Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821-81) was going through a very difficult time when he penned Crime and Punishment in 1864. His first wife had died of tuberculosis and so had his brother Mikhail. Dead broke, and being chased by the collectors, he traveled (or escaped) in Europe, where he wrote Crime and Punishment, which was published in … Continue reading Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment, 2001 [1866]
Endo, Silence (沈黙) (1966)
遠藤周作 (Shusaku Endo, 1923–96) was a Japanese Catholic novelist. His occupation with Roman Catholic belief penetrates throughout this entire book. Endo published Silence in Japanese in 1966. Seventeenth century Japan was ruled by the Tokugawa shogunate (徳川幕府)—also known as the Edo shogunate (江戸幕府)—which was ended by the Meiji Restoration (明治維新) in 1868. While the Edo … Continue reading Endo, Silence (沈黙) (1966)