Dying Reflections of an Old Saint

Fifty years ago while in college I read Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s “The Brothers Karamazov”, his last novel published in 1880. The book, acclaimed as one of the greatest achievements in world literature, is a philosophical drama that explores deep questions about faith, morality, and free will through the story of the Karamazov family. My favorite character in the novel is Father Zosima, a beloved saintly elder and spiritual advisor in the town monastery who is the mentor to the youngest son, the monk Alyosha Karamazov . . .