Dostoevsky's most political novel
Publication: Zamyslovskii for the author, Skt. Peterburg, 1873.
Dostoevsky’s most political novel: a very good example of the first edition, in contemporary Russian binding.
£16,500
In stock
Very good example of the first edition, in contemporary binding; rare such.
One of Dostoevsky’s great novels, and the first of his books published by Dostoevsky himself.
Besy captures “the full grandeur of Dostoevsky’s extraordinary endeavor, which is nothing less than to write a symbolic history of the moral-spiritual travails of the Russian spirit” (Frank, pp.430-434). It is his most overtly political work, and a ruthless exposition of contemporary revolutionary movements. The serialisation of this work, in Katkov’s periodical The Russian Messenger, broke down when Katkov refused to print ‘Stavrogin’s Confession’, an episode which he found particularly shocking.
“As a political tract, a portrayal of sick minds, and a study of the manipulation of groups, ‘The Possessed’ remains Dostoevsky’s masterpiece” (Terras).
***Customers considering purchasing this item will be given a longer, much more detailed note on the work, its background, its influence***
Bibliography
Kilgour 281.
Item number
245
Three parts in one volume 8vo (21.4 x 15.5 cm).
Binding
Contemporary quarter Russian sheep over marbled boards.
Condition
Binding slightly rubbed; occasional light foxing, stronger at beginning and end, owner’s signature in blue ink to half-title and quote leaf; with half-titles.
Tolstoy's own editing of his first novel: a lovely example, rare in original wrappers, of this second edition, specially adapted for children's reading and showing for the first time a different version from the standard text.
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