âThe Grand Inquisitorâ is a short story that appears in one of Dostoevskyâs most famous works, âThe Brothers Karamazovâ, but it is often read independently due to its standalone story and literary significance. In the tale, Jesus comes to Seville during the Spanish Inquisition and performs miracles but is soon arrested and sentenced to be burned. The Grand Inquisitor informs Jesus that the church no longer needs him as they are stronger under the direction of Satan. âThe Grand Inquisitorâ is incredibly interesting and compelling for its philosophical discussion about religion and the human condition. The main debate put forth in the poem is whether freedom or security is more important to mankind, as an all-powerful church can provide safety but requires its followers to abandon their free will. This tale remains remarkably influential among philosophers, political thinkers, and novelists from Friedrich Nietzsche and Noam Chomsky to David Foster Wallace and beyond. Dostoevskyâs writing is both inventive and provocative in this timeless story as the reader is free to come to their own conclusions. âThe Grand Inquisitorâ should be read by anyone interested in philosophy or politics.
Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881) was a famous Russian writer of novels, short stories, and essays. A connoisseur of the troubled human psyche and the relationships between the individuals, Dostoevskyâs oeuvre covers a large area of subjects: politics, religion, social issues, philosophy, and the uncharted realms of the psychological. He is most famous for the novels âCrime and Punishmentâ, âThe Idiotâ, and âThe Brothers Karamazovâ. James Joyce described Dostoevsky as the creator of âmodern proseâ and his literary legacy is influential to this day as Dostoevskyâs work has been adapted for many movies including âThe Doubleâ starring Jesse Eisenberg.