Dostoevsky's Incarnational Realism

“Paul J. Contino’s book is a penetrating and loving exploration of Dostoevsky’s masterwork and the Christic imagination which inspires and shapes it. As we follow Alyosha’s spiritual maturation, the reader comes away not only better informed, but better for the experience. More than merely illuminating, Contino’s study generously offers discernment and wisdom.”


—Robert Imbelli, author of Rekindling the Christic Imagination





“Paul J. Contino’s avowedly Catholic reading of Dostoevsky’s great Orthodox novel shows how Dostoevsky’s ‘hero,’ Alyosha Karamazov, is more than just a naïve youth or holy fool. Rather, he exemplifies a Christian personalism that combines Christ-like humility with a realistic view of the good and bad in others and the practical sense to apply this knowledge for their benefit. As such he becomes a model for all concerned with the fate of personality in the modern world.”


—George Pattison, University of Glasgow





“Paul J. Contino is the Wendell Berry of Dostoevsky criticism. Dostoevsky’s Incarnational Realism dares to ask the old question: ‘Can reading a work of literature make one a better person?’ Going against the grain of recent analyses, Contino emphasizes the cataphatic over the apophatic to offer a penetrating account of Dostoevsky’s Christianity through an original reading of The Brothers Karamazov that will inspire and challenge believers, agnostics, and atheists alike.”


—Robin Feuer Miller, Brandeis University