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The Best Short Stories of Fyodor Dostoevsky (Modern Library)

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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...

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 husband tells of the events that invariably led to the suicide of his wife. The rambling, fragmented, bearing-no-cause narrative style epitomizes the thought-process and speech of an inveterate hypochondriac. Succession of memories dawns on him the truth as the prose takes a more concrete form. The story explores the rare theme of insensibility in human relationships.

6. Notes From Underground
Doubtless Dostoyevsky's most significant short work, this piece inaugurated existential literature in the 19th century. The Underground Man goes out of his way to offend his hearers, with frequent contradictory comments, rambles on with no reason and bears no cause. So often does he mean to say something but conceal his last word out of fear. The Underground Man is ubiquitous in society and is shadowed in those who feel disgusted with real life. The personage transcends the personal struggles and assumes a universal significance that embraces mankind. It is reminiscent of "White Nights" only that the latter flows along the pleasant surface of human thought and emotion.

7. The Dream of a Ridiculous Man
The piece along with "The Notes from Underground" voice Dostoyevsky's final judgment of mankind. It explores the purging of conscience and the existence of human being and consciousness.

The collection shows that Dostoyevsky is capable and adept in surveying the human scene with complete detachment. It serves as a fine introduction to Dostoyevsky's works and as a prelude to his longer works.

2004 (9)

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.

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 volume includes such superb works as the haunting 'White Nights" - perhaps more of a novella than a short story - and the disturbing "Notes from the Underground", a landmark of existential thinking and no slight work of genius. Although all of these date from the late 19th century, they appear as contemporary as ever and are a delight to read. Sometimes you have to trod a fair distance to get to the heart of the matter as Dostoevsky is notoriously long-winded. But the journey is certainly worth it.

It is an interesting biographical fact (presented in the introduction) that Dostoevsky himself at one point was condemned to death for political insurrection and even led before a firing squad before finally pardoned. This may shed some light on the source of his fascination with dark psychology and his unusual desire to explore the outer reaches of human experience. To this day his work stands unsurpassed.

Read it and enjoy!

If you love dostoevsky then this is the book for you. You can enjoy some of the best russian literature without diving into a thick copy of The Brothers Karamarzov or Anna Karenina-you can start small with these little stories. And, if you need a copy of Notes from the Underground anyway, why not get a book with that and more?! Buy this book!

This book (still in re-print, I believe) contains several stories by Dostoyevsky which offer shorter forays into his profound thinking and writing style than his better known and longer works. 'Notes From the Underground' is particularly worth reading several times over. He is able to capture the nuances and hidden processes of the human psyche and society as few can.

If you say you want to be an existentialist, be sure to read this book first, just as you would read a warning lable on a bottle of medicine; there could be a lot of side effects if taken internally, like an unhappy life. I doubt that Doestoevsky meant it that way, but it came off that way to me.

Dostoevsky was a literary giant of the 19th or any other century. These short stories could be a good primer to his major works such as Crime and Punishment, and the Brothers Karamozov. His writings, some good examples in this book, fairly crackle with intelligence, dialogue, and drama, all of which are generated out of his view of existentialism.

Existentialism is the philosophy of existence, in that each person is free to make up his own mind about what truth is, based on his own personal experiences, and then must be completely responsible for his decisions. Essentially, your reality is what you sense life to be about at any given moment. A person is truly alive when going through extreme situations and suffering; and if all else fails, there is always suicide.

I got this view of existentialism from an encyclopedia; but I could have derived it from these short stories. The existentialist in each of these stories struggles with life and what it means, and seems to almost go out of his way to make an ordinary life precarious and hard. Often he is (at least in these stories) incredibly self-absorbed, and unempathetic, even mean-spirited and predatory to other people, in an effort to somehow experience life to the fullest. He seems to like to psychologically experiment in ways of treating himself and other people for his own benefit, to see what will happen. (An example in one story is the older man that marries a desparate 16 year-old and then stops talking to her just to see how she reacts.) Any happiness he gets from life seems almost accidental. All this makes for great drama, but does it make for a great philosophy? Subjective truth is a very slippery slope, depending on how closely it lines up with objective reality, and how connected the existentialist is with his vision of reality.

That said, believe it or not, I really liked the book and would recommend it to anyone who likes great literature. The philosophy behind the book is another matter all together, and should be taken internally only with caution.

If you are the kind of person who likes to wander alone in your fantasy and expects some sudden change of fate in your favor then the storyWhite Nights is for u...go for it..read and enjoy.

WE HAVE NOT YET FINISHED READING THE BOOK BECAUSE WE WERE LOOKING FOR LARGE PRINT BOOKS AND AMONG THE SUPPOSEDLY LARGE PRINT THIS ONE WAS LISTED. WE WERE DISAPPOINTED WHEN WE GOT IT BUT WE KEPT IT. WE ARE NOW READING IT BUT SLOWLY AS IT IS DIFFICULT FOR US TO READ REGULAR SIZE PRINTED BOOKS. WE ARE ENJOYING WHAT WE HAVE READ SO FAR, DOSTOYEVSKY IS ALWAYS INTERESTING BUT CERTAINLY NOT CHEERFUL READING.