The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Dream audio books 96 - 01.01 Fyodor Pavlovitch Karamazov

Originally published in serial form in 1879-80, “The Brothers Karamazov” is recognized as one of the very greatest masterpieces of world literature. It is the last and finest novel of Fyodor Dostoyevsky, who died before writing a planned sequel.

The story is organized initially around the efforts of adult sons to deal with their cantankerous and exasperating father. More important, they also have to deal with the problem of how to live in a world where it is difficult to be sure of the truth — whether that be “truth” about others, about oneself, or about deep questions such as faith, doubt, free will, guilt, and responsibility.

Dostoyevsky’s technique underlines the difficulty of attaining sure knowledge. The novel’s psychological and philosophical depth sets the stage for modern novelists such as Joyce, Kafka, and Woolf. “The Brothers Karamazov” has been a favorite book for readers as diverse as Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Joseph Stalin, Vladimir Putin, and Hillary Clinton. - Summary by Bruce Pirie

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Episodes

14 Aug 2025

15 Aug 2025

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Episodes

01.01 Fyodor Pavlovitch Karamazov

01.02 He gets rid of his oldest son

01.03 The second marriage and the second family

01.04 The third son, Alyosha

01.05 Elders

02.01 They arrive at the monastery

02.02 The old buffoon

02.03 Peasant women who have faith

02.04 A lady of little faith

02.05 So be it! So be it!

02.06 Why is such a man alive?

02.07 A young man bent on a career

02.08 The scandalous scene

03.01 In the servants' quarters

03.02 Lizaveta

03.03 The confession of a passionate heart — in verse

03.04 The confession of a passionate heart — in anecdote

03.05 The confession of a passionate heart — ''Heels up''

03.06 Smerdyakov

03.07 The controversy

03.08 Over the brandy

03.09 The sensualists

03.10 Both together

03.11 Another reputation ruined

04.01 Father Ferapont

04.02 At his father's

04.03 A meeting with the schooboys

04.04 At the Hohlakovs'

04.05 A laceration in the drawing-room

04.06 A laceration in the cottage

04.07 And in the open air

05.01 The engagement

05.02 Smerdyakov with a guitar

05.03 The bothers make friends

05.04 Rebellion

05.05 The Grand Inquisitor

05.06 For awhile a very obscure one

05.07 ''It's always worth while speaking to a clever man''

06.01 Father Zossima and his visitors

06.02 The duel

06.03 Conversations and exhortations of Father Zossima

07.01 The breath of corruption

07.02 A critical moment

07.03 An onion

07.04 Cana of Galilee

08.01 Kuzma Samsonov

08.02 Lyagavy

08.03 Gold-mines

08.04 In the dark

08.05 A sudden resolution