DALLAS -- A few weeks ago, Interabang Books co-owner Lori Feathers organized a collective read of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s "The Brothers Karamazov."
Her objective was to have readers better understand the tensions between Russia and Ukraine. She chose a classic work of Russian literature to take a deep dive into the Russian way of thinking.
“I always feel like people are kind of curious about why Russians are so impenetrable — and how they act and how they think,” she said.
When the idea of a collective read came up in mid-December, Russia was presenting demands to NATO, providing a hint of what was to come. When her collective read started Tuesday, Russians were nearly a week into their large-scale attack on Ukraine.
Suddenly, her effort had piqued interest.
Feathers said Tuesday that she didn’t plan it that way, but the conflict has created a buzz about the two countries on a literary scale.
“There is an uptick in interest — in customers coming into the store, buying the book and signing on to the collective read,” she said.
Also, Feathers said the podcast that she co-hosts with Sam Jordison has had an increase in downloads, doubling to nearly 300 last week.
“We’re very happy about that,” Feathers said.
In the latest edition of the podcast, Across the Pond, which dropped Feb. 22, Feathers and Jordison were joined by American author Lan Samantha Chang, whose most recent novel, "The Family Chao," is modeled after "The Brothers Karamazov." Feathers came up with the idea of the collective read after reading Chang’s novel.
Dostoevsky’s novel takes place in Imperial Russia while Chang’s story focuses on a Chinese American family in modern-day Wisconsin.
“Her book has the same character types,” Feathers said.
"The Brothers Karamazov" tells the story of three brothers and their father, a despotic, greedy and lecherous man. His mysterious death leads to a trial and prompts difficult questions about morality and guilt.
The collective read will use a translated version by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, who are known for their collaborative English translations of Russian literature. The original novel was 364,000-plus words. The translated version is about 206,000 words.
On Tuesday, participants started reading from 12 to 15 pages of "The Brothers Karamazov" every day on their own.
On each day of the collective read, Feathers will post a tweet about the reading on the podcast’s Twitter page (@across_the_pod), presenting a theme or asking a question. Participants can engage by using the hashtag #conquerkaramazov.
Feathers, Jordison and Chang will also address comments and questions from readers in regular discussions about the book on the podcast.
What will success look like for this collective read? “If we can get people to read the book with us, I’ll consider it a success,” she said.
