Just stumbled upon it now, given your comment on Turtleneck. Your insights in the post are stellar, the highlights and the commentary incisive, unapologetic, and I am particularly impressed by the inescapable, often subtle, weaving of courage in Dosto’s work. Couple new books to hunt down, which appreciate very much.
So good. So timely. And the chasm between Ole Dost's capacity for sensitivity, nuance, and three-dimensional renderings and what fills our screens and lives these days is...striking. Love this angle on things and way of presenting them, Michael!
Another cool subject. I'm also checking out your website. We're in N. Carolina now but I lived in LA most of my life, working in film & TV. I'm looking through the writing services that you offer....
Hi Chas! Thank you! Cheers. Yes: I mainly focus on developmental editing for novels and memoir. Reach out anytime :) Happy writing my friend! Have a blessed New Year!! ❤️
What, though, does he mean by "spiritism"? I don't know if "religion of radicalism" quite covers it, as he talks about "spiritism" in "its worst sense". Does this imply that there are "better" or even "good" forms of spiritism?
It’s a fair question. Knowing Ole Dost, my guess is he means that some mysticism (within the bounds of Christianity) is a positive, but that religious extremism in any form, especially when performed by the masses, is a net negative.
A terrific post, Michael, on many levels as Lori points out in her comment. Ole Dost, as you love to call him, made even Fyodor, an archetype of a brute in _The Brothers Karamazov_, human: We know him. He drives the novel with his perfidy and he lives and breathes. Brilliant. xo ~ Mary
Great post. Your use of literature--novels, biographies--to underscore the similarities with today’s cultural issues brings a new relevance in our thinking about the present. Reading your highlighted passages adds impact in the sense that we struggle with the same dilemmas, ask the same hard questions, reach the same impasses as 18th, 19th and 20th century writers. American authors or Russian, their words add texture to the big picture, express a perspective we may not have considered. And thus, we learn. And that was Old Dost’s point.
Fantastic post Michael.
Just stumbled upon it now, given your comment on Turtleneck. Your insights in the post are stellar, the highlights and the commentary incisive, unapologetic, and I am particularly impressed by the inescapable, often subtle, weaving of courage in Dosto’s work. Couple new books to hunt down, which appreciate very much.
The shadow knows, why so many fear it.
So good. So timely. And the chasm between Ole Dost's capacity for sensitivity, nuance, and three-dimensional renderings and what fills our screens and lives these days is...striking. Love this angle on things and way of presenting them, Michael!
Hey Michael,
Another cool subject. I'm also checking out your website. We're in N. Carolina now but I lived in LA most of my life, working in film & TV. I'm looking through the writing services that you offer....
Hi Chas! Thank you! Cheers. Yes: I mainly focus on developmental editing for novels and memoir. Reach out anytime :) Happy writing my friend! Have a blessed New Year!! ❤️
Some interesting stuff, here, thanks for sharing!
What, though, does he mean by "spiritism"? I don't know if "religion of radicalism" quite covers it, as he talks about "spiritism" in "its worst sense". Does this imply that there are "better" or even "good" forms of spiritism?
It’s a fair question. Knowing Ole Dost, my guess is he means that some mysticism (within the bounds of Christianity) is a positive, but that religious extremism in any form, especially when performed by the masses, is a net negative.
A terrific post, Michael, on many levels as Lori points out in her comment. Ole Dost, as you love to call him, made even Fyodor, an archetype of a brute in _The Brothers Karamazov_, human: We know him. He drives the novel with his perfidy and he lives and breathes. Brilliant. xo ~ Mary
Beautifully said Mary!! Happy New Year!
Great post. Your use of literature--novels, biographies--to underscore the similarities with today’s cultural issues brings a new relevance in our thinking about the present. Reading your highlighted passages adds impact in the sense that we struggle with the same dilemmas, ask the same hard questions, reach the same impasses as 18th, 19th and 20th century writers. American authors or Russian, their words add texture to the big picture, express a perspective we may not have considered. And thus, we learn. And that was Old Dost’s point.