Can you like Dostoevsky?

Philosopher, linguist, and literary critic Julia Kristeva’s short book on the writings of Fyodor Dostoevsky juxtaposes vignettes from her own past with observations about the writer who influenced her from an early age. Dostoyevsky, or The Flood of Language should not be approached as an academic analysis. It is, rather, a polymath’s dive through a world of words, her savoring of their emotional and psychological significance as well as their semiotic importance.

Growing up in Bulgaria under Soviet rule, Kristeva was warned off of Dostoevsky by her father, who described the writer as “destructive, demonic, clinging.” He wanted something brighter for her, something clearer, which was why he guided her toward the French language and French thought. At the same time, Dostoevsky was also out of favor with the Stalinist regime, which regarded his work as too religious and obscure.

“Of course, and as usual, I disobeyed paternal orders and plunged into Dosto. Dazzled, overwhelmed, engulfed.” Her initial reading of Crime and Punishment profoundly affected her, but at the same time, she says, “I was in over my head.”