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Dear Stackers,
During the translation process of the book of John Gray, Black Mass into my native language (a book that was proposed to me by the Publishing House), I came across this quote from a short story The Dream of a Ridiculous Man written by Fyodor Dostoevsky:
... people appeared who began devising ways of bringing men together again, so that each individual, without ceasing to prize himself above all others, might not thwart any other, so that all might live in harmony. Wars were waged for the sake of this notion. All the belligerents believed at the same time that science, wisdom, and the instinct of self-preservation would eventually compel men to unite in a rational and harmonious society, and therefore, to speed up the process in the meantime, ‘the wise’ strove with all expedition to destroy ‘the unwise’ and those who failed to grasp their idea, so they might not hinder its triumph...
Dostoevsky used to be one of my favorite classic authors in the past years but I hadn't read this particular short story. I'm planning to read it those days.
Has anyone read it?
What are your thoughts about it?
Also, I would like to ask you about the book I'm translating: Have you read it? And what do you think about it?
20 sats \ 1 reply \ @siggy47 19 Feb
Great Dostoevsky quote. I never read that short story. I'm a fan too, though it's been years since I read him. In my twenties Notes From Underground was a must read in my crowd. He was a great storyteller. I have not read Black Mass. It is way outside my political echo chamber. I'm sure there would be parts I would agree with, and parts that would infuriate me. That's okay, though. Do you recommend reading it?
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Yes, Dostoevsky is a great writer. My favorite in absolute was Crime and Punishment.
Do you recommend reading it?
I would say yes. Gray's book is good stuff. It's not an easy reading, but it's really good stuff. I don't agree with a lot of parts of the book, but his way of thinking is very interesting. I think John Gray is a nihilist in his way of thinking, but his criticism against modern politics and political religion is very sharp.
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“I will not and cannot believe that evil is the normal condition of mankind.” ― Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Dream of a Ridiculous Man
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