Why should you read “Crime and Punishment”? - Alex Gendler

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Ivana Krivokuća

What drives someone to kill in cold blood?

Šta navede nekoga da izvrši hladnokrvno ubistvo?

What goes through the murderer’s mind?

Šta prolazi kroz um ubice?

And what kind of a society breeds such people?

I kakvo društvo odgaja takve ljude?

Over 150 years ago

Pre više od 150 godina,

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky took these questions up

Fjodor Mihajlovič Dostojevski se bavio ovim pitanjima

in what would become one of the best-known works of Russian literature:

u nečemu što će da postane najpoznatije delo ruske književnosti,

"Crime and Punishment."

roman „Zločin i kazna“.

First serialized in a literary magazine in 1866,

Prvi put objavljen u nastavcima 1866. godine u književnom časopisu,

the novel tells the story of Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov,

roman pripoveda o Rodionu Romanoviču Raskoljnikovu,

a young law student in Saint Petersburg.

mladom studentu prava iz Sankt Peterburga.

Raskolnikov lives in abject poverty,

Raskoljnikov živi u krajnjoj bedi

and at the start of the story has run out of funds to continue his studies.

i na početku priče iscrpeo je sva sredstva za nastavak studija.

Letters from his rural home only add to his distress

Pisma iz seoskog doma samo doprinose njegovoj muci

when he realizes how much his mother and sister have sacrificed for his success.

kada shvati koliko su se njegove majka i sestra žrtvovale za njegov uspeh.

Increasingly desperate

Sve očajniji,

after selling the last of his valuables to an elderly pawnbroker,

nakon što proda poslednju dragocenost starijoj zelenašici,

he resolves on a plan to murder and rob her.

odlučuje se za plan da je ubije i opljačka.

But the impact of carrying out this unthinkable act

Međutim, posledice izvođenja ovog nepojmljivog čina

proves to be more than he was prepared for.

se ispostavljaju većim od onog na šta je bio spreman.

Though the novel is sometimes cited as one of the first psychological thrillers,

Iako ovaj roman ponekad određuju kao jedan od prvih psiholoških trilera,

its scope reaches far beyond Raskolnikov’s inner turmoil.

njegov opseg seže daleko mimo Raskoljnikovljevog unutrašnjeg nespokoja.

From dank taverns to dilapidated apartments

Od memljivih kafana do trošnih stanova

and claustrophobic police stations,

i teskobnih policijskih stanica,

the underbelly of 19th century Saint Petersburg is brought to life

podzemlje Sankt Peterburga XIX veka oživljava

by Dostoyevsky’s searing prose.

u snažnoj prozi Dostojevskog.

We’re introduced to characters such as Marmeladov,

Upoznajemo se sa likovima poput Marmeladova,

a miserable former official who has drank his family into ruin,

unesrećenog bivšeg službenika

čije je pijanstvo gurnulo u bedu njegovu porodicu,

and Svidrigailov, an unhinged and lecherous nobleman.

i Svidrigajlova, sumanutog i razvratnog plemića.

As Raskolnikov’s own family arrives in town,

Kada Raskoljnikovljeva porodica stigne u grad,

their moral innocence stands in stark contrast

njihova moralna neiskvarenost služi kao oštra suprotnost

to the depravity of those around them,

izopačenosti onih oko njih,

even as their fates grow increasingly intertwined.

čak i kada im sudbine postanu sve isprepletanije.

This bleak portrait of Russian society

Sumoran portret ruskog društva

reflects the author’s own complex life experiences and evolving ideas.

odražava piščev lični složeni život, iskustva i razvojni put njegovih ideja.

As a young writer who left behind a promising military career,

Kao mladi pisac koji je napustio perspektivnu vojnu karijeru,

Fyodor had been attracted to ideas of socialism and reform,

Fjodora su privlačile ideje socijalizma i reforme,

and joined a circle of intellectuals to discuss radical texts

pa se pridružio krugu intelektualaca da bi raspravljali o radikalnim tekstovima

banned by the Imperial government.

koje je zabranila carska vlada.

Upon exposure,

Kada su ih otrkili,

members of this group, including Dostoyevsky, were arrested.

članovi grupe, uključujući Dostojevskog, su uhapšeni.

Many were sentenced to death,

Mnogi su osuđeni na smrt,

only to be subjected to a mock execution and last-minute pardon from the Tsar.

da bi bili podvrgnuti lažnim pogubljenjima i carskom pomilovanju u poslednjem trenu.

Dostoyevsky spent the next four years in a Siberian labor camp

Dostojevski je naredne četiri godine proveo u radnom logoru u Sibiru

before being released in 1854.

pre nego što je pušten 1854. godine.

The experience left him with a far more pessimistic view of social reform,

Zbog ovog iskustva imao je daleko pesimističniji pogled na društvene reforme

and his focus shifted toward spiritual concerns.

i preusmerio je pažnju na duhovna pitanja.

In the 1864 novella "Notes from Underground,"

U noveli iz 1864. godine, „Zabeleške iz podzemlja“,

he expounded on his belief that utopian Western philosophies

izložio je svoje verovanje da utopijske zapadnjačke filozofije

could never satisfy the contradictory yearnings of the human soul.

ne mogu nikad da zadovolje kontradiktorne žudnje ljudske duše.

"Crime and Punishment" was conceived and completed the following year,

„Zločin i kazna“ je začet i završen naredne godine,

picking up on many of the same themes.

nastavljajući da se bavi mnogim sličnim temama.

In many ways,

Na razne načine,

the novel follows a common narrative thread

roman prati poznatu pripovednu nit

where a promising youth is seduced and corrupted by the dangers of urban life.

gde perspektivnog mladića zavode i kvare opasnosti gradskog života.

But its social critique cuts far deeper.

Međutim, njegova društvena kritika zadire daleko dublje.

Raskolnikov rationalizes that his own advancement

Raskoljnikov obrazlaže da bi njegov napredak

at the cost of the exploitative pawnbroker’s death

na račun smrti izrabljivačke zelenašice

would be a net benefit to society.

bio čisti dobitak za društvo.

In doing so,

U njegovom postupku

he echoes the doctrines of egoism and utilitarianism

vidimo odraze doktrina egoizma i utilitarizma

embraced by many of Dostoyevsky’s contemporary intellectuals.

koje su prigrlili mnogi intelektualci savremenici Dostojevskog.

And in believing that his intelligence allows him to transcend moral taboos,

A verujući da mu njegova inteligencija dozvoljava da prevaziđe moralne tabue,

Raskolnikov cuts himself off from his own humanity.

Raskoljnikov se udaljava od sopstvene ljudskosti.

Yet although the book is deeply concerned with morality,

Iako je knjiga istinski zaokupljena pitanjima moralnosti,

"Crime and Punishment" never comes across as merely moralizing,

„Zločin i kazna“ nikad ne dobija ton pukog moralisanja,

with each character given their own distinctive and convincing voice.

a svaki lik ima sopstveni osoben i uverljiv glas.

One of the most remarkable things about "Crime and Punishment"

Jedna od najizvanrednijih osobenosti „Zločina i kazne“

is its ability to thrill

je njena sposobnost da nas uzbudi,

despite the details of the central murder being revealed in the first act.

iako su detalji središnjeg ubistva otkriveni u prvom činu.

Raskolnikov’s crime is clear.

Zločin Raskoljnikova je jasan.

But it’s only through Dostoyevsky’s gripping account

Međutim, tek kroz uzbudljivo pripovedanje Dostojevskog

of the ensuing social and psychological turmoil

o društvenom i psihološkom metežu koji će da usledi

that we learn the true nature of his punishment–

otkrivamo istinsku prirodu njegove kazne -

and the possibility of redemption.

i mogućnosti iskupljenja.