Penguin Classics Demons [Paperback]

Much should be said about Robert Maguire's fresh translation of the first book I ever read from Dostoyevsky - Demons (or 'The Possessed' as translated by Constance Garnett in 1916, 'Devils' in the Pevear/Volokhonsky version).

Firstly, this is a complex book. Dostoyevsky himself admitted in a letter to his editor (or was it a friend?) that he would probably sacrifice straightforward readability for the tendentiousness of the message(s) he is transmitting in Demons.

Let me give an example: the narrator Gogonov shifts from being part of the narrative and observing events, to being completely detached from the tale being told, to again appearing slightly removed from what he is describing. At times the reader wonders how he knows so much of what he tells. He also goes from describing things without judgment, to judging very acutely certain events and characters being displayed.

The book is complex not solely for this trifle detail, however; but because it takes on a smörgåsbord of very weighty and serious political, philosophical and religious issues. For me this was one of the high points of the novel. I was forced to stop at times and re-read passages or discussions amongst the characters, to try to take them in, chew them and consider them seriously.

Dostoyevsky intended for his audience to ponder the case in point. Many have hailed him prophetic in his prediction (through Shigalyov's political utopia) of the amount of people that would be slaughtered in the 20th century due to political ideologies that did for the most part tend to tilt to the side of 'ego trips', as Robert Belknap correctly observes in the introduction (Stalin, Hitler, Lenin, Mao, and so on) - the number being around 100 million.

Most importantly, Dostoyevsky was worried about the influence of materialist, nihilistic, atheistic, et. al. aggressively transmitted ideals, that could 'infect' or spread through the inadvertent youth of the day (and did eventually lead to the disasters Russia underwent succeeding it's revolution of 1917) when he wrote Demons. Of no less importance is the religious side, with Kirillov and the monk Tikhon as the main proponents, as well as the holy fool Semyon Yakovlevich. There is much that is discussed regarding God, Christ, the church, etc. providing food for philosophical as well as religious thought.

The story is divided into three parts, the first concerning itself chiefly with high society in a rural town in 1860's Russia (the 'Society Tale'), followed by a second part (the Anti-Nihilist 'political tract', if you will) which details closely the workings of the main characters of the work as they plant the seeds of the havoc that will ensue in the third part of the novel, Belknap considering it to be the 'Psychological Novel' part, the invention of which is accredited to Dostoyevsky himself.

I found the book to be profoundly moving. It is inevitable (I suppose this was Dostoyevsky's intent) that you sympathize with the main 'villain' (clearly a troubled character) Stavrogin. This man, and his continuous bouts of clear consciousness and what one sees as kindness and magnanimity, make the analysis of his behavior on the other side of the spectrum harder. It is an unfortunate debacle, the state of affairs he ends up creating for himself.

Dostoyevsky was clearly pointing the finger at the 'softer' radicals of the 1840's as being the root of the calamity. Their jabberings in support of what were considered 'new' ideas, all the nihilistic and atheistic propositions that were en vogue (and still are) at the time, would lead to a more active radical next generation that would take it upon itself to 'shake the very foundations of society' and it's moral mores.

In the end I gave the book 5 stars because this version (though I have not ready any other) is absolutely fantastic. The endnotes are comprehensive and give a much-needed overall guide to what is being said throughout the work (for all the non-Russian or non-Russified (in the cultural sense, that is) readers), as well as a splendid introduction which I read after completing the novel, a chronology, a dictionary of the terms being used and a list of the characters.

A very fine edition from Penguin. If you want to read Dostoyevsky, maybe you could treat yourself to start with The Idiot or something softer, more accessible. But if you want to rush straight into one of his more problematic and intense works, look no further. Just the character Kirillov makes such a dramatic appearance. He is at once a rational, delusional, sympathetic and extreme person, who will keep you hooked to his speeches and actions.

Highly recommended.

I must confess, this novel has never been my favorite of Dostoyevsky's. If you haven't already, read Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, and The Brothers K. first. This is his most political, abyss-facing, and toughest novel, in my opinion. As far as this translation goes, it's been a long time since I read Pevear's, but it as at least comparable. And as with other Penguin books, the notes are very helpful. I've always been an advocate of reading multiple translations, but if you only want one, this one's pretty good for your money.

Fyodor Dostoevsky never fails to captivate and entertain. Classic Russian literature that will be enjoyed by anyone who has read his other works.

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