Investigating the omnipresent religious theme that runs throughout Russian culture, even in the antireligious Chekhov, the author argues that no other major European literature was as much preoccupied as the Russian with the tensions between religion and rationality. He highlights this unique quality of Russian literature and culture.

Introduction 1 Part I. C lassics Chapter One: Poor Folk and House of the Dead 9 Chapter Two: The Idiot 29 Chapter Three: Demons 46 Chapter Four: War and Peace 64 Part II. The Russian Tradition Chapter Five: Natasha's Dance: A Cultural History of Russia 87 Chapter Six: A Life of Pushkin 107 Chapter Seven: Oblomov and Goncharov 118 Chapter Eight: Lydia Ginzburg, On Psychological Prose 129 Chapter Nine: Richard Pipes, Russian Conservatism and Its Critics 143 Part III. The Dostoevskian Orbit Chapter Ten: Dostoevsky and Anti-Semitism 159 Chapter Eleven: In Search of Dostoevsky 173 Chapter Twelve: Arkady Kovner 185 Chapter Thirteen: J. M. Coetzee, The Master of Petersburg 196 Chapter Fourteen: Dostoevsky and Evil 204 Part IV. Twentieth-Century Issues Chapter Fifteen: Anton Chekhov 219 Chapter Sixteen: The Triumph of Abram Tertz 230 Chapter Seventeen: D. S. Mirsky 249 Chapter Eighteen: Vladimir Nabokov: Lectures on Literature 261 Index 287

"While the work will undoubtedly appeal to general readers, specialists will also find it valuable, particularly in the context of their teaching. Frank is able to masterfully distill large and complex themes into a few central points in a few pages, making his short essays a crucial resource for teachers short on time to prepare classes."--Kate Holland, Russian Review "This reconsideration of Dostoevsky's anti-Semitism illustrates Frank's chief qualities: profoundly knowledgeable, humanistic in his concerns, sympathetic to all sides, and, after all these decades of engagement, able to stand back and reflect about the large picture. If much of what he explores in these pages will be familiar to Slavists, his thoughtful commentary and sharp insights impart genuine pleasure and make this a book to enjoy."--Barry P Scherr, Slavic and East European Journal "An unsurpassed master of making history familiar and close by vividly and scrupulously representing people swept up by the ideas of their age, Frank's new book is yet another testament to his standing reputation as one of the very best literary biographers of our time and one of the finest biographers of all times."--Clio "Joseph Frank's immense knowledge and virtuosic mastery of the material, his good humored tone and reader-friendly prose makes for a deeply enjoyable book. Indeed, Between Religion and Rationality is a remarkable and invaluable contribution to Russian studies."--Marina Ritzarev, European Legacy

"This is a wonderful and illuminating collection written for general readers. Yet any Russian specialist can also benefit from Frank's interpretations, which bear the stamp of his powerful and distinctive mind. This thought-provoking book is difficult to put down and the coda on Nabokov's lectures is a delight."—Gary Saul Morson, Northwestern University

This is a wonderful and illuminating collection written for general readers. Yet any Russian specialist can also benefit from Frank's interpretations, which bear the stamp of his powerful and distinctive mind. This thought-provoking book is difficult to put down and the coda on Nabokov's lectures is a delight. -- Gary Saul Morson, Northwestern University