Lots of people in the Village are trying to finish The Brothers Karamozov in time for the discussions we'll have this weekend on the book. Doug Thorpe, who teaches English at SPU, will be here to lead those discussions. Doug, a member at St. Mark's Cathedral, is a long-time Holden person, most recently a regular on the Teaching Staff. There are few Spark notes around, and yesterday Carol Hinderlie downloaded the Wikipedia synopsis! It is a long book, but what a good one! I read it 35+ years ago, and I don't remember enjoying it so much. This is a newer translation - 1999 - which received rave reviews as making Dostoevsky's style really come out in English. So maybe that's the whole thing. But it is a great book. I'm especially impressed with the dialog. He is clearly one of those authors - Iris Murdoch being another - who can write pages of conversation and you never lose track of who is talking. Amazing.
Some non-book notes: it's been snowing today, which will be nice for all the people coming in for the week-end and for next week. The Village will more than double in size. It will put quite a strain on the power supply, so we're all cutting back on any unnecessary electrical use - even more than we've cut back already. It's very interesting to live so close to all the things that make our little town work. In the city, the sweep in so broad you lose track of the infrastructure. Here, it's part of your dinner conversation!
Back to the vile Karamozov and his screwy sons!
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