The Concept of Brotherhood in the Works of L. N. Tolstoy and F. M. Dostoevsky

The proposed review of the book by A. Berman, published in Russian translation, contains a brief overview of the monograph’s contents and its problems. The article notes the author’s main merits, in-depth analysis of a number of works by Tolstoy and Dostoevsky in the projection of the idea of brotherhood, and understanding of the crucial contradictions in the creative path of the classics. The review emphasizes the book’s innovation, thoroughness and thoughtfulness, and excellent design of the publication. The significance of the monograph’s publication in Russian is undoubtedly great, since until now this book, published in English in 2015, has been little cited in Russian science. Berman managed to take a close and thoughtful look at the evolution of the family theme and the concept of brotherhood in both classics. The researcher rightly showed the main differences in the writers’ views on brothers and sisters in their personal lives and literature, noted the images in the horizontal line of kinship that are important for a correct understanding of the works, as well as the writers’ movement towards universal brotherhood, which for Dostoevsky was seen at the level of national unity, and for Tolstoy became a unification on a universal scale.