"The purpose of this book is to alter the westerner's perception of Russian literature and culture. Once the screen of the English translation is pulled back, the content of these works is of immense complexity and assumes a great amount of prior knowledge of Russian religion and culture...the single thesis [of this book] should be apparent: the historic and religious content of Russian literature is the dominant element in that literature, and hence, should be at the front of all interpretation and criticism...." (From the Introduction).
An exciting new and must-read work from Matthew Raphael Johnson, surveying Russian Literature from an entirely new perspective. Both a scholar of Orthodox literature and a Russian Orthodox priest, the author opens the doors to new pathways of understanding the complex subject of Russian literary analysis in a new and exciting way, in his customary lucid and down-to-earth style.