Doctor Zhivago

By Boris Pasternak, Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky

First published in Italy in 1957 amid international controversy, Doctor Zhivago is the story of the life and loves of a poet/physician during the turmoil of the Russian Revolution. Taking his family from Moscow to what he hopes will be shelter in the Ural Mountains, Zhivago finds himself instead embroiled in the battle between the Whites and the Reds. Set against this backdrop of cruelty and strife is Zhivago's love for the tender and beautiful Lara, the very embodiment of the pain and chaos of those cataclysmic times. Pevear and Volokhonsky masterfully restore the spirit of Pasternak's original—his style, rhythms, voicings, and tone—in this beautiful translation of a classic of world literature.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Nov 23, 2010
• ISBN: 9780307379962

Reviews for Doctor Zhivago

[asxz-2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

More arduous than I had hoped. In my opinion it's better at history than it is at romance so it was also a little disappoint from that respect. Certainly not Tolstoy and ultimately underwhelming.

[solitaryfossil · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I just finished Boris Pasternak’s novel, “Doctor Zhivago,” and I’m a bit wrecked. I had to lie down after finishing. This was a re-reading after too many years. It is one of my all-time favorites, so highest recommendation! I’d forgotten how excellent it is. I always enjoy a good nexus, and the nexus here is my love of history, especially the end of the Romanov Dynasty, Russian Revolution of 1917, and gorgeous writing. This translation is from 2014 and it is wonderful. Yes, the movie is sublime, but the book is even better. I want to run away to Siberia now. Forward my mail to Varykino.

[sadiebabie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The quote on the front cover of my copy hailing this as "the greatest love story of all time" is, quite frankly, a lie. This is the story of a man who can't commit and uses political circumstance to do his dirty work for him. As a lead character, he left me very empty and unable to care about him.

Having said that, I actually enjoyed the book. I can't put my finger on why... Lara made me want to slap her with her clunky dialogue ("don't you think?"), Antipov's character is disappointingly washed over, and the tangents into political and religious soliloquies grated on me just the way the farming and politics ones in Anna Karenina did.

But it was readable, the story unfolded well and my interest was never lost. A lukewarm read.

[vinjii-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I definitely went into this book with all the wrong expectations. I haven't seen the film, but what I've heard made me believe I'll be diving into a timeless romance with a whole lot of Russian history in the background.Yuri and Lara's story, however, is 25% of the book at most, and in fact Pasternak uses this novel to ponder history, communism, philosophy and to offer his views and opinions, and a healthy dose of social commentary. I will definitely re-read this book at some point with the right mindset.Basically, I'm pretty certain it wasn't the book's fault that I was underwhelmed. The prose didn't blow me away either, but I'm not sure my translation is a good one.I've read and loved several books written by Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, and I thought I would end up loving this one as well. About halfway through I realised, I just wanted to get it done and over with.I couldn't connect with the characters and felt like they weren't developed enough. Essentially, the reader is being fast forwarded through Yuri's life, never staying in any place for longer than necessary.I recommend Doctor Zhivago to anyone interested in Russia and who doesn't mind that both characters and plot come secondary.

[thereadingmermaid · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

At the beginning of this book I was intrigued and was into the story. However about half way through, it seemed as though the author was whining through the main character and his incapability to live with his "sins". The details about the war and Revolution dwindled towards the end. If you didn't feel like you'd been dragged through the mud by three quarters through the book, then the ending certainly dropped you like a hot plate! So depressing. While I didn't expect a happy ending to this story, I guess I also did not expect the tragic ending. The next generation is set up with tragedy and indeed the suffering never ends. Even though the book does.

[aagbay-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Doctor Zhivago is a wonderful, moving book. Boris Pasternak wrote a story of a young boy and his life. We see the changes he and the his home country, Russia, go through as the story unfolds. We feel the despair,the sorrow, the happiness, and the excitement of the time period even though the book is over fifty years old. Doctor Zhivago is a masterpiece of a book and is book everyone should read. The book takes place around the time of the Russian Revolution. The reader is thrust into this world just before the revolution begins. We learn of the current ideals, philosophy, religions, and politics circulating around Russia. Just as we begin to settle down in this short time of peace in the book, we are quickly swept away by the story of how one man lived during this time period. Doctor Zhivago, at the time, was suppressed in Russia at the time of it publishing, but was able to be published in Italy, and from there, the rest of the world. The story follows Yurii Andreievich Zhivago, who starts out as a young boy at the very begging of the book, but will become a man soon enough. We see the Russian Revolution through his eyes, and through the countless other characters throughout the book. The number of characters introduced is staggering. Character after character was introduced throughout the beginning of the book and some are slowly integrated later on through the story. Each person has a story of their own and all are tied in to Yurii. The reader sees how each character reacts to different situations, how the beliefs change over time, and how their relationships grow between each other. Every event, every passage is important to the overall story and you never want to miss any part of it. Little instances or words could end up appearing in the least likely of places throughout the story. However, some things about the book can make it confusing and difficult to read at times. Each character has at least two names, a first and a surname. Many of the characters have multiple nicknames as well. Throughout the book, the characters can be called by any one of these names or by a combination of both, making dialogue and plot a little confusing at the beginning. By the end, you get used to the names and it will not bother you as much. The book focuses on building the back story and characters at the beginning, the book starts off very slowly. It speeds up to the end, but never reaches the pace or action that many books in the 21st century now produce. This is due to the beautifully crafted story line and the thought provoking passages make you want to take a moment and really think about whats going on or about your own life. This opens up a whole new realm of thought that many books in our times never brings a reader to. However, this may turn off some readers, as they may think the book just drags on for an eternity. Doctor Zhivago is one of the most touching, thought-provoking, and powerful books I have ever read. We see the hardships that some people faced back then and pulls us back to reality about how well we live now. We see the power of the human mind and how each and every person is important in some way. However, in current times, many younger readers may pass on reading it because of its slower pace. Doctor Zhivago is a masterpiece of literature that everyone should try to read at least once in their lifetime.

[syndelle777 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

At the beginning of this book I was intrigued and was into the story. However about half way through, it seemed as though the author was whining through the main character and his incapability to live with his "sins". The details about the war and Revolution dwindled towards the end. If you didn't feel like you'd been dragged through the mud by three quarters through the book, then the ending certainly dropped you like a hot plate! So depressing. While I didn't expect a happy ending to this story, I guess I also did not expect the tragic ending. The next generation is set up with tragedy and indeed the suffering never ends. Even though the book does.

[jlsmither · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

When I was a little less than half-way through Doctor Zhivago, I mentioned it casually to a thoughtful and well-read friend. "Ugh," he said without hesitation and rolled his eyes. I was confused by this--I was enjoying it so far. Sure there were a million characters, each with multiple names, but the Internet helps with this a lot. And the author does a pretty good job of reminding you who's who as you go along. Granted, I expected to have trouble with this book. I have a pretty shaky grasp of Russian history. It wasn't taught in my grade schools, and I didn't pursue it in college. My 9th grade English teacher taught us Animal Farm as an Aesop's-Fable-type story about the importance of knowing your place. I expected to get lost in some of the "who's fighting who when and ostensibly why" details of this novel, which stretches from the early 1900s through World War II--a pretty active time in Russia. And I did. But I kept reading (rather, listening; I got it on CD for my commute). I read without an undeniable amount of eye rolling until chapter 13, "Opposite the House of Sculptures." And then it lost me; I turned. Glancing through other reviews on Goodreads, I'm not the only one who turned at this point. It's a ginormous chapter in which two characters who are supposed to have the most pure, passionate love ever known to existence speak to each other in impersonal monologues, explaining their feelings and large sections of the plot that the reader has already witnessed. The chapter probably shouldn't feel so ridiculously long and boring and forehead-slappingly unbelievable. The reader is supposed to understand the intense passion that these two feel for each other. The problem, obviously, is that we don't. And this was the point in the book when I realized that there wasn't going to be any further character development. The characters were fully formed, but they were wooden. The only other explanation for their reactions, emotions, and absences we'd get would be delivered in monologue--either by themselves or the narrator. I felt and understood this great love exactly once: [spoilers ahead!] Yuri is headed home to confess his affair with Lara to his pregnant wife, Tonia. On the way, he convinces himself that he really didn't end things right with Lara and should probably go back and talk to her again. (Eye rolling, because you want him to be better--this poet/philosopher/physician--but it's realistic.) He's so overjoyed at the prospect of seeing Lara again, even if it's just to break up with her. But then, on the way, when the reader is anticipating a beautiful love scene, he gets kidnapped by partisans. And marches around the woods with them for about 2 years. And then, when he finally escapes, he goes to Lara's house first so that they can give speeches at each other for hours. "Ugh." [spoilers over]After that turn in chapter 13, Doctor Zhivago wasn't able to win me back. The coincidences get ludicrous. Reading this, you'd think there are only about four houses in Russia, because everyone keeps appearing at the same places. They walk straight across Siberia and end up at the same house. Really. (All of that said, Pasternak comes up with some of the more beautiful nature descriptions I've ever read. His scene descriptions are the strongest part of the novel. And the relationship between Lara and Komarovsky in part 1 is, oddly, the most believable and human relationship in the book.) Once I finished the book, I read the Wikipedia page and a few other online resources. Maybe, I thought, I missed something. Maybe each of these characters is a metaphor for some aspect of Russian culture or history that is lost on me in my ignorance. Maybe that would explain they way they all interact with each other, fade and reappear, go to their fates. But no. At least, I didn't find an interpretation that supported that theory. So, the question remains: Why is this Nobel-winning novel such a drag? Maybe it's because it's written in a style that modern (American) readers aren't familiar enough with--like trying to watch Lawrence Olivier act and wondering how anyone could ever have stood him for a whole movie. It's not very old (smuggled out of Russia and published in Italy in 1958), but it's a bit old, and it's Russian. Or maybe the reason for its popularity and critical success during the Soviet era had a lot more to do with what it said about the Soviets and less about its plot and characterization. Are the readers or the book to blame? I don't have enough information to answer the question. But if you're a student of Russian history, I encourage you to read Doctor Zhivago and tell me what you think. Let's talk about it. Because it's very possible I just missed something obvious, and you have something to teach me.

[codename_walter · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of the hardest classic novels I have ever read. I am not sure why, but I had to push myself through this one. I remembered seeing the 1965 movie and 2002 TV miniseries and both encouraged me to actually read the book. Dr. Zhivago is written well, it is easy to understand, but most of the passages in the book are descriptive. Long paragraphs are handed over to describing the physical and the emotional; scenery, weather, objects, thoughts, feelings. There is also a great deal of unfinished thoughts and story arcs that could have been pursued to a relevant conclusion. The story, however, is really, very good. The struggle is very human, the loss, the strife, the emotions are very real and palpable throughout. Despite the difficulty in reading this book, it has become a favourite, and I am glad I read it.

[kakadoo202 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting story but way less love story than expected.

[brakketh-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Trails and tribulations of Yuri Zhivago, romantic and tragic, very hard to follow in places.

[mountie9_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

One of the most painfully boring books I ever had to read. Yes I know its a classic and I am probably not intelligent enough to understand it, but I won't lie. I was bored, often confused on who they were talking about and I didn't really like any of the characters. I didn't understand the fascination with Laura, and quite frankly thought Tonya was far more intriguing. Even watched the movie and this is one case in which I enjoyed the movie more than the book. That being said, I didn't love the movie either. I actually wanted to create a Staff UnPick sticker for this one. Positive note though as we read this for book club, we had a fabulous Russian dinner and I learned to appreciate good vodka. I made a fabulous Stalin's Georgian Lamb Stew. The recipe came from a book by Jason Matthews called Palace of Treason.

[sumisbooks · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

At the beginning of this book I was intrigued and was into the story. However about half way through, it seemed as though the author was whining through the main character and his incapability to live with his "sins". The details about the war and Revolution dwindled towards the end. If you didn't feel like you'd been dragged through the mud by three quarters through the book, then the ending certainly dropped you like a hot plate! So depressing. While I didn't expect a happy ending to this story, I guess I also did not expect the tragic ending. The next generation is set up with tragedy and indeed the suffering never ends. Even though the book does.

[tess_w · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Dr. Zhivago is a panoramic view of Russia beginning with the Bolshevik Revolution and ending with Lenin’s first economic program. It is the story of Yuri Zhivago and Lara, two individuals thrown together by circumstances who fall madly in love with each other. Zhivago, before he can choose between his wife/son and Lara, is abducted by the revolutionary army and is forced to serve with them for several years. When he returns his wife and children are gone; but he does find Lara and they pick up where they left off. To flee the revolution they move far away into the frozen tundra into the frozen ruins of a once bourgeoise palace. Lara is left alone by the revolutionaries because he husband is powerful in the Red Army. However, once he dies, she has no protection for either her daughter, herself or Yuri. A scoundrel finds them and offers to spirit Lara and her daughter away, warning Yuri that he will only bring Lara trouble because Yuri’s family supported the Czar. Yuri says he will follow at a later date, but to protect Lara he does not do this. Lara is forced to leave her daughter with a railroad station operator’s wife when she must flee. Lara and her daughter never see each other again. Yuri makes it to Moscow on foot and lives in poverty, still writing poetry. He even marries again and has two children. He dies at an early age, probably about 40, with Lara always on his mind and in his heart. Zhivago was a poet so news of his death spread and Lara attends the funeral. This is a love that was epic and able to withstand wars, armies, the bitter cold, starvation, etc. A great read, especially for somebody who is interested in Russian history. Although both Yuri and Lara die, the “hope” lives on, through their daughter, Tanya. Dr. Zhivago is not an easy read. Firstly, Pasternak is a poet and this is the work of a poet and sometimes has to be deciphered. Secondly, it is long, but well worth the time and effort. Be sure to savor this book.

[scottcholstad · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A true classic. While I enjoyed the move, I have to confess I like the movie a bit more. To each their own. Recommended.

[deldevries · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It started out as a good read, but because less interesting with each additional character added. Scanned and skimmed but never found the hook to stick with it to the end.

[dinadansfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The whole long book, good love story, not bad when dealing with the immense upheaval of the Russian Revolution.

[gayla.bassham · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Sigh. I sort of hate myself for not liking this book. I really wanted to love it, but I could not get into it and I struggled to the end. Hugely disappointing. I will reread someday and hopefully have a better experience.

[featherbear · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Thought the movie was a snore, but since many LThing members seem to like it, I'll take another look, time permitting.As to the novel, need to mull it over a bit longer, though glad I read it.Initial reactions:Positive: *vivid historical re-creation of the impact of the Bolshevik revolution from the perspective of the educated upper middle and upper classes who were understandably biased. I first became aware of the novel in middle school via a book report by a young lady highly sympathetic at the time to the John Birch Society ideologies; this was at the time of the first translation into English. Pasternak's take is more nuanced, but he's clearly not in Putin's corner.* Some interesting sections on the act of literary creation. The use of description and metaphor is possibly richer and more suggestive than some of the straightforward "philosophy" sections.Negative. *The love life of the doctor is expressed operatically rather than novelistically. Interesting that the first translation was into Italian by an Italian publisher in a country mad for opera. *With regard to the cultural commentary interludes, they are very earnest. The ruminations on philosophy, religion, politics, and the role of women lack the humor and exuberance of Dostoyevsky, much less Oscar Wilde.Caution: I don't read Russian. Comments based on the PV translation.

[bethanyinthetaiga · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Apparently in a country as physically huge as Russia, you can't go anywhere without previously knowing the entire village as well as the prominent political and revolutionary characters in the news. I was hoping for a love story and ended up with two characters accidentally running into each other repeatedly. Meh.

[bjenks-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The translation from Russian seems superior and more elegant than in the American version in my collection

[stuart10er_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful, Hugo-esque novel of the Russian Revolution. I have a great respect for the screenwriter of the movie as he was able to preserve so many details in the movie from the book. Loved it as much as the movie.

[mykl8s · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Kept me interested, even though there was lots of history I didn't understand.

[rontyler-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I just finished Boris Pasternak’s novel, “Doctor Zhivago,” and I’m a bit wrecked. I had to lie down after finishing. This was a re-reading after too many years. It is one of my all-time favorites, so highest recommendation! I’d forgotten how excellent it is. I always enjoy a good nexus, and the nexus here is my love of history, especially the end of the Romanov Dynasty, Russian Revolution of 1917, and gorgeous writing. This translation is from 2014 and it is wonderful. Yes, the movie is sublime, but the book is even better. I want to run away to Siberia now. Forward my mail to Varykino.

[pilgrimjess · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

“I don't think I could love you so much if you had nothing to complain of and nothing to regret. I don't like people who have never fallen or stumbled. Their virtue is lifeless and of little value. Life hasn't revealed its beauty to them.”The novel tells the story of Yury Zhivago, a man torn between his love for two women living through tumultuous upheavals of twentieth century Russia. Yury is the direct descendant of the wealthy Zhivago family but all the family wealth has been squandered by his feckless father. When his mother dies whilst he is still a young boy he is raised by his uncle. Later he studies medicine at a university in Moscow where he meets and marries Tonya by whom he has a son, Sasha.After university Yury becomes a medical officer in the army and whilst in this capacity he meets Lara who is married to Pasha, a missing soldier whom she has come to find him leaving their daughter, Katya in the Urals. Yury has actually met Lara in passing twice before without ever really getting to know her. Yury is captivated by Lara, but he returns to his wife and son in Moscow. However in Moscow the family struggle to find food and firewood so they decide to move east to the Urals to try an avoid the hardship. The journey is long and difficult, but on arrival they find plenty of food and wood. As life becomes easier for the family Yury takes to going to the nearest city, Yuryatin, to use the library. There, he meets Lara once more and they begin an affair. However, on his way home one day, he is captured by the partisan army, and forced to join them as a medical officer.Yury is forced to remain with this force during the war between the Tsarist Whites and the Communist Reds. After several failed escape bids he finally succeeds and returns to Yuryatin and Lara. In the meantime Tonya and his family have been summoned back to Moscow before being exiled to Paris whilst Lara's husband, Pasha, is now wanted. After several months living together they learn that they are in danger of being imprisoned and Yury tricks Lara into taking her daughter even further east in the hope that they at least will escape persecution whilst he remains behind. Before long however, Yury returns to Moscow to find work. In Moscow he begins living with Marina, the daughter of a family friend, and they have two children before he deserts them too. One day on his way to work he dies of a heart attack. Lara coincidentally has returned to Moscow shortly after Yury's death and attends his funeral and we get to hear some of what has happened to her and her daughter in the intervening years.Now firstly I ought to admit that I have never seen the movie, basically because I've not really fancied it especially as I believe that it's in excess of three hours long, therefore I didn't really know what to expect other than what the blurb on the book says, "One of the greatest love stories ever told". However, it didn't really hit my expectations. I found it hard to take to Yury. Now whilst he appears to love both Tanya and Lara passionately he was also somewhat prone to abandoning them just as he also does later on to Marina. Also he seems somewhat vain somehow feeling himself superior to those around him or perhaps instead he prefers to surround himself with people inferior to him. On top of this is the usual fact that like most Russian novels this one is heavy in characters sometimes making it hard to keep track of who is whom and where they fit in the overall story. Now whilst I don't doubt that it deserves to be considered a classic it failed to really grip me and I found it a bit of a slog. As such I only found it OK. Personally I prefer Mikhail Sholokhov.

[pauntley · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This damning review is restricted to the Kindle edition of the Max Hayward, Manya Harari translation of Dr Zhivago, which is available at a budget price from Amazon with the cover photograph taken from the original Omar Sharif/Julie Christie movie version of the book. It is likely that the paperback version in the same cover format has most of the the same faults, but that is now out of print. The Kindle version is grossly defective; avoid it like the plague: 1. In its original version the novel makes many narrative transitions of time and place within chapters. In the original, these are marked by section numbers. The section numbers are omitted in the Kindle version resulting in continuing frustration in separating the various narrative threads; 2. Non-English words with accent marks are invariably mangled ; 3. The poems of Yuri Zhivago, which represent the culmination of the novel and Zhivago's life are absent from the Kindle edition. I hasten to add that properly presented version of the Hayward/Harari translation, together with its appended prose versions of the poems by Bernard, Guilbert Guerney, is graceful, fluent and arguably preferable to the more recent translation of Zhivago (also available on Kindle) by Larissa Volkhonsky and Richard PevearThe defects of the Kindle version of the Hayward/Harari translation are irredeemable.

[albertgoldfain · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A book of intense, atmospheric moments set against the tumultuous backdrop of 20th century Russian history. Although worthy of being regarded a classic, this didn't feel like anything in the thread of Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky. I tend to prefer novels that do more with fewer characters rather than the oversprawling saga as written. I haven't seen the movie, but maybe that cuts to the heart of the story more directly.

[the_literary_jedi · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

More than 50% through and I’m officially DNFing this book. I’m not interested in the characters, their motivations, the politics, or the posturing & drama. A bit confusing to read, especially in the beginning. I’m disappointed that this didn’t work out for me because I’ve heard about the movie (which I also was not a fan of) since I was a kid.It didn’t work out for me, but I hope it works for someone else!*All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

[drardavis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Reading the novel Dr. Zhivago with memories of Dr. Zhivago the movie will cause you to misunderstand what is going on. This is not the tragic love story portrayed by movie stars. Pasternak is painting a different picture. His characters are of two types. The first, vividly described like individual leaves in the sunlight or the rain, appear only briefly and then are gone. Some of these may reappear much later, as they fall from their branches. The second, such as Zhivago, Lara, and Tonia, flow through the novel acting as the trees, giving it the hint of a plot allowing the reader to wander through the landscape. But it is the forest that is important, the overall chaos of the Russian revolution. The love story is between Pasternak and Russia itself, and is told in the only way such a huge story could be told.Surprisingly, for such a masterpiece, this book seems to break all the rules of good writing taught to modern authors. Its omniscient point of view allows Pasternak to tell instead of show, although he wraps his philosophical, political, and religious lectures within dialogue. It doesn’t seem to matter much who is speaking. You must figure it out from the context. Along with the lectures comes another common feature of Russian novels, the names. However, the biggest fault with my copy was the translation. Translating poetry is an almost futile task, and Pasternak’s descriptions of people and places are overwhelmingly poetical. Therefore, once in a while the translation is too literal with very odd results that could not possibly be what the author intended.Reading this novel is not for the faint of heart, but the experience will be unforgettable.

[meisterpfriem · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I finally got around to read ‚Doctor Schiwago‘. Despite a helpful list of the main persons prefacing this first German edition it is not easy to keep a mental track of them and all the others. The Russian convention of polite address by first name and patronymic adds a further difficulty. I am re-reading the book as long as the persons are fresh in my memory. P. tells the life-story of Jurij Andréitsch Schiwago from the age of 13 or 14 in 1903 until his death in the summer of 1929 with a short prolog and an epilog set in 1943: Doktor Schiwago: born, as Pasternak around 1890, Physician and, as P. Intellectual and Poet. Interwoven with Schiwago’s life-story Pasternak pictures the turbulent times of the civil war during the transition of his country from Russia to the Soviet Union and gives a vivid description how people from many walks of life trying to weather the great storm of the revolution.Although we are witness to the innermost thoughts of Schiwago, we don’t see everything always through his eyes alone; we are also told the thoughts and feelings of many of the other persons. In this the narrative is conventional, not so in other ways. In the first book threads are taken up which are later knotted (sich verknoten) to form a net of encounters. Many of these are chance encounters: This makes this vast country shrink and look more like some region small enough to meet by chance. This compositional device holds the events together but makes me very conscious of it as an artifice – much more so than I would like. Could Pasternak have avoided it? It is not up to me to answer this.Narration of situations and encounters (Handlung) is interspersed by Gesprächen: Monologe, Dialoge, philosophische, emotionale:Nikolai Nikolaitsch: a short discours about life, art, science in human history (1.Buch, 1:V, S.16-18).Nikolai Nikolaitschs Ansichten über die Judenfrage von Gordon ausgesprochen (1.Buch, 4:XII, 146-148)Beschreibung einer Sommernacht: „Es war, als erwache die Erde zum Bewußtsein“ (1.Buch, 5:VI, 166)Im geheimnisvollen Schnellzug: Jurijs Gedanken und Gespräch mit dem jungen Jäger über die Wirren des Krieges und die kommende Revolution (1.Buch, 5:XV-XVI)Jurijs trunkene Rede zu seinen Freunden über die kommende Revolution; sein „Bewußtsein der Ohnmacht angesichts der Zukunft“ (1.Buch, 6:VI, 214-215)Jurijs Ablehnung des Marxismus as unwissenschaftlich und nicht objektiv im Gespräch mit Samdewjatov. (2.Buch, 1:IV, 308); die bolschewistische Revolution as ‚historische Notwendigkeit‘? (V, 311).Sein Tagebuch über das Leben in Warykino (2:I-IX, 330-343), dort: über Puschkin und die ‚Sprache‘ des Kunstwerkes (2:IV,335-6) und Puschkin u. Tschechov gegenüber Gogol, Tolstoi u. Dostojewskij (VII, 340); dann: Wie wird man zu einem Gelehrten? Wie zu einem Künstler? „Nur die Irrtümer seiner Vorgänger haben aus Faust einen Gelehrten gemacht. Um einen Schritt vorwärts zu machen, muß man sich gegen Irrtümer der Vorgänger auflehnen.“ „Zum Künstler dagegen wurde Faust durch das Beispiel seiner Lehrmeister. Man entwickelt sich weiter durch die Nachahmung und Nachfolge von Vorbildern, die man verehrt.“ (VII, 339) Gut gesagt! Meine eigenen Erfahrungen lehrten mich ähnliches. (I-14)