Author Explores Literature, Love, and Democracy Through 'Close Readings'

In the "Close Readings" summer series, which delves into significant topics through brief quotes, author Maxim Grigoriev examines the intricate links between literature, love, and democracy, finding resonance in a single line.

Grigoriev shares a personal anecdote from his teenage years when he first attempted to read Fyodor Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment." Initially, he struggled through the first hundred pages over several arduous weeks, feeling intensely bored. However, something shifted, and the reading experience "crystallized." He describes devouring the rest of the novel in a single night, attending school the next day in a daze, profoundly impacted by what he considered one of the strongest experiences of his life.

A decade later, around 2005, Grigoriev acquired Martin Heidegger's seminal work, "Being and Time," intending to complete it within a month. Now, twenty years later, he humorously admits he has only just approached the second part of the book, the section on time, while still working on the concept of 'being.' This ongoing, slow engagement with Heidegger's complex philosophy contrasts sharply with his rapid immersion in Dostoevsky's novel.

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Under några mödosamma veckor tvingade jag mig själv, förtvivlat uttråkad, igenom de första hundra sidorna. Sedan hände någonting. Läsningen kristalliserade sig. På en natt slukade jag hela resten av boken och gick vimmelkantig till gymnasiet under intrycket av en av mitt livs starkaste upplevelser.