The Best Short Stories of Fyodor Dostoevsky

I've only recently begun to read 19th century Russian literature, lured there by a chance reading of 'Crime and Punishment' which floored me. Upon finishing that book I knew that Dostoevsky was the real deal and felt a smug assurance that I could go into the bookstore, buy another of his novels/collection of stories, and feel equally floored. So I bought this book. After purchasing it, I bought a cup of coffee, sat down and read 'The Peasant Marey'. I didn't like it. So I flipped to 'The Christmas Tree and a Wedding' and read that one. I didn't like it. I checked the cover. Yes, it still says 'The "Best" Short Stories of Fyodor Dostoevsky'. Hmmm...what is going on here? Is this the same guy that penned that brilliant novel that I just finished? The fact is that yes, it is. Beyond those two stories, the rest found in this book are timeless masterpieces of the period of Russian literature. Though Dostoevsky might use very long paragraphs to express something (some of them go on for pages and pages), he is clearly trying to make sure that the character/concept is receiving its due attention, something that many writers do not seem to understand. From the protestations of (strange) love in 'White Nights' to the ravings to try to find justification for ones own behavior in 'A Gentle Creature', Dostoevsky is only taking his time to fully illustrate what he's talking about. Its a true pleasure to read. The real treat in this book is the presentation of the novella 'Notes from the Underground'. The first half of the story presents a sort of philosophical dissertation, one that is less narrative and more pure technical writing (think Plato). It is not until the second half of the story that you begin to discover that the first has a heavy bearing on understanding the demented, depraved actions of the nameless anti-hero. By the time you have finished, you discover all over again why Dostoevsky is indeed (rightfully so) considered to be a master at his craft; he has taken someone whom the audience cannot help but to loathe and made a point with the character. It is a brilliant thing to do, something you don't often find. Bottom Line: Just by itself, 'Notes from the Underground' is worth the cost of the whole book, though the fact that you get other tales with it is an added benefit. The whole of it is worth every penny you pay for it. -NL

This collection of seven stories presented in chronological order, by David Magarshack, is not only unique to the Modern Library classics series but to all published works. This celebrated translation explores many of the recurring themes in Dostoyevsky's longer works and presents apropos the silhouettes of his characters in novels. The short works accent his creative power and profundities of thought and manifest his tour de force as a raconteur. 1. White Nights (1848)The title refers to the twilight summer nights in Petersberg. A tender and romantic story, this piece to a large extent is autobiographical of the days Dostoyevsky spent alone in Petersberg. The main character is a dreamer who cannot remember what he was dreaming and sometimes had no recollection of how everything had all happened. A sentimental theme develops against the background of Dostoyevsky's own personal impressions during his nocturnal wanderings, filled with gentle humor and delicate touches of genuine feelings. This piece affords vague hint of theme in Crime and Punishment. It is a story that odes to a moment of bliss that is sufficient for a whole of a man's life.2. The Honest Thief (1848)The central character of this piece is an anti-hero whose tragedy consists of his helplessness to shun and to resist evil. Like "White Nights", this piece again paves the way for the longer work in the sense of punishment. 3. The Christmas Tree and a Wedding (1849)David Magarshack calls this piece the most artistically perfect short story in Dostoyevsky's early days as a fiction writer. It happens to be my personal favorite besides the uncompromisingly cynical "The Notes From Underground." The piece is savagely satiric and ridicules the preposterous, fawning adults in high society. Dostoyevsky delineates an indelible scene of pure joy only perhaps manifested in our children during the very first years of their life. Through the narrator's admiration for the children, the absurdities of their parents are shamelessly magnified to the fullness. A career opportunist, in spite of his importance and dignity, went out of his way to pursue an underage heiress, an object of his desire that could not become a real object at least another five years.4. The Peasant Marey (1876)Dostoyevsky probably adds new touch and imbues his sentiment in depicting this anecdote with a serf during his early childhood. Written during his imprisonment in Siberia, this piece captures the vividness of a brief encounter that must have been hidden in his mind without even his knowing it. Only God perhaps might have seen from above what profound human feeling, delicate tenderness the heart of a serf who neither expected nor dreamed of his emancipation.5. A Gentle Creature (1876)This is one of the least comprehensible pieces in this collection despite the style of writing conveys the reality of the situation. Dostoyevsky himself regarded the story "eminently realistic" and surely accents the psychologist in him. A husban

Some of these short stories are well-known (Notes from the Underground). However, if you've never read White Nights, this is a must buy. Each short story is unique and can carry itself, but White Nights is the story that sticks with me the longest. I read these stories on a whim, and it brought me a whole new interest in Dostoevsky. I read "The Gambler" most recently, also brilliant. And right now I've just started "Crime and Punishment." The writing style of Dostoevsky is right up my ally. Each of his characters become so familiar with the reader, because of the way he reads out their thoughts and inner ramblings in a way I never thought possible. Dostoevsky's true gift, in my opinion, are his characters and how distinct they are. It's hard to describe, but I can really feel the psychological differences between each person. Remarkable.

Dostoyevsky is usually regarded as one of the finest novelists who ever lived. Literary modernism, existentialism, and various schools of psychology, theology, and literary criticism have been profoundly shaped by his ideas. His works are often called prophetic because he so accurately predicted how Russia's revolutionaries would behave if they came to power. In his time he was also renowned for his activity as a journalist.In 1876-77 Dostoyevsky devoted his energies to Dnevnik pisatelya, which he was now able to bring out in the form he had originally intended. A one-man journal, for which Dostoyevsky served as editor, publisher, and sole contributor, the Diary represented an attempt to initiate a new literary genre. Issue by monthly issue, the Diary created complex thematic resonances among diverse kinds of material: short stories, plans for possible stories, autobiographical essays, sketches that seem to lie on the boundary between fiction and journalism, psychological analyses of sensational crimes, literary criticism, and political commentary. The Diary proved immensely popular and financially rewarding, but as an aesthetic experiment it was less successful, probably because Dostoyevsky, after a few intricate issues, seemed unable to maintain his complex design. Instead, he was drawn into expressing his political views, which, during these two years, became increasingly extreme. Specifically, Dostoyevsky came to believe that western Europe was about to collapse, after which Russia and the Russian Orthodox church would create the kingdom of God on earth and so fulfill the promise of the Book of Revelation. In a series of anti-Catholic articles, he equated the Roman Catholic church with the socialists because both are concerned with earthly rule and maintain (Dostoyevsky believed) an essentially materialist view of human nature. He reached his moral nadir with a number of anti-Semitic articles. Because Dostoyevsky was unable to maintain his aesthetic design for the Diary, its most famous sections are usually known from anthologies and so are separated from the context in which they were designed to fit. These sections include four of his best short stories--"Krotkaya" ("The Meek One"), "Son smeshnogo cheloveka" ("The Dream of a Ridiculous Man"), "Malchik u Khrista na elke" ("The Heavenly Christmas Tree"), and "Bobok"--as well as a number of autobiographical and semifictional sketches, including "Muzhik Marey" ("The Peasant Marey"), "Stoletnaya" ("A Hundred-Year-Old Woman"), and a satire, "Spiritizm. Nechto o chertyakh Chrezychaynaya khitrost chertey, esli tolko eto cherti" ("Spiritualism. Something about Devils. The Extraordinary Cleverness of Devils, If Only These Are Devils"). These are some rare stories indeed...