Michael Loda

A rather more personal post on Dostoevsky, in honour of his birthday today. It was largely through his works that I have come to see the beauty and profoundness of reading and literature in itself; Not to mention how much he’s had an influence on my faith. I remember sitting down on my bed in the winter of 2024 with Crime and Punishment in my hand, quite nervous as a person who has read very little in general, not knowing my world was going to be changed when I opened that novel. To say I have been absorbed by his writing wouldn’t nearly be saying enough, and truly there aren’t words that could ever describe such an experience, but all in all I fell in love with his work from the very first page, and felt what reading with the whole heart was like for the first time, really. It was around this time of year actually, last year, that I’ve finished The Brothers Karamazov for the first time. Today still, I can vividly recall the overwhelming wave of emotions that had filled me as I closed that book, and I only sat there for God knows how long in my armchair, looking out my window as I held back tears with “Hurrah for Karamazov!” in my mind. Nothing could have “prepared” me for that novel, yet when I have finished it I’ve realised how significant it was for the soul. It is a novel I shall never stop recommending to others, and I couldn’t agree more with the people who say it is the greatest novel ever written. I’ve clearly rambled on enough, however; and I can only hope more people come to read his works in the right light. I’ve still got several of his stories yet to read myself, and when I finish the rest of his works I will be rereading them over and over again through my years. Happy Birthday Fyodor Dostoevsky, we shall be eternally grateful for the masterpieces you’ve given us. Can’t imagine my life without having read your works, anymore.