Robert Louis Jackson (Bensinger Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures, emeritus, Yale U.) is a passionate advocate of Russian literature. In this book of essays, he guides readers deeply interested in literature and ideas through particular themes in the famous Russian "greats" (Turgenev, Tolstoy, Chekov, Dostoevsky, Gorky, Nabokov) as well as writers less well known to English readers (Ivanov, Zhukovsky, Tyutchev, Severyanin) and critics (Bakhtin). In his introduction, Horst-Jurgen Gerigk suggests readers view this book not as a collection of essays on Russian literature, but as a new way to see Russian literature. The author has created this book by anthologizing essays written over many years. His style as a writer can be appreciated by general readers who share a literary academic's conviction of the importance of literature in the larger scheme of things. Though the essays here have a writer's sense of clarity, they are annotated with footnotes for academic use, and their subjects and concerns are academic. They are associated into sections by theme: fate, form, and responsibility; two kinds of beauty; critical perspectives; poetry of parting. Dostoevsky gets the lion's share of attention. Some thought is given to relationships with non-Russian writers (notably Goethe), but the book takes place in a largely Russian universe. Where relevant (which is often), the author unpacks important shades of meaning for English readers by looking at the original Russian words and phrases. Annotation ©2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)