Alex Jennings

Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Brothers Karamazov

The award-winning translation of Dostoevsky's last and greatest novel.

The Brothers Karamasov is a murder mystery, a courtroom drama, and an exploration of erotic rivalry in a series of triangular love affairs involving the “wicked and sentimental” Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov and his three sons―the impulsive and sensual Dmitri; the coldly rational Ivan; and the healthy, red-cheeked young novice Alyosha. Through the gripping events of their story, Dostoevsky portrays the whole of Russian life, is social and spiritual striving, in what was both the golden age and a tragic turning point in Russian culture. 

A Novel in Four Parts With Epilogue

wit is a scoundrel while stupidity is honest and sincere…. so true 

lindura

The greater the stupidity, the greater the clarity. Stupidity is brief and guileless, while wit equivocates and hides. Wit is a scoundrel, while stupidity is honest and sincere. 

Niccolo Machiavelli

Il Principe (The Prince) is a political treatise by the Florentine public servant and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli. Originally called De Principatibus (About Principalities), it was written in 1513, but not published until 1532, five years after Machiavelli's death. The treatise is not representative of the work published during his lifetime, but it is the most remembered, and the work responsible for bringing "Machiavellian" into wide usage as a pejorative term. It has also been suggested by some critics that the piece is, in fact, a satire.

Niccolo Machiavelli ( Short Stories, Non-fiction, Political Science ) [Annotated]

The Prince

Lawton

Հիմնականում մարդիկ ավելի հավատում են աչքերին, քան ձեռքերին, քանզի բոլորին է տրված տեսնելը, սակայն քչերին՝ ձեռք տալը։

This extraordinary novel, Dostoyevsky's last and greatest work, tells the dramatic story of four brothers: Dmitri, pleasure-seeking, impatient, unruly... Ivan, brilliant and morose... Alyosha, gentle, loving, honest... and illegitimate Smerdyakov, sly, silent, cruel. Driven by intense passion, they become involved in the brutal murder of their own father, one of the most loathsome characters in all literature. Featuring the famous chapter "The Grand Inquisitor", Dostoyevsky's masterpiece is at once a complex character study, a riveting murder mystery, and a fascinating examination of a man's morality and the question of God's existence.
(back cover)

Taira Robles

It’s the great mystery of human life that old grief passes gradually into quiet tender joy.

Do you know I've been sitting here thinking to myself: that if I didn't believe in life, if I lost faith in the woman I love, lost faith in the order of things, were convinced in fact that everything is a disorderly, damnable, and perhaps devil- ridden chaos, if I were struck by every horror of man's disillusionment - still I should want to live. Having once tasted of the cup, I would not turn away from it till I had drained it! At thirty though, I shall be sure to leave the cup, even if I've not emptied it, and turn away - where I don't know. But till I am thirty, I know that my youth will triumph over everything - every disillusionment, every disgust for life.

aywen

You must know that there is nothing higher and stronger and more wholesome and good for life in the future than some good memory, especially a memory of childhood, of home. People talk to you a great deal about your education, but some good, sacred memory, preserved from childhood, is perhaps the best education. If a man carries many such memories with him into life, he is safe to the end of his days, and if one has only one good memory left in one's heart, even that may sometime be the means of saving us.

And if two of you are gathered together—then there is a whole world, a world of living love.

Brothers, love is a teacher; but one must know how to acquire it, for it is hard to acquire, it is dearly bought, it is won slowly by long labor. For we must love not only occasionally, for a moment, but for ever. Every one can love occasionally, even the wicked can.

If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things. Once you perceive it, you will begin to comprehend it better every day. And you will come at last to love the whole world with an all-embracing love.

All mankind in our age have split up into units, they all keep apart, each in his own groove; each one holds aloof, hides himself and hides what he has, from the rest, and he ends by being repelled by others and repelling them. He heaps up riches by himself and thinks, ‘How strong I am now and how secure,’ and in his madness he does not understand that the more he heaps up, the more he sinks into self-destructive impotence. For he is accustomed to rely upon himself alone and to cut himself off from the whole; he has trained himself not to believe in the help of others, in men and in humanity, and only trembles for fear he should lose his money and the privileges that he has won for himself. Everywhere in these days men have, in their mockery, ceased to understand that the true security is to be found in social solidarity rather than in isolated individual effort.

It's the great mystery of human life that old grief passes gradually into quiet, tender joy.

And if the sufferings of children go to swell the sum of sufferings which was necessary to pay for truth, then I protest that the truth is not worth such a price. I don't want the mother to embrace the oppressor who threw her son to the dogs! She dare not forgive him! Let her forgive him for herself, if she will, let her forgive the torturer for the immeasurable suffering of her mother's heart. But the sufferings of her tortured child she has no right to forgive; she dare not forgive the torturer, even if the child were to forgive him! And if that is so, if they dare not forgive, what becomes of harmony? Is there in the whole world a being who would have the right to forgive and could forgive? I don't want harmony. From love for humanity I don't want it. I would rather be left with the unavenged suffering. I would rather remain with my unavenged suffering and unsatisfied indignation, even if I were wrong. 

The stupider one is, the clearer one is. Stupidity is brief and artless, while intelligence wriggles and hides itself. Intelligence is a knave, but stupidity is honest and straightforward. I've led the conversation to my despair, and the more stupidly I have presented it, the better for me. 

I’ve never in my life lent to that unhappy man, Dmitri Fyodorovitch Karamazov (for, in spite of all, he is unhappy), three thousand roubles to-day. I’ve never given him money, never: That I swear by all that's holy! 

... take me away, take me far away, do you hear? I don't want it to be here, but far, far away....”

“...Every one in the world is good. Every one—even the worst of them. The world's a nice place. Though we're bad the world's all right...”

If there where no God, he would have to be invented. S’il n’existait pas Dieu, il faudrait l’inventer.

I think if the devil doesn’t exist, but man has created him, he has created him in his own image and likeness

Watch over your own deceitfulness and look into it every hour, every minute. Avoid being scornful, both to others and to yourself. What seems to you bad within you will grow purer from the very fact of your observing it in yourself.

Love is such a priceless treasure that you can redeem the whole world by it...

This new, revised edition of the award-winning translation of Dostoevsky's classic novel celebrates the author's two hundredth birthday Winner of the Pen/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize The Brothers Karamazov is a murder mystery, a courtroom drama, and an exploration of erotic rivalry in a series of triangular love affairs involving the “wicked and sentimental” Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov and his three sons—the impulsive and sensual Dmitri; the coldly rational Ivan; and the healthy, red-cheeked young novice Alyosha. Through the gripping events of their story, Dostoevsky portrays the whole of Russian life, its social and spiritual striving, in what was both the golden age and a tragic turning point in Russian culture. This award-winning translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky remains true to the verbal inventiveness of Dostoevsky’s prose, preserving the multiple voices, the humor, and the surprising modernity of the original. For this bicentennial edition, Pevear and Volokhonsky have revised and refined their translation and continued their ongoing project of translating the great author's work. It is an achievement worthy of Dostoevsky’s last and greatest novel.

The Brothers Karamazov (Bicentennial Edition)

🏹

Never be frightened at your own faint-heartedness in attaining love. Don't be frightened overmuch even at your evil actions. I am sorry I can say nothing more consoling to you, 

for love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing compared with love in dreams

. Love in dreams is greedy for immediate action, rapidly performed and in the sight of all. Men will even give their lives if only the ordeal does not last long but is soon over, with all looking on and applauding as though on the stage. 

But active love is labor and fortitude, and for some people too, perhaps, a complete science

When you reach that line in a book that has become a popular quote <3

“Very. I want to get to know you once for all, and I want you to know me. And then to say good-by. I believe it's always best to get to know people just before leaving them.”

I love Ivan’s wisdom and intelligence, he’s everything I am in a nutshell.

“Joking? I was told at the elder's yesterday that I was joking. You know, dear boy, there was an old sinner in the eighteenth century who declared that, if there were no God, he would have to be invented. 

S'il n'existait pas Dieu, il faudrait l'inventer

. And man has actually invented God. And what's strange, what would be marvelous, is not that God should really exist; the marvel is that such an idea, the idea of the necessity of God, could enter the head of such a savage, vicious beast as man. So holy it is, so touching, so wise and so great a credit it does to man.”

"I think every one should love life above everything in the world."

"Certainly, love it, regardless of logic as you say, it must be regardless of logic, and it's only then one will understand the meaning of it. I have thought so a long time. Half your work is done, Ivan, you love life, now you've only to try to do the second half and you are saved."

The murder of brutal landowner Fyodor Karamazov changes the lives of his sons irrevocably: Mitya, the sensualist, whose bitter rivalry with his father immediately places him under suspicion for parricide; Ivan the intellectual, whose mental tortures drive him to breakdown; the spiritual Alyosha, who tries to heal the family's rifts; and the shadowy figure of their bastard half-brother, Smerdyakov. As the ensuing investigation and trial reveal the true identity of the murder, Dostoyevsky's dark masterwork evokes a world where the lines between innocence and corruption, good and evil, blur, and everyone's faith in humanity is tested.

This powerful translation of The Brothers Karamazov features an introduction highlighting Dostoyevsky's recurrent themes of guilt and salvation, with a new chronology and further reading.

(back cover)

a novel in four parts and an epilogue

maia

Actually, people sometimes talk about man's "bestial" cruelty, but that is being terribly unjust and offensive to the beasts: a beast can never be as cruel as a human being, so artistically, so picturesquely cruel.

Մաքիավելլիզմն անպայման արժի ուսումնասիրության առնել։

vern loce

Niccolò Machiavelli

The classic handbook of statecraft written four centuries ago by an Italian nobleman recommends guile and craftiness to attain and maintain political power.

it was nice but hating on women wont help you to get his dick wet 

Machiavelli, as the Father of Political Science, continues to be translated and read throughout the world. This latest edition contains many illustrations dealing with The Prince.

Magnificent insights into the inner workings of power, and how people achieve, use, abuse and lose power.

catto fishu

Could have used 53638384 more paragraph breaks but hfs this is a banger

🫶devil who serves grudgingly for the sake of events

Margo Koss

Could have used 53638384 more paragraph breaks but hfs this is a banger

🫶Alyosha

🫶devil who serves grudgingly for the sake of events

Konstanfin Mochulski

The brothers Karamazov

Luke Stamps

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."

Sosa Kuti 

The best book to ever be written. I swear.

Wanna read a whole book by him about children’s friend group politics 

Clay Carey

 by Fyodor Dostoevsky offers an uncompromising examination of love, grief, and faith, urging readers to reconsider their idealized notions of love. Dostoevsky presents love not as a romantic fantasy but as an active, laborious force requiring perseverance and fortitude. Through the character of Father Zossima, the author shows that genuine love is transformative, born from life’s struggles and redemptive in its ability to transcend pain. A standout in the narrative is the term “laceration,” which encapsulates the pain of grief but also the beauty of transformation through suffering. Dostoevsky’s reflections on grief as a doorway to a deeper love resonate with the metaphor of a seed falling to the ground, signifying the possibility of renewal even in the harshest of circumstances. This theme of love’s active, spiritual nature is intertwined with Dostoevsky’s religious iconography, showcasing a divine power quietly within the soul. The chapter “The Grand Inquisitor” is another highlight, offering unmatched spiritual depth through Ivan Karamazov’s philosophical musings. Ivan, with his sharp intellect and moral complexities, challenges the very notion of truth and suffering, leaving readers to ponder the value of truth when weighed against the cost of innocent suffering. His dialogue with Alyosha is a haunting meditation on forgiveness, suffering, and the struggle for harmony, with Ivan’s words still echoing long after the book’s conclusion:

The dense prose can be challenging, but the rewards of navigating Dostoevsky’s intricate style are immeasurable. As a lover of philosophical literature, I found the book to be both intellectually stimulating a challenging read, but for those willing to engage with its complexity, 

 stands as the pinnacle of existential exploration and one of the most impactful literary experiences I’ve ever had. 

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky offers an uncompromising examination of love, grief, and faith, urging readers to reconsider their idealized notions of love. Dostoevsky presents love not as a romantic fantasy but as an active, laborious force requiring perseverance and fortitude. Through the character of Father Zossima, the author shows that genuine love is transformative, born from life’s struggles and redemptive in its ability to transcend pain. A standout in the narrative is the term “laceration,” which encapsulates the pain of grief but also the beauty of transformation through suffering. Dostoevsky’s reflections on grief as a doorway to a deeper love resonate with the metaphor of a seed falling to the ground, signifying the possibility of renewal even in the harshest of circumstances. This theme of love’s active, spiritual nature is intertwined with Dostoevsky’s religious iconography, showcasing a divine power quietly within the soul. The chapter “The Grand Inquisitor” is another highlight, offering unmatched spiritual depth through Ivan Karamazov’s philosophical musings. Ivan, with his sharp intellect and moral complexities, challenges the very notion of truth and suffering, leaving readers to ponder the value of truth when weighed against the cost of innocent suffering. His dialogue with Alyosha is a haunting meditation on forgiveness, suffering, and the struggle for harmony, with Ivan’s words still echoing long after the book’s conclusion:


If the sufferings of children go to swell the sum of sufferings which was necessary to pay for truth, then I protest that the truth is not worth such a price.

The dense prose can be challenging, but the rewards of navigating Dostoevsky’s intricate style are immeasurable. As a lover of philosophical literature, I found the book to be both intellectually stimulating a challenging read, but for those willing to engage with its complexity, The Brothers Karamazov stands as the pinnacle of existential exploration and one of the most impactful literary experiences I’ve ever had. 

Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves—and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives—and destroyed them. Now, Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization, and helped make us who we are. Penguin's Great Ideas series features twelve groundbreaking works by some of history's most prodigious thinkers, and each volume is beautifully packaged with a unique type-drive design that highlights the bookmaker's art. Offering great literature in great packages at great prices, this series is ideal for those readers who want to explore and savor the Great Ideas that have shaped the world. Rejecting the traditional values of political theory, Machiavelli drew upon his own experiences of office in the turbulent Florentine republic to write his celebrated treatise on statecraft. While Machiavelli was only one of the many Florentine “prophets of force,” he differed from the ruling elite in recognizing the complexity and fluidity of political life.

Chaitanya Baranwal

Written in the 1500s, this book addresses the general tendencies and thought processes of humans, and how a prince can use them to his advantage. It's cold in its consideration of the public as mere subjects, yet pragmatic enough to advise that a prince should always strive to remove any hatred his public might have towards him. Moving away from the idealist approaches a prince must take, it makes a lot of good points, which I feel continue to apply even 500 years later.

No words. I fucking love you Dostoyevsky.

Il principe

yaya

Buku pedoman para diktator. Luas dan terasa tajamnya pembahasan di sini. Saya ingin membaca ulang buku ini kapan-kapan.

Ziggy

Completed only a few months before the author's death, The Brothers Karamazov is Dostoyevsky's largest, most expansive, most life-embracing work. Filled with human passions ― lust, greed, love, jealousy, sorrow, and humor ― the book is also infused with moral issues and the issue of collective guilt.
As in many of Dostoyevsky's novels, the plot centers on a murder. Three brothers, different in character but bound by their ancestry, are drawn into the crime's vortex: Dmitri, a young officer utterly unrestrained in love, hatred, jealousy, and generosity; Ivan, an intellectual capable of delivering impromptu disquisitions about good and evil, God, and the devil; and Alyosha, the youngest brother, preternaturally patient, kind, and loving. Part mystery, part profound philosophical and theological debate, The Brothers Karamazov represents the culmination of Dostoyevsky's life's work and ranks among the greatest novels of all time.
Reprint of the Constance Garnett translation as published by W. Heinemann, London, 1912-1920.
Source: http://store.doverpublications.com/0486437914.html

I lack the necessary English degree to adequately review this book.

It was long.

Dostoyevski, yaşamının son yıllarında başyapıtı Karamazov Kardeşler'i tamamladığında, Rus yazınında 'felsefe düzeyinde roman-tragedya denen türün de temelini attığının bilincinde değildi. Dostoyevski'nin yaşam birikiminin tümünü ve sanat gücünün doruğunu içeren bu roman, gerçekte insanı insan yapan ne varsa, onlara adanmış bir destan niteliğini taşır. Yazar, hiçbir romanında "Karamazov Kardeşler"de olduğu denli insan ruhuna inmemiş, insanoğlunu bu denli kesitler biçiminde, içgüdülerinin ve istencinin tüm görünümüyle sergilenmiştir. Bir aileyi konu alan ve bir felaketler zinciri olarak gelişen olay örgüsü, bireysel öğelerin yanı sıra, ondokuzuncu yüzyılın ikinci yarısındaki Rus toplumunu da geçirdiği sarsıntıların tümüyle, dünya edebiyatında bir eşi daha bulunmayan bir sanat aynasından yansıtır.

Suat ATAN

Ortaokuldan beridir, kütüphane raflarında gördüğüm için okumak istediğim ancak cesaret edemediğim “Karamazov Kardeşleri” nihayet okudum. Bence bu kitaplar o yaşlar için pek ağır. Okunmayacağından değil, anlaşılması için yaşlanmak gerektiğinden… En azından benim için öyle.

1000 sayfalık ağır bir roman hakkında yapılacak yorum da “güzel kitap” diye iki kelime olursa, Dostoyevski’nin kemikleri sızlar. Okumamış olanlar için baştan söyleyeyim, eğer eski eserleri veya “sıkan kitapları” hemen bırakıyorsanız bu işe girmeyin… Bu kitap uzun, çok uzun bir rüyaya benziyor kitabı bitirmeyene kadar olan biteni anlamıyorsunuz. Arada insan ruhuna dair farklı kahramanların dilinden tahliller büyülüyor. Bazen kahramanların kendi tutarsızlıkları da öyle… Bir kahramanın tutarsızlığı diye yapıştırıverdiğimiz hükmü her gün yaşadığımızı unutuyoruz. Kitabın kahramanı neredeyse kitaptaki herkes… Alyoşa’yı ana karakter sayanlar var ancak aslında gerçek hayata ve insanlara bu kadar yaklaşmış bir romanda bir Gruşenka da, Dmitri de hatta İlyuşa.

Kitapta unutamayacağım bölüm yerini söylemeyeceğim bir duruşma sahnesi… Orada Avukat Fetükoviç ve İppolit Kiriloviç’in tahlillerini okuyunca hayatta bırakın basit bir olayı romanın konusu olan o büyük olayda bile insan ruhundan, olan bitenden, suçun/yargının toplumsallığından yana öyle dersler alıyorsunuz ki bunu burada “bütün ihtimalleri düşünün” şeklinde anlatırsak “Aa, bu muymuş” diye geçiştirisiniz ama öyle. Bu duruşma sahnesinde bir mühendis kafasıyla bir hesap yaptım. Bir duruşmada 10 delil ve 10 tanık olsun. Bu kişilerin hemen hemen her birinin birbirleri ile illiyeti olsun. Bu durumda 10+10 = 20 öğenin kendi aralarındaki ilişkileri 20×20 = 400 oluyor. Zaten insan zihninin bunu bir dava dokümanından okuyup aklında tutması imkansız. Bu yüzdendir ki her “iddia” veya her “savunma” ilk dinlendiğinde haklı bile gelebiliyor insana, hele İppolit Kiriloviç’in o tahlilleri öyle derin ki, eğer tanık sandalyesine masum adam otursa müebbet yer… Çünkü kitabın kendi benzetmesiyle maddi gerçekler de roman haline gelip anlamsız kurgular yaratabiliyor

Diğer yandan kitaptaki kahramanlardan Dimitri, Katerina, İvan ve Gruşenka’nın diğer en büyük özelliği “poliamori”. Kitapta bu terim elbette geçmiyor, yani bir kişinin birden fazla kişiye aşkı… Ama kahramanlar bunu yaşıyor. Önce saçma geliyor, sonra Gruşenka’nın ağzından birine karşı “onu sevebilme ihtimalim vardı” gibi cümleyi duyup olan biteni, kıskançlıkları, hesapları da okuyunca bunun da tipik bir insan davranışı olduğunu görüyoruz. Öyle ki romanda daha sonradan ruh aslında bu poliamori olgusunda insanın “her anının ayrı bir telde” olabileceğini görüyoruz. Her konuda da böyle.

Kitabı okuduktan sonra içimdeki “İppolit Kiriloviç” de Avukat Fetükoviç de birebir oluştu, yerlerini aldı. Kendimi kitaptaki tahlilleri kendime ve başkalarına yaparken buldum. Kitapta çok kızılan “Fyodor Pavloviç” in de aslında hepimizin içinde yer aldığını biliyorum. Sadece adlarını koyacak Dostoyevski gibi derin değiliz.

Dostoyevski kitapta ana hikayeden kısmen bağımsız olan eski yüzbaşının oğlu İlyuşa’nın babasının Dmitri’den uluorta dayak yerken, çocuğun babasının yanına gidişini öyle bir anlatıyor ki sarsılıyorsunuz. Ana hikaye değil ama yan hikayelerden biri olan İlyuşa’nın öyküsü ve betimlemeler sizi ağlatabilir.

Kitapta Alyoşa’nın “şeyhi” diyelim, Startez Zosima’nın kendi yaşam öyküsü ayrı bir romandır aslında. Bir düelloda yaptığı bir hareket sonrasında kendisi ile dost olan yaşlı bir adamın öyküsü var, siz okursunuz artık, insanın çelişkilerini öyle bir anlatıyor ki… Ayrıca Startez Zosima’nın verdiği öğütler çok etkileyici.

Her kitap bir ders verir en kötüleri ise okunmayacak kitabın ne olduğuna dair ders verir. Bu kitaptan çıkardığım ders şudur: İnsanlar da, ilişkiler de, hayat da neredeyse muammadır. Biz günlük yaşamın pratiklği içinde örneğin bir hakim olarak o gün hızlıca karar verip birilerini idama da gönderiyor olabiliriz. Öte yandan idama giden suçlu da olabiliriz. Bu muammanın içinde rasyonel olmak için adil olmak gerekiyor. Adil olmak için -kitapta Alyoşa karakteri tam bir adalet örneği- ise herşeyi çok dikkatli gözlemlemek, Dostoyevski’nin gözü ile tahliller yapmak, sezgilerimizi dinlemek ama onlarla hüküm vermek yerine daha fazla düşünmek zorundayız. Nitekim doğru ile yanlış, iyi ile kötü, yalan ile doğru feci şekilde bir aradadır.

Plato

Phaedo

Meagan Fischer 

Boo. All we see in this book is Plato abandoning the Socratic method in favor of turning his fictional Socrates into a cult leader whose friends are nothing more than yes-men. His arguments about the nature of the soul are also full of fallacies akin to the Monty Python logic about ducks and witches. Not impressed at all.

Edited to add: After thinking about it further, I recognize that to be fair, Plato was literally making this stuff up as he went. He did not have access to brain science and other research that would shed more light on the topics he was exploring. What bothers me is more that people still think his ideas are somehow the pinnacle of human insight.

Presents a dramatization of the trial and death of Greek philosopher Socrates, written by his student and friend, Plato.

The Last Days of Socrates

Hannah Yang

Wonderful, accessible collection of four of Plato's dialogues regarding Socrates' trial and death, with very helpful introductions to each dialogue. Great read for those interested in pondering the law, justice, and considering things like the nature of our soul / whether there is life after death.

Winona 

Three stars because it being assigned reading that I was later assessed on took whatever entertainment I could have derived from Machiavelli's irony.

Barbara Williford

I’m a simple girl, with simple reviews who loves to read. My review is not going to be the in depth with all the flowery, sophisticated words. It’s simple and down to earth. 

If you like the classics and you like Russian literature this was a great book. Three brothers who had a neglectful father and childhood are reunited under unusual circumstances which eventually follows in a love triangle, murder and trial. 

Just a warning, there are a lot of characters but it wasn’t hard to keep up with them. There are many philosophical and theological discussions so it was helpful to have knowledge of the Bible but not necessary. It did get very deep at times, humerous at others and overall a good book. It definitely lived up to the hype.

Eitan Hershkovitz

Shape Mismatch

Never would I come across such a book ever again. I am sure of that. 
The theory of politics in respect with all the external factors that could possibly turn up, 5 centuries ago can never again be put in more elaborate and yet crisp manner.

The complete text of Machiavelli's best-known work, along with excerpts from some of his other writings and letters, and critical essays by J. R. Hale, Felix Gilbert, Leo Strauss, and others

A Revised Translation, Backgrounds, Interpretations, Marginalia

rumbledethumps

I once worked for a large organization, a company with over 10,000 employees. When new managers, people from outside the organization, were hired, they would come in and clean house. A reorganization and layoffs were inevitable.

I always saw this as a way of establishing that the new person, though they hadn’t come up through the ranks, was in charge. What I didn’t realize is that this practice is centuries old.

"a new prince must always harm his new subjects, both with his soldiers as well as with countless other injuries involved in his new conquest"

An important piece of understanding how the world works is understanding how people work. If you want to change the world you need to understand human psychology. One of the earliest books of psychology is The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli.

The Prince has had many critics over the years. In fact, Machiavelli’s name has been transformed into an adjective meant to describe a person who is self-serving, deceitful, and ruthless. And certainly parts of the book are all of those things

Some people will read The Prince as a sort of operating manual for how to live. Because of this, its real use comes from learning why people sometimes act in ways that seem immoral.

The Prince, however, is amoral, in that it is unconcerned with morality. Its only concern is how to get and maintain power. As Machiavelli writes,

"A man who wishes to profess goodness at all times will come to ruin among so many who are not good. Therefore, it is necessary for a prince who wishes to maintain himself to learn how not to be good, and to use this knowledge or not to use it according to necessity."

Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and Director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York, recommends it as one of the 8 books every intelligent person should read. Read it, he says,

"to learn that people not in power will do all they can to acquire it, and people in power will do all they can to keep it."

But read it for yourself. Don’t take anyone else’s interpretation as the definitive one. As you read it, look for analogies to modern life. We don’t wage war in the same way as Machiavelli’s princes did, but we can certainly find bloodless examples of these maxims in business and politics.

Read it for yourself, and suspend judgment, though you may find parts of it downright repugnant. You might not act in the ways described, but other people do. If you want to understand why, read The Prince.

Silvia Lucchini

Trattato politico particolare e allo stesso tempo geniale: sicuramente non tiene troppo conto dell'etica, piuttosto delle manovre politiche che si possono utilizzare per raggiungere il fine. Davvero interessante.

E J Doble

Off the back of reading about the Medici's and the Florentine State in the 14th-17th centuries, it seemed quite fitting to pick this book up and give it a try - and I was a lot more impressed by it than I thought I was going to be. 

Going into it, I thought this treatise would be a pro-Medici pamphlet which, despite its historic acclaim, would contain very little substance. But, what this book manages to do in around 140 pages is offer a far-reaching, insightful account of princely governance and the control and management of fledgling states across Europe, from antiquity and current times. Laid out quite similarly to Aurelius' "Meditations", the book contains short summarising sections on specific points of governance, and does so in a very accessible way despite how old the treatise is. Machiavelli was clearly a well-informed and analytical writer, and looking at the book objectively it is clearly a good piece of work and very ahead of its time.

I don't believe it should be judged based on the later misuse by tyrants and leaders to legitimise oppression and terror, but should instead be regarded for its original purpose of offering a way forward in what was a trying time for Italy.

However, my one issue with the book was not necessarily to do with the text itself, but rather with the lack of notation on behalf of the publisher. Despite Machiavelli's best efforts to explain the intense political situation of 16th-Century Italy, had it not been for my previous reading about the Medici's then the book's many references would have been entirely lost to me, as there is next to no notation in the book at all. Some short descriptions or character profiles in the footnotes would have gone a long way to make the reading easier.

Overall, a very good treatise!

The Brothers Karamazov

Reviews

Highlights