Fyodor Dostoevsky by Peter Leithart

Fyodor Dostoevsky is a fictionalized biography written by Peter Leithart. Even though it is fictional, it has many notes and a bibliography that make it seem more credible. It is written in a conversation format where Dostoevsky and his friend, Apollon Maikov, are having conversations between themselves. In these conversations, they reminisce about key events in Dostoevsky’s past.

For me, this book is a little difficult to read. There are times when you cannot discern who is talking. Also, there are times when you cannot tell if you are in the present or past even though Leithart clearly marks each change of scene. However, despite these faults, the book is a nice read and would have been fantastic if Leithart would not have had these faults in it.

I like very much the conversational format Leithart has taken. I also like his fictional approach to this biography−it makes it very interesting and not dry as some biographies can be. Because the writing and subject matter of this book are very interesting, I would have to recommend it to others to read. I only wish that it had been better written.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.