineteenth-century literature.

Crime and Punishment (pre-reform Russian: Преступленіе и наказаніе; post-reform Russian: Преступление и наказание, tr. Prestupléniye i nakazániye, IPA: [prʲɪstʊˈplʲenʲɪje ɪ nəkɐˈzanʲɪje]) is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published in the literary journal The Russian Messenger in twelve monthly installments during 1866. It was later published in a single volume. It is the second of Dostoevsky''s full-length novels following his return from ten years of exile in Siberia. Crime and Punishment is considered the first great novel of his "mature" period of writing. The novel is often cited as one of the supreme achievements in literature.

Published in 1866 as Prestupleniye i nakazaniye, Crime and Punishment was the first masterpiece by Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It is a psychological analysis of the poor student Raskolnikov, whose theory that humanitarian ends justify evil means leads him to murder a St. Petersburg pawnbroker. The act produces nightmarish guilt in Raskolnikov.