--- product_id: 1570847 title: "The Brothers Karamazov (Modern Library)" price: "€ 102.92" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.hr/products/1570847-the-brothers-karamazov-modern-library store_origin: HR region: Croatia --- # The Brothers Karamazov (Modern Library) **Price:** € 102.92 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Brothers Karamazov (Modern Library) - **How much does it cost?** € 102.92 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.hr](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/1570847-the-brothers-karamazov-modern-library) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description The Brothers Karamazov, Dostoevsky's crowning achievement, is a tale of patricide and family rivalry that embodies the moral and spiritual dissolution of an entire society (Russia in the 1870s). It created a national furor comparable only to the excitement stirred by the publication, in 1866, of Crime and Punishment. To Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov captured the quintessence of Russian character in all its exaltation, compassion, and profligacy. Significantly, the book was on Tolstoy's bedside table when he died. Readers in every language have since accepted Dostoevsky's own evaluation of this work and have gone further by proclaiming it one of the few great novels of all ages and countries. "The Brothers Karamazov stands as the culmination of Dostoevsky's art—his last, longest, richest, and most capacious book," said The Washington Post Book World. "Nothing is outside Dostoevsky's province," observed Virginia Woolf. "Out of Shakespeare there is no more exciting reading." Review: Great in two respects - One hardly needs to praise this acclaimed novel. But after my third reading I am in awe. The novel works in two entirely different ways, which are nevertheless intertwined. On one hand it is a great story. On the other hand it is a profound meditation. (Interestingly I recently watched two film versions -- the American/Hollywood (1958) and the Russian (1969) -- that divide on just this point. Both are excellent movies, I feel, but the American one works strictly as a great romance and crime drama, while the Russian one is truer to the philosophical concerns.) The reason Dostoevsky had for writing this novel, besides his continual need to support himself and his family, and his passion for writing, was to convey the idea that (what he considered) the innate faith of the Russian people in God, immortality, and Christ is essential to living morally. (In “real life” Dostoevsky was fanatical about this, to the point of viewing Russian Orthodoxy – the tsar included -- as key to the salvation of the whole world. He might very well have been a Putin supporter, despite his otherwise agapic and socialist leanings.) This idea is embodied by Alyosha Karamazov, one of the brothers and a Christ-like figure of universal loving, and also his spiritual mentor, Father Zosima. The idea is also embodied in the brother Ivan (and his own acolyte, the brother Smerdyakov), albeit in its negative manifestation, since he accepts the implication – that without God, everything is permissible, including crime – but, opposite to Alyosha, rejects God. The fourth brother, Dmitri, embodies the idea as well, but in his case – perhaps the most typically human -- God “wins” but always with a struggle. With Alyosha godliness is simply natural. Ivan also struggles, but in him God’s victory is only intermittent because Ivan’s reason and compassion find the evil in the world to be in absolute conflict with the conception of a good and all-powerful God. (Smerdyakov is the extreme God-rejector, Alyosha’s pure opposite.) Thus faith alone (and even contrary to reason), as Alyosha possesses with passion (but also Dmitri, if only by Russian instinct), could give God a clear victory. Dostoevsky does not shy away from this implication. That is one thing that makes this novel great: It challenges the believer so effectively that many readers will side with Ivan’s impassioned argument for atheism. And also for this reason, the story (and character) aspect of the novel is crucial; indeed, Dostoevsky believed that it was the answer to Ivan’s argument, which otherwise could not be defeated by rational argument. The reader will have to judge how successfully the events and characters of the novel refute atheism. I myself think that Dostoevsky’s position doesn’t make sense even in its own terms. Consider that for everything to be “permitted,” there would still need to be an authority that permits; but if God does not exist, who would there be to permit anything? So crime would not be permitted, no more than it would be prohibited if there were no God (according to the theodic logic). Be that as it may, the story and characters stand on their own merits, it seems to me. And here again the novel is a great one. As an aspiring novelist myself, I am in awe of the many amazing personalities and ingenious intricacies of plot that Dostoevsky introduces in this mammoth book. How he was able to maintain the cohesion despite facing publishing deadlines for installments, usual for his day, is beyond my comprehension. (He failed to do this in previous novels. This one was his greatest and final triumph. He died shortly after completion … with a second volume tantalizingly forming in his mind.) Review: Really makes you think about how we treat each other - Amazing book ## Features - Used Book in Good Condition ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #576,876 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #158 in Russian & Soviet Literature (Books) #248 in Classic Literature & Fiction #910 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,758 Reviews | ## Images ![The Brothers Karamazov (Modern Library) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71w3389WeyL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great in two respects *by J***S on November 8, 2023* One hardly needs to praise this acclaimed novel. But after my third reading I am in awe. The novel works in two entirely different ways, which are nevertheless intertwined. On one hand it is a great story. On the other hand it is a profound meditation. (Interestingly I recently watched two film versions -- the American/Hollywood (1958) and the Russian (1969) -- that divide on just this point. Both are excellent movies, I feel, but the American one works strictly as a great romance and crime drama, while the Russian one is truer to the philosophical concerns.) The reason Dostoevsky had for writing this novel, besides his continual need to support himself and his family, and his passion for writing, was to convey the idea that (what he considered) the innate faith of the Russian people in God, immortality, and Christ is essential to living morally. (In “real life” Dostoevsky was fanatical about this, to the point of viewing Russian Orthodoxy – the tsar included -- as key to the salvation of the whole world. He might very well have been a Putin supporter, despite his otherwise agapic and socialist leanings.) This idea is embodied by Alyosha Karamazov, one of the brothers and a Christ-like figure of universal loving, and also his spiritual mentor, Father Zosima. The idea is also embodied in the brother Ivan (and his own acolyte, the brother Smerdyakov), albeit in its negative manifestation, since he accepts the implication – that without God, everything is permissible, including crime – but, opposite to Alyosha, rejects God. The fourth brother, Dmitri, embodies the idea as well, but in his case – perhaps the most typically human -- God “wins” but always with a struggle. With Alyosha godliness is simply natural. Ivan also struggles, but in him God’s victory is only intermittent because Ivan’s reason and compassion find the evil in the world to be in absolute conflict with the conception of a good and all-powerful God. (Smerdyakov is the extreme God-rejector, Alyosha’s pure opposite.) Thus faith alone (and even contrary to reason), as Alyosha possesses with passion (but also Dmitri, if only by Russian instinct), could give God a clear victory. Dostoevsky does not shy away from this implication. That is one thing that makes this novel great: It challenges the believer so effectively that many readers will side with Ivan’s impassioned argument for atheism. And also for this reason, the story (and character) aspect of the novel is crucial; indeed, Dostoevsky believed that it was the answer to Ivan’s argument, which otherwise could not be defeated by rational argument. The reader will have to judge how successfully the events and characters of the novel refute atheism. I myself think that Dostoevsky’s position doesn’t make sense even in its own terms. Consider that for everything to be “permitted,” there would still need to be an authority that permits; but if God does not exist, who would there be to permit anything? So crime would not be permitted, no more than it would be prohibited if there were no God (according to the theodic logic). Be that as it may, the story and characters stand on their own merits, it seems to me. And here again the novel is a great one. As an aspiring novelist myself, I am in awe of the many amazing personalities and ingenious intricacies of plot that Dostoevsky introduces in this mammoth book. How he was able to maintain the cohesion despite facing publishing deadlines for installments, usual for his day, is beyond my comprehension. (He failed to do this in previous novels. This one was his greatest and final triumph. He died shortly after completion … with a second volume tantalizingly forming in his mind.) ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Really makes you think about how we treat each other *by C***R on May 7, 2026* Amazing book ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Oh, My Dear Dostoyevsky *by J***L on September 8, 2013* What the hell kind of ending was that?! Dostoyevsky, I love you, I really do...and I loved The Brothers Karamazov; but the ending, the ending...how depressing. I expected so much more. The story was interesting; yes, it was long winded at times, but it was very interesting. I thought I would read about Mitya's escape from prison. Or, read about how he was actually guilty...or actually not guilty. Instead, I read about a poor elementary school boys passing. Dostoyevsky. I understand that this was your last novel. Your "swan song" so to speak, and i understand that you were facing your mortality so the novel was very philisophilical, but to end it like that. With PANCAKES! PANCAKES, DOSTOYEVSKY! PANCAKES! My dear, Dostoyevsky. I do not want to break up with you over an ending of a book. I implore you, if I ever meet you in the heavens, to tell me if Mitya was actually the murderer of his father or not. But, I guess, that is what you want. To leave your readers hanging by a thread FOREVER. What power you must have. How you must be laughing at all of us! Just you wait! I will seek you out in the heavens and ask you all my questions. You are not free! --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.hr/products/1570847-the-brothers-karamazov-modern-library](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/1570847-the-brothers-karamazov-modern-library) --- *Product available on Desertcart Croatia* *Store origin: HR* *Last updated: 2026-06-06*