As both a masterpiece of Russian populist writing and a parody of the entire genre, Poor People is an early example of Dostoevsky’s genius. Written as a series of letters, Poor People tells the tragic tale of a petty clerk and his impossible love for a young girl. Longing to help her and her family, he sells everything he can, but his kindness leads him only into more desperate poverty, and ultimately into debauchery. As a typical “man of the underground,” he serves as the embodiment of the belief that happiness can only be achieved with riches.
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Hesperus Press, as suggested by their Latin motto, Et remotissima prope, is dedicated to bringing near what is far—far both in space and time. Works by illustrious authors, often unjustly neglected or simply little known in the English–speaking world, are made accessible through a completely fresh editorial approach or new translations. Through these short classic works, which feature forewords by leading contemporary authors, the modern reader will be introduced to the greatest writers of Europe and America. An elegantly designed series of exceptional books.
From the Inside Flap
What is honour, my dear, when you have nothing to eat?
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The life of the poor is like Makar Devushkin's boots.,
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This review is from: Poor People (Hesperus Classics) (Paperback)
Dostoevsky's graphic portrayal of the struggles of the poor is set in St. Petersburg, Russia around 1840. The two main characters are Makar Devushkin, a wretched, 40ish, impoverished scribe in the Tsar's civil service, and, Verenka Alexeyevna, an intelligent, sickly, orphaned teenager. In "Poor People" the desperate struggles of that the poor are psychological laid bare. They have no safety net, no patron to keep them from tumbling over the edge of despair.
Dostoevsky does not romanticize the poor. He shows their dysfunctional idiosyncracies: "Poor people are capricious - that's the way nature arranges it." Makar is an unreliable, self-deprecating, yet vain man. Throughout the story Dostoevsky makes Makar's boots an analogy of both Makar personality and his situation in life. The young, vulnerable Verenka holds on to life by a thin thread. Her sacred memories of her beautiful childhood long gone sustain her. She carries these memories as one would carry a mystical crystal, tightly clutched to her heart. Her memories are her elixirs of life. These two protagonists, though embedded in the same poverty, go different ways. One is carried by the fickleness of fate, and the other makes a desperate choice for change. I confess, to my chagrin, I have never read Dostoevsky. I was chided by a well-read friend, who, during a discussion about the world's greatest novelist, stated "You must read Dostoevsky because of his grasp of the human psyche. Dostoevsky's characters have profoundly influenced world literature." So, I chose to start with "Poor People"; it was Dostoevsky's first novel, and one of his shortest (130 pages, verses `The Brothers Karamazov' at 900+ pages). If you're going to start reading Dostoevsky then `Poor People' is a great book to commence with. You will get a glimpse of Dostoevsky's unique insight into the nature of humankind and about the extremes of life. Highly Recommended.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dostoevsky's Genius apparent in this early work,
By Typee "kborrowd" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Poor People (Hesperus Classics) (Paperback)
What a beautiful and tragic work. I am a lifelong fan of Dostoevsky's work and this is no exception. While "The Brothers Karamazov" and "Crime and Puhishment" are his most noted achievements, and rightfully so, it is a wonder to me how much insight he had into the human condition at such an early age.
This work demonstrates his understanding of the human condition: our need for love and basic necessities of life. What are these basic needs? Respect, honor, love. But these are diminished in the face of abject poverty, which are lost when basic needs cannot be met. Despite human pride and an ability to work to provide home and hearth, it is not always possible to do so. And so, in the midst of the squalor and dreariness of St. Petersberg, two souls are joined together, an aging man and a young woman, through a series of letters and brief innocent encounters . There is a deep reverence and joy in this relationship which can never be more than a desperate attempt to find warmth in the bleakest of conditions. And this is the beauty of the work. They sacrifice all they have to help each other, until at last, the final sacrifice cannot be made and their paths are determined once and for all. For those that have read Dostoevsky's great works, do not miss this one. It is a true gem.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"What is honour,my dear, when you have nothing to eat?",
By Dag Stomberg (St. Andrews, Scotland) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Poor People (Hesperus Classics) (Paperback)
Fyodor Dostoevsky is a leading author in Russian literature. A brilliant thinker, he was remarkable in his powers of character analysis and narrative technique. POOR PEOPLE is Dostoevsky's first original novel. The story is a painfully sincere account of poverty and its effects on the human psychic. It is profound! Dag Stomberg St. Andrews, Scotland
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