Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov

This is a new and experimental type of Salon study which we are describing as ‘Open Facilitation’. It is a response to a group of regular Salon participants who have asked Salon Director Toby Brothers to lead them through a book with which she is familiar but does not profess the depth of knowledge on which a typical Salon study would be based. An assessment of the success of this experiment at the end will determine whether we develop further studies of this kind in the future.

Toby writes: As with some other works studied in the Salon, The Brothers Karamazov can be seen as a formidable and epic read, as well as deriving from a culture that is unfamiliar to many of us. Inevitably, the reading can be challenging, and the mind needs to expand to make room for the ideas, questions and responses it provokes and, especially in this context, how our beliefs and values influence the way we live.

As always, I ask that we come to the discussion with respectful curiosity and open minds around issues of philosophy and faith. I may, for example, not call myself a Christian but still embrace – and be deeply moved by – the elder’s words and lived example of love and forgiveness, founded on his understanding of the teachings of Christ.

Throughout the process of writing The Brothers Karamazov, Dostoevsky was interrogating himself about his faith – or lack of it – and the question ‘If God does not exist, is everything permissible?’ This book encourages deep reflection on the nature of God and faith, and we will approach our discussion with an interest in how each member of the group responds to the values Dostoevsky appears to uphold. We will also celebrate the fact that our group consists of people of varying points of view, and understand that this calls for particularly sensitive connection.

In our quest to understand human nature, we may find ourselves ranging across a variety of additional sources to aid our understanding, including the Bible and the views of commentators on Dostoevsky, Russian history and other relevant matters. In this new style Salon study, each participant can enrich the understanding of the group through their own particular contribution, helping to fill the inevitable gaps in our knowledge of a very different time and culture.

As many of us struggle to understand how Russia’s history echoes into the present day, exploring Russian experience through the lens of Dostoevsky’s art offers a broader perspective. 

SALON DETAILS:

• NEW SALON FORMAT: This study will be based on open facilitation rather than the facilitator’s in-depth prior knowledge of the work.
• Ten-meeting study led by Toby Brothers, Founder and Director of the London Literary Salon.
• Thursdays, 4-6.00 pm (BST), meetings on 19 and 26 May and 9, 16, 23 and 30 June, followed by four meetings starting on 8 September.
• Recommended editions: The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volohkonsky, hardback published by Everyman ISBN ‎ 978-1857150704; paperback published by Amazon/Vintage ASIN B00QATU14K.

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND RESOURCES:

The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams has written and broadcast extensively on Dostoevsky and faith, including:

• Dosteoevsky, Language, Faith and Fiction, ISBN‎ 978-1847064257 (published 2008)
• Dostoevsky and the Russian Soul, BBC Radio 4, November 2021
• One to One: Bridget Kendall with Archbishop Rowan Williams, BBC Radio 4, December 2011