The Brothers Karamazov

By: Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Constance Garnett - translator

Narrated by: David Rintoul

"The mystery of human existence lies not only in staying alive but in finding something to live for."

Dostoyevksy’s last and greatest novel, The Brothers Karamazov, is a compelling combination of brilliantly told crime story and passionate philosophical debate that explores the complex relationships and moral dilemmas faced by the deeply dysfunctional Karamazov family.

The story revolves around the lives of three brothers—passionate, impulsive Dmitri (Mitya), coldly sceptical Ivan, and caring, selfless Alexei (Alyosha)—and their tumultuous relationship with their father, Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov, a dissolute and selfish man. When Fyodor is murdered, Dmitri is accused of the crime, and through the ensuing investigation and trial, Dostoevsky explores concepts of faith, doubt, guilt, innocence, and the complexities of human nature, highlighting the struggle between faith, materialism and intellectualism and mirroring the broader ideological clashes of late 19th-century Russia.

The Brothers Karamazov is a masterwork of nineteenth-century fiction that explores the spiritual and philosophical elements of the human experience against a backdrop of historical upheaval. Its wide-ranging influence over the years has included artists, writers, scientists and philosophers and its profound contemplation of complex themes continues to resonate today.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky was a Russian novelist, journalist, and short-story writer renowned for his profound explorations of psychology, morality, and the human condition. Born in Moscow, his tumultuous life was marked by early literary success and followed by arrest and exile due to his radical political activities. He is widely regarded as one of the world’s finest novelists, penning classics that include Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, Demons, and The Brothers Karamazov. His work has had an immense influence on 20th-century fiction and his ideas have profoundly shaped literary modernism, existentialism, and various schools of psychology, theology, and literary criticism.

Public Domain (P)2023 SNR Audio

Critic reviews

"The allegory for the world's maturity", Rebecca West

Brilliant Performance by Rintoul

Extraordinarily well read. Inflection of voice, distinction of characters, capturing of drunkeness, crying, and other emotions.

This performance is the best

Listened to a good amount of them and I just like this one the best

Great performance

This is the first time through this book and I’m glad I picked this version.

A Standard-Setting Performance

David Rintoul’s reading of The Brothers Karamazov is inspired. I can’t recall a better performance of a novel. The story flows along so well I could not stop listening time after time. Bravo!

Best narration of The Brothers Karamazov

Narration made a fantastic book even better. I noticed there was a decent chunk skipped over in the Grand Inquisitor but other than that it was great.