Dostoevsky Sober Hope: Finding Faith in the Bleak Midwinter As winter descends to end the year 2023, it is a time for contemplation: a time to revel in the joys and find balm for the woes of the past year, a time to find the courage to hold on, and the hope to thrive in the new year. Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821 - 1881) faced his own bleak (and Russian!) winters, from childhood play amongst the impoverished at his father’s medical clinic to a last minute reprieve from the Tsar’s firing squad for discussing banned books followed by ten years of prison camp and military service in exile. While his novels, such as Crime & Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov demonstrate human depravity they also give glimmers of grace, love, and beauty which have made him one of the most beloved novelists of all time. It is our hope that as you find time to relax during the holiday season (making it a habit for the new year!), that you will find these discussions deeply meaningful. Awaiting for you within are discussions of his characters from novels and short stories alike, Dostoevsky-inspired poems, and reviews of films, books, and even contemporary music which reflect the light and warmth he dared to find in his own bleak winter. CONTRIBUTORS "Dostoevsky for Our Times" by Editorial introduction by Seth Myers. DOSTOEVSKY: THE FUNDAMENTALS "Dostoevsky the Culturally Active Christian," William Collen on how his stories and faith responded to the challenges of the nineteenth century. "Dostoevsky's Narrative of (Un)Belief: From Psychology to Theology" by John Givens "Underground Apologetics" by George Scondras "A Midterm in Russian Literature" by Tom Sims’s poem THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV "The Brothers Karamazov and the Existential Problem of Atheism" by Josiah Peterson o "Fifty Shades of Bleak: The Karamazov Principle Explored" by Matthew Lilley "Dear, Kind God: A Divine Dilemma" by Grant Walker Broadhurst THE IDIOT "Beauty in Tragedy: The Idiot, Dostoevsky, and Eucatastrophe"