Customer Reviews

Poor Folk

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Poor Folk" is a brilliant piece, especially considering that it was written by a 22-year-old Dostoevsky. I don't know how he came up with such characters (none of them resemble himself, except, perhaps, Pokrovsky) or how such a young writer could possibly fathom the depths of the suffering souls he himself created. One will immediately sympathize with Makar Andreich Devushkin in his striving to please and serve his beloved Varenka and ... well I'd rather not tell you the end. The other heart-wrenching little story inside "Poor Folk" is Varenka writing about her past (it impressed me more than any other works by Dostoevsky, I have read almost all of them). Again, I won't go into details, but this very short story about Pokrovsky and his poor father will forever be embedded in my heart! I honestly couldn't contain my tears while reading it. It probably just reminded me so much of myself and my own father! But.. you will definitely enjoy the book and will become a better person, at least for a while! Also recommended: "C&P" and "The Brothers Karamazov" (both transalted by R.Pevear & L.Volokhonsky, NOT by C. Garnett!) by Dostoevsky and Lev Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina", "Master and Man", "Forged Coupon" and, of course, "War and Peace" (trnsl. by A. Maude or Leo Wiener, again, NOT by C. Garnett).

_Poor Folk_ is Dost.'s first novel and it was a real success. On the basis of
this short novel (under 150 pp) a leading Russian literary critic at the time
(Belinsky) prophesied that Dost. would become a famous literary star. He
was certainly correct.

_Poor Folk_ is written in the form of letters between a middle aged man and
a girl/young woman (no ages are ever given). Both are very poor, simple folk.
The high degree of pathos, poverty and suffering make this a heart wrenching

read. Add to that Dost. high literary skill and you have a real classic. There
is a high degree of genuineness and hard hitting simplicity so characteristic
of Dost. But it goes beyond a mere tear jerker. The great themes of
forgiveness, human respect and dignity and relation to God are important
components of the novel. The relationship between the man and young
woman is exemplary in its love and devotion and pure chasteness (and a
testimony to the high morality of Dost., a real breath of fresh air in our
oversexed culture). It is truly that of a father and only daughter (though they
were not related at all; though never stated it was probably poverty which
prevented marriage).

Here are a few quotes to whet your appetite:

"How we wept together, he and I. We thought about you. He's a very nice
man, a good, kind man with deep feelings. I am sensitive to it all myself,
dearest, that's why all this happens to me - because I am so sensitive to it
all. I know my debt to you, my pet. Once I had got to know you, I began, first
of all, to know myself better and to love you. Before I knew you, my angel, I
was lonely and spent my life asleep, as it were. These villians of mine said
that even my very person was repulsive, and held me in disdain and I began
to hold myself in disdain, they said I was stupid and I really thought I was
stupid, but when you appeared you lit up my whole dark life and my heart
and soul were lit up, and peace of mind was mine and I realized that I was no
worse than others, it was just that I didn't shine in any way, there was
nothing outstanding about me, no style, but I was still a man, my heart and
thoughts were a man's. Now that I feel persecuted and humiliated by fate, I
have given myself over to the denial of my own dignity, and weighed down by
my misfortunes I have lost heart. Now that you know everything, dearest, I
humbly beg you to take no further interest in these affairs, because my heart
is breaking, and I feel sorrowful and burdened."

"You and your sad thoughts make me so despondent, my dearest. I pray to
God for you, dearest, how I pray to him!"

"Yesterday I repented before the Lord God with tears in my eyes, begging
his forgiveness for all my sins during this unhappy time"

This moving story is presented as a series of letters between two fantastically poor Russian lovers. I have never before been confronted with the reality of such poverty as was faced by the down-trodden copywriter and gracious seamstress of pre-revelutionary St Petersburg. Dostoyevsky's intimate portrait of devotion despite the constant battle of poverty charts the everyday battle for survival and dignity. He conveys with particular profundity the humiliation faced by those at the bottom of the social pile - the characters are respected by no one, and worst of all, not even by themselves. A terrible, brilliant read.

As my introduction to Dostoyevsky, I chose his first novel, written at age 24, as the logical starting place. Poor Folk is a very compact, easy-to-read volume and is a fascinating work.

Dostoyevsky tantalizes the reader with his format. The entire book is a series of letters between 47 year-old Makar Alexievitch and the subject of his infatuation, a much younger Barbara Alexievna. As the two live within sight of each other and meet often, the letters leave an impression akin to that of seeing a series of snapshots from a movie rather than watching the entire production. Many details of their lives and particularly their pasts are alluded to but never fully divulged. The most powerful result is that the reader is left to grapple with the true nature of the relationship between the two fantastically poor correspondents.

The author does a wonderful job of relating the harsh reality of life in 19th-century St. Petersburg slums and the depersonalized, marginalized and tenuous existence of the working poor. This stark setting and the desperate circumstances of the protagonists provide the stage for one of the overarching themes of the book-the foundational source of self-esteem. When money, social stature and career success are completely lacking, is love from another the final refuge for salvaging a sense of self worth? To what lengths will one go to preserve this refuge and to where may one turn when abandoned by it are central questions weaved by Dostoyevsky.

The other subtle theme behind the story is the circumstances necessary for true character revelation. Irony abounds in Poor Folk, with Barbara's character being it primary vehicle. One might expect that harsh circumstances, bitter privation and abject poverty would shed the social covering to reveal one's disposition, but Barbara's unexpected financial good fortune reveals her true nature. Her reaction to sudden affluence reveals her relationship with Makar to have been driven wholly by a desperate need for a patron rather than genuine love and affection.

This is a great read and whets the appetite to tackle Dostoyevsky's more famous works.

I am a huge Dostoevsky fan. And I mean BIG I like to DEVOUR his works. I have read a good portion of his novels, and different translations by other translators of the same works for comparison. That being said once you have read his later books which he is most noted for (Crime and Punishment, Brothers K, Notes.. etc..) you realise that his early days were times of just getting his feet wet. His stories and writings are drasticaly different in theme and narrative after the time he got out of prison. In short they are superior to his earlier works (I think).

That being said, "Poor Folk" was the first story that launched Dostoevsky's career. It is a GREAT story of two poor individuals who write to each other in letters telling of their everyday common struggles, and of a clerks desire to court the seamstress he writes to. The way the story is told (by letters) is ingenious, and Dostevsky nails the despair and depths of powerlessness of his characters with a "T". Such fine characterisation would be a trademark of his later novels.

That being said I was all set for some of the other stories in this addition to show some other insights. In the end they turned out Really dissapointing, even far more so than past short stories of Dostoevsky's I have read.

"The Landlady", is a fairly unremarkable story and didn't have me drawn to the characters into it. It also suffers the same problem as the next story in this edition "Mr. Prokharchin".

"Mr. Prokharchin", is just a long winded story that never feels like it is going to end. and like "The Landlady" it contains too much narrative. This was easily the worst piece of work I have ever read by Dostoevsky for me.

"Polzunkov", is actually by retrospect quite good, but it comes towards the end of this edition and is quite short. So by the time I was finished I kind of felt cheated if I could explain my feelings any other way.

That being said I have no complaints for the small dollars I shelled out for this book, and Poor Folk without question is a story every Dostoevsky nut should read. 4 1/2 stars for Poor Folk, 2 stars for The Landlady, 1 1/2 stars for "Mr Prokharchin", and 3 for "Pulzunkov". So the edition gets a 3, but if you just want to buy this for the main story it is nearly a 5 a real winner!, hope that helps you all!

Well, "Poor Folk" probably qualifies as a "novella," since it's quite short, a LOT shorter than "War and Peace!"

This first novel was a critical success but not a popular success. The leading Russian critic praised it to the skies, which made Dostoevsky think that fame and success were just around the corner, but it didn't sell at all well, and the bubble of hope got popped. In fact, D's reputation went into a severe decline, and didn't really revive until he wrote "Crime and Punishment" decades later.

Still, "Poor Folk" is an interesting read and a touching tale. It's one of the first books in world history to take poor people seriously, and treat them as if they were (gasp) real human beings. Dostoevsky's skill at portraying human psychology is already obvious, and I suppose it's a "must read" for his fans.

"Poor Folk" is, for me, by far the best thing in this book (I am reviewing Poor Folk and Other Stories (Penguin Classics). The other stories in this book were not nearly as well done.

As background information, I have read most of Dostoevsky's novels including some of his early works and all of his most popular 6 or 7 novels.

This is a short story or novella, barely over 140 pages or so. It is Dostoevsky's first novel and it is not a great novel. The debate when it was written in the 1840s was whether or not this new work by Dostoevsky was on par or in the same league as some of Russia's masters including Gogol and Pushkin?

It is written in an exchange of letters format; the letters are between a man, a poor and romantic civil servant, and a more practical and sensible young woman. By the way, one of the characters is reading "Tales of Bielkin" in the novel. So, Pushkin and his style are on Dostoevsky's mind. In any case, many will not like Dostoevsky's approach using the exchange of letters technique. Also, the novel is slow to start and the story has no literary hook to grab the reader's attention. It is about mundane topics involving money or the lack of money in the lives of the writers. But it does become more interesting after the first 20 to 30 pages, and much more interesting in the second half.

Incidentally, this book can be bought in a single volume or purchased together with other works by Dostoevsky such as the colection ISBN 978-0140445053. It is cheaper to get two or three novels by Dostoevsky in a single book. Also, the text is available on line for free.

Concentrating only on the author's prose and approach to the writing, does he attain a standard similar to Gogol's "Overcoat" which is also about a civil servant? How does the book compare with Pushkin's "Station Master" and his "Tales of Bielkin" and similar works?

Overall, and after the first 20 pages or so, Dostoevsky does manage to duplicate the ambiance and flavor of those stories. The characters are good. There is a connection, and a similarity in the writing. So, we do see a new writer emerging who has the basic skill or gift to approach those famous Russian writers. The novel is short and cannot be compared with later works, but it is interesting on its own. Also, one cannot compare it to Gogol's masterpiece "Dead Souls." I have read Pushkin's short stories including the "Station Master" and thought that Pushkin's work was more balanced, more interesting, and Pushkin has a certain literary flair which Dostoevsky cannot duplicate, at least not here in this book. We do see Dostoevsky's hyper-kinetic style that perhaps reached a zenith in "Notes From Underground" or in "Crime and Punishment."

Compared to his body of work, this is a 4 star novel; but it demonstrates the skills of the writer, and we see the Dostoevsky style that follows in later works.

You really cannot compare this to Dostoevsky's later (and greater) novels, such as The Idiot, Crime and Punishment, and, my favorite, The Brothers Karamazov. Instead of an epic that contemplates broad themes such as religion and the point of life in general, this novella zooms in on the lives (and letters) of two poor people living in St. Petersburg.

Seeing the aspects of the two characters' lives as they try to survive and kindle a relationship despite their pervading poverty has its charms, and the end is masterful. However, it is inescapable that the story drags at times. For Dostoevsky fans, this still should be read, but for readers new to the author, there are better places to start.

This bundle of short stories shows clearly the literary evolution of Dostoyevsky in his early writing years.
The first two stories, `Poor Folk' and `The Landlady', have essentially the same theme as "White Nights' (not in this bundle).
The differences between the three treatments illustrate perfectly this evolution: from foggy, indirect, tearful prose, over generating intriguing questions marks and confusing psychology, to direct, sharp storytelling with unexpected U-turns and psycho-shocks; in one word, from expressing emotions to arousing them in the heart of the reader.

Poor Folk
Dostoyevsky's first short novel (in letters) is a sentimental, colorless and in no way a subtle text, where literature is `a picture and a mirror, an expression of emotion, a subtle form of criticism, a didactic lesson and a document.'
However, art constitutes an essential part of the story. When the vulgar opinion that `novels were the ruin of young girls, that books were harmful to morality', overwhelms a young girl, the relationship is broken.

The Landlady
This story, where a poor lodger falls in love with the young wife of an old man, is not a typical Dostoyevsky text, because it uses some kind of `supernatural' elements, like the confusing mental nature of the female protagonist. It contains, however, a typical Dostoyevskyan wrap-up.

Mr Prokharchin, Polzunkov
`Mr Prokharchin' is a sharp psychological portrait of `an unconventional capitalist'.
`Polzunkov' is a superb persiflage of a corrupt bureaucracy, where a bribe-taker under blackmail is forced to pay a bribe himself. An April Fool's Day joke gives him an opportunity to take revenge on the blackmailer.

This bundle is not a good introduction to Dostoyevsky's work.
Far better are other short novels/stories like `White Nights', `The Gambler', `The Eternal Husband' or `Uncle's dream'.
But, highly recommended to all Dostoyevsky fans.

The thirteenth work by Dostoevsky I've read, and the first collection of short stories. Or, more properly, one novella-type work (Poor Folk) and a collection of short stories. Judged by the standards of most other works read, shows itself hugely superior, wonderful in command of language and intensity of atmosphere. It has brilliant characterization, of course, that's basically a given with Dostoevsky, but what's particularly effective is how the voice of the characters links to the larger narrative. Dostoevsky's take on intensity of characterization is different than most writers I've encountered--showing a forceful personality not by rendering it coherent and self-contained but by playing up its instability, the fragmented ambiguities in how consciousness is experienced.

Since the stories are from earlier in Dostoevsky's career and shorter than the norm there's less of the troubling aspects that feature later--the xenophobic nationalism, the near-masochistic portrayal of suffering, the emphasis on transcendental religion as the source of virtue, the disturbing treatment of women. Instead, in most of these pieces there emerges a less problematic representation of poverty in Russia as well as the nuanced challenges of individual ambition and pride in a nation struggling to form its own identity. There's also less of the sheer spark and genius in his writing, however, with no character or character situation as intense as the kind that rolls off every other page of Brothers Karamazov. There's a lot of material in here that feels substantive and meaningful, but little of it has quite the necessary emotive force to feel truly great, or to make for a highly memorable story climax. Judged by the standards of most authors these are classics, but compared with Dostoevsky's other writings this emerges as a weak collection. It gains its most enduring force in the depiction of Russian social conditions of the nineteenth century, particularly in the titular representation of poverty. This aspect makes for a powerful testimony as part of Russian history, but the text doesn't stand on its own to the extent that is typical for Dostoevsky.