Resurrection (Dover Thrift Editions) Paperback – March 8, 2004

Brought as a gift and it arrived in good condition.

As the editor of Tolstoy’s Resurrection points out, Tolstoy published this novel late in life, and did so for the money. He had long given up writing, lived as a simple peasant like existence, and gave away the royalties to his books. Resurrection was written, or more correctly updated for publication from an older manuscript to support the emigration of a “heretic” Russian religious sect to Canada.Hence Resurrection, definitely a Tolstoy production, is a late work. The mastery of the form of the novel that we find in War and Peace and Anna Karenina is not present in this book. Yet despite this, Resurrection is a fascinating cluttered, confusing;novel; it is full of long ruminations on human nature, God, and government. So intense are these debates, that they are appealing. This dark vision of Russia this novel provides is unflinching. In its depictions of all social ills, corruption, crime, avarice, vice, economic injustice, indifference and inhumanity, the reader can see the roots of the Russian Revolution. The society of Resurrection could not continue as it was without a bloody upheaval. It was simply too hopeless and dark a place .So I imagine an older, shaggy Tolstoy, brimming with rage over the conditions in Russia, more than slightly misanthropic as a result, pouring out his social and religious theories and ideas while composing this novel. If this is kept in mind, then reading this novel becomes less of a chore and more of a delight. Here was an author with nothing more to prove; he used this novel for his social propaganda, with rich results.

Though the ending seems a little rushed, the novel is a well written story of redemption through sacrifice for the sake of others. The characters were well described without too much detail. The situations were also well described without too much detail. (Excessive detail seems to be a big trait of 19th century literature.)This novel really held my attention a lot better than War and Peace and Anna Karenina. It does espouse many of the views that Tolstoy held late in his life, which does make it a novel that is more focused on social issues and morality than history and aesthetics.

Parts of this book were very interesting but there were parts that added nothing to the overall story line making the book a little too long. I enjoyed reading about the Russian culture at the time Tolstoy wrote this book.

This is my thhird book from Tolstoy and I thoroughly enjoyed highly recommend for anyone who wants to understand the depth of the justice and suffering and sacrifice.

Resurrection (“Vosk-rae-seni-ye”) is a story of one Prince Dmitri Ivanovitch Nekhludoff, whose sin and failure in his degrading of a young woman committed in his young male ignorance, and his redemption from it. Tolstoy’s book was written to demonstrate his outrage at the social injustices of the society in which he lived, 19th century Russia. He comes to realize that evil persisted because those who were supposed to correct it, including the established church of the time, were themselves corrupt, and society was surviving mainly because a certain degree of sympathy and love existed, despite it all. His vision of redemption, realized through loving forgiveness and his condemnation of violence, dominate the story. Finally, Dmitri realizes how Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount can lead a person to a new life, despite the negative power of his sin.

The criticisms of this novel are largely misdirected. There are no more digressions or polemical passages than there are in War and Peace which, if one were to delete all of the pontification and historiography and theological interpretation, would probably be half as long as it is. The novel is inferior to War and Peace and Anna Karenina primarily because it lacks the laser precision those novels have of penetration into the souls of a variety of characters. Tolstoy is God in those novels, within and without all of the characters. In Resurrection, he has become enamored of his role as prophet and, therefore, feels he has the license and duty to present his, Tolstoy's, philosophy as the obvious rectification of the characters' moral and societal dilemmas. On the positive side, however, Resurrection, like its great predecessors, has a prose style that flows like a mountain stream. This quality remains apparent throughout various translations, like a composer's unerring gift for melody. The novel is worth reading if one has already read and admired War and Peace and Anna Karenina and some of the stories. The non-Tolstoy fan would probably wonder why this windbag of an author is being accorded the status of a titan. Henry James described War and Peace as a 'loose, baggy monster' and so it is according to his very precise criteria for crafted fiction. He would probably see Resurrection as a somewhat smaller, less baggy, less monstrous creature. The Tolstoyan stream flows where it will, however, disregarding the dictates of Henry James or any other literary theoretician. There is brilliance and beauty and one appreciates it most when one simply enjoys the journey.

A fantastic perspective on the Russian system of incarceration. A lot of the views in this book are easily applicable to the state of affairs in the world today and offer a lot to think about. Includes romance as well and is a great story that is well told. Long enough to give the reader a feeling of really knowing the characters.

Proving to be an amazing novel to read. So pkeased l bought this.

Got this beautiful copy from cocoblu retail and it came in very good condition.

The very fine observations of Russia of 1850 are applicable to the western world of 2018. People who didn’t like the book probably saw themselves in a mirror.

Leo Tolstoy is mein favouritest writer. Have already read a lot of his books in chinese, now in english. Also things told in the books have happened long time ago, but it is still very touching ans full of inspiration.

The cover should have been more strong. Other than that everything is fine.