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The Best Short Stories

by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, David Magarshack (Translator)

4.25 of 5 stars 4.25 · rating details · 1,794 ratings · 67 reviews

This collection, unique to the Modern Library, gathers seven of Dostoevsky's key works and shows him to be equally adept at the short story as with the novel. Exploring many of the same themes as in his longer works, these small masterpieces move from the tender and romantic White Nights, an archetypal nineteenth-century morality tale of pathos and loss, to the famous Note...more

Paperback, 320 pages

Published February 13th 2001 by Modern Library (first published January 1st 1955)

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May 06, 2013 Jonathon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Man, I hate this type of old style language. I mean the poetic parts are tolerable, but the shit of everyday old style conversation language annoys me... For example words like, "indutiably" and shit like "I shan't say another word"; usually its located somewhere in the dialogue...They need to make an updated hip hop version with awesome slang....now theres an idea!

This stuff is hard to quote also, cause Dostoevsky doesn't write in easily, digestible quotes; but his points and ideas go on for pa...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Savanna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, historical-fiction

The Failed Relationship in A Gentle Creature by Fyodor Dostoesvky
Much like Notes From Underground, Fyodor Dostoevsky’s A Gentle Creature stands out as a disturbing and forthright portrait of a contemporary man battered and warped by his time. Its narrator embarks on the same quest for self-justification, and his attempt is just as unconvincing. A Gentle Creature, however, is as deeply a meditation on a failed relationship as it is a reflection on one failed man. This is not as obvious, because...more The Failed Relationship in A Gentle Creature by Fyodor Dostoesvky
Much like Notes From Underground, Fyodor Dostoevsky’s A Gentle Creature stands out as a disturbing and forthright portrait of a contemporary man battered and warped by his time. Its narrator embarks on the same quest for self-justification, and his attempt is just as unconvincing. A Gentle Creature, however, is as deeply a meditation on a failed relationship as it is a reflection on one failed man. This is not as obvious, because the story is narrated by its protagonist and is completely a product of his paradoxical, vain, and frantic introspection, but the implied author’s focus on a failed relationship is evident through analysis of the protagonist’s narrative. It is a study on a bond between two people that is sadistic to begin with and that is shattered prematurely by a suicide. While the narrator himself does not recognize the malignancy of their relationship, it becomes clear by scrutinizing his account that the it is destroyed by its own dysfunction, and that it is this which led his wife to suicide. In A Gentle Creature, the relationship between the narrator and his wife fails because the narrator fundamentally misjudges his wife’s character, is completely unable to empathize with her, and uses her to enact his revenge on his own social stigma.
One explanation of the relationship’s failure is that the narrator completely misjudges her character. From the first instances when he recounts his early meetings with her, he projects upon her an unrealistic “lamb” personality which he maintains even after her death. (243) His idea of her is heavily romanticized and is the ideal of a completely devoted, submissive wife. The narrator has this concept so thoroughly internalized and so tenaciously applied to his wife that he is unable to dismiss it, even when there is evidence that his wife is more complex, independent, and strong than he realizes. His erroneous view of his wife is derived from her physical appearance as well as the narrator’s contemptuous, misconstrued opinion of women in general. She is described at the as “such a slender girl, very thin, fair, of medium height.” (241) Without a doubt the narrator, who is the epitome of superficiality throughout the story, assumes in the diminutive sixteen-year old girl the stereotypical meekness and naivete of a young, inexperienced woman. He equates with her “slender,” “thin,” and “fair” body psychological characteristics of the same weak connotation: meekness, innocence, and naivete. He also feels that these submissive characteristics are natural in women, who “have no originality” and “simply must submit to [their] husband[s].” (258)
The narrator persists in viewing his wife as “a lamb,” (243) “a good and gentle creature,” (244) “childish,” (246) “benevolent,” (253) “innocen[t],” (253) “exquisite,” (259) “most honourable and high-principled,” (264) “timid,” (169) “thoroughly subdued,” (275) “sweet,” (284) “child-like,” (285) “too chaste and too pure” (288) throughout the spectrum of his narrative. From these words, we can see that he thinks of her idealistically and does not take her seriously. He sees her as a child, a “creature” and not as a human being endowed with significant capacity for reason or emotional depth. (204) On many occasions, however, the wife’s conduct refutes her husband’s opinion of her. At one of their early meetings in the pawnshop, when the narrator teases her about her ads in the paper, she reacts with none of the timidity one would expect given the narrator’s idea of her: “her eyes blazed. She turned round and went out at once.” (244) Similarly, when he is describing his past woes, “she interrupted suddenly, with rather a caustic smile.” (246) By walking out without any ceremony, she exhibits an independence and strength at odds with the innocent persona imposed upon her and her interruption and smile show that she is not as gentle as he believes.
She shows the same strength and independence when she outright refuses his plans for a honeymoon abroad. (253) She proves that she is neither sweet nor childish when, after an argument with her husband, she shows him a “mistrustful, silent, evil smile,” (256) and much later when he chastises her and she “stamped her foot” and acts like a “wild beast [...] in a rage.” (261) Even after being married to her for several weeks, he is still surprised at this contradiction to his conviction and is “petrified with amazement.” (261) He thinks she is acting against her nature when she then “laughed in [his] face and walked out of the flat,” however this is a repetition of her earlier behaviour, and thus is obviously not a new phenomenon. He is equally surprised when he awakes to find her pointing his gun at his temple, (267) however, her frequent display of anger towards him, coupled with the fact that she had “taken a great interest in that gun” earlier on proves that this should not be so shocking.
The fact that this rather patronizing opinion of his wife is how the narrator views her throughout the story, it is not surprising that he is completely incapable of understanding that the failure of their relationship drove her to suicide--at the end of the story he says “there is still the unanswered question--why did she die?” (288) Unable to understand that his wife was capable of passion and despair, he finally attributes her suicide to “an ordinary, horrible, senseless accident” instead of the calculated attempt to end a terrible suffering, which it plainly is. (289) While he cannot account for the failure of their relationship, it is clear to the reader that certainly the narrator’s total misjudgment of his wife’s character is detrimental to their relationship, as it further estranged them from one another.
In addition to his failure to properly understand his wife’s character, the narrator’s complete inability to sympathize with her contributes greatly to the strain and fracture of their relationship. Contrary to sympathy, “her humiliation [is] at times very pleasing to [him].” (275) He explains that it is proper to treat people with “sternness,” and as he puts it, “sternness with me means dryness.” (243) Throughout the story, the narrator clings as relentlessly to his “sternness” as he does to his misconception of his wife. Even when he is aware of his wife’s suffering, he shows concern only for himself. When she returns to his pawn shop desperate to receive some compensation for one of her last trinkets, he expresses no sympathy; he instead uses the situation to “[impress] her” and r[i]se in her estimation.” (245) We can see then that his only concern with her thoughts is her opinion of him, and that this is only necessary so that he can proceed with his “scheme” of pressuring her into marriage. (245) He carries this objectification still further by admitting that “even at that time I already regarded her as mine, and not for one moment did I doubt my own power.” (247) The disturbing way he refers to the young woman as “mine” shows how he views her more as an object than as a human being worthy of sympathy. He shows that he is interested only in a relationship based on “power” and not on love.
Although he is aware that she consented to their marriage out of financial and family pressure rather than by choice, the narrator nevertheless has no pity for the woman of such unfortunate circumstances. He shows his coldness when he complains that she is ungrateful to him: He says, “what filth I had dragged her out of then!” and laments that “she ought to have appreciated my action.” (252) Again, all his focus is on himself--on his action--and he does not spare any concern for his poor wife, although he admits that “she wanted to love, she did her best to love.” (258) When she is evidently exasperated by their married life and she walks out of the apartment, he displays no concern for her upset state or for her safety; instead, he nurses his own wounded dignity and reprimands her conduct by saying “the point is that she had no right to walk out of the flat.” (261) It is interesting that to him, the point of this situation is so mundane, and he does not realize that perhaps his treatment of her is a more pressing concern than whether or not etiquette permits her to leave.
In a bizarre scene, the protagonist seems to show some affection towards his wife: he “kisse[s] her feet rapturously.” (280) It would be naive to interpret this behaviour, however, as empathy for her. Quite the contrary, it too is done only for his own pleasure and openly against her wishes. This sudden action fills her with “surprise and terror” as it is so unprecedented and unnatural, and it then leads to hysterics. (280) Any illusion of sympathy evaporates when he explains that he “saw it [her hysterics] coming” yet “paid no attention to it.” Thus he is aware of the unpleasantness he causes her, but he persists nonetheless. He does not do it to please or comfort her, but is merely yielding to his own selfish impulses. Indeed, her suffering is not “what worried [him] at the time,” instead he is worried by his own sudden desire to “kiss again and again the ground on which her feet rested.” (281) Over the course of the following days, the narrator is overcome with a new enthusiasm for their relationship. His wife, however, is not: “she was either embarrassed or ashamed. And frightened, too. Very frightened.” (282) Despite his wife’s obvious malaise, he “paid no attention to her fear” because “a new life shone like a bright star before [him].” (282) Again the implied author shows the narrator’s apathy towards his wife’s well-being, which contrasts so ironically with his simile of his life being as “a bright star.”
Even when his wife’s suffering drives her to suicide, he feels no sympathy. He insists that it was “her fault” and has the heartlessness to say that his life “in particular [...] is accursed” at a time when he should be mourning the premature loss of his unhappy wife. (260) Further proof that he pities only himself after her death occurs when speculates that “many suicides and murders have been committed only because the gun was already in the hand of the of murderer or self-destroyer.” (268) This confirms that he does not attribute her suicide to any profound sorrow or frustration, but rather to mere circumstance. This, coupled with his objective tone, shows still further that he does not sympathize with his wife even after her death. The narrative closes with his characteristic selfishness, so ironic as it is spoken while his wife’s corpse still lies on the table: “No, seriously, when they take her away tomorrow, what’s to become of me?”
The last major contributing factor to the failure of the relationship is the narrator’s avenging himself on society through his treatment of his wife. Having refused to fight a duel, he lost his military position and was cast into the streets. He never forgives this insult, but chooses to exact his retribution by mistreating his wife. He admits that “[he[ only married her so as to be able to torment her for it.” (283) He says,
You have rejected me, you--the people, I mean--have cast me out with contemptuous silence. For my passionate desire to love you, you have repaid me with a wrong from the consequences of which I shall suffer all my life. (259)
He treats wis wife exactly as he thinks he was treated, with “contemptuous silence” despite her own “desire to love.” (259) This explains that his madly cruel treatment of her is actually based on his own twisted sense of justice. Before their marriage, the woman accuses him of “revenging [him]self on society” through his pawnshop business--but she is as yet unaware that she will become the central target of his vengeance. (250) He does not want his wife to know of his shame, likely from vanity, but certainly also because “it was the enigma [of his past] that was [his] trump card.” (253) He feels that he can keep her loyalty and his power to bully her, and thus avenge himself, by cutting a mysterious figure.
The narrator uses his wife to avenge himself against society as a whole, although she is not at all responsible for his misfortune and he must be aware of that. He establishes that he wishes their relationship to be a form of “triumph over her.” (243) This language is not at all consistent with the sentiments the reader would expect from a man planning to become romantically involved with a woman. This strange baseness of the narrator’s is still more apparent during the course of their marriage. He says, “That fascinated me--that feeling of inequality [between me and my wife]. Yes, it’s delightful, very delightful!” (252) Not only is it disturbing that he delights in the “inequality” he imposes upon his wife, but it also foreshadows the total fracture of their relationship, because his wife’s personality (as we have already seen) is not one that can happily be subjected to inequality. He wishes from her the respect denied him by society to repair his damaged pride, as is clear in the following passage: “I wanted her to stand in homage before me because of my sufferings. And I deserved it.” (255) His wounded vanity leads him to avenge himself upon society by “conquering” his wife, (270) and this cruel and unfair treatment drives them further apart.
By examining the narrative of Dostoevsky’s A Gentle Creature, it becomes clear that the relationship of the narrator and his wife is collapses by its own dysfunction, although the narrator himself does not recognize the unhealthiness of the relationship or that it is what led his wife to end it permanently by killing herself. The relationship is dysfunctional because of the narrator’s fundamental misconception of his wife’s nature, his inability to feel any sympathy for her, and his avenging himself upon her for the stigma imposed upon him by society. Although the story focuses on one man’s experiences, and reveals his relationship according to himself alone, the nameless woman stands out as the more interesting character precisely because of her mystery and goodness in relation to her husband. As a reader, one hungers to know more about her, to be privy to her perspective, yet the implied author denies us this. Perhaps this withholding of the woman’s view, although frustrating to the reader, is designed by the implied author to generate even more interest in and sympathy for her, and importantly, to distance the reader from the narrator. To the reader, as to the narrator, this woman is a stranger. The reader, however, yearns to know her, while the narrator is interested only in himself. By drawing this distinction, the implied author uses this vague female character to deliver a powerful message to the implied reader: you are different from this misguided man, who is capable of destroying a worthy life, and you must not allow yourself to become him.

WORK CITED

Dostoevsky, Fyodor. A Gentle Creature. The Best Stories of Fyodor Dostoevsky. Trans. David Magarshack. New York: The Modern Library, 2005. (less)

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Apr 26, 2011 Kirk rated it 4 of 5 stars

“Notes from the Underground”

Oh, if only I had done nothing merely out of laziness! Lord, how I should have respected myself then. I should have respected myself just because I should at least have been able to be lazy; I should at least have possessed one quality which might be mistaken for a positive one and in which I could have believed myself. Question—who is he? Answer—a loafer. I must say it would have been a real pleasure to have heard that said about myself, for it would have meant tha...more “Notes from the Underground”

Oh, if only I had done nothing merely out of laziness! Lord, how I should have respected myself then. I should have respected myself just because I should at least have been able to be lazy; I should at least have possessed one quality which might be mistaken for a positive one and in which I could have believed myself. Question—who is he? Answer—a loafer. I must say it would have been a real pleasure to have heard that said about myself, for it would have meant that a positive definition had been found for me and that there was something one could say about me. “A loafer!”--why, it's a title, a purpose in life. It's a career, gentlemen, a career!

And why are you so firmly, so solemnly, convinced that only the normal and positive, in short, only prosperity, is of benefit to man? Does not reason make mistakes about benefits? Is it not possible that man loves something besides prosperity? Perhaps he is just as fond of suffering? Perhaps suffering is just as good for him as prosperity? And man does love suffering very much sometimes. He loves it passionately. That is an undeniable fact. You need not even look up world history to prove that; ask yourself, if you are a man and have lived at all. As for my own personal opinion, I believe that to be fond of prosperity is, somehow, indecent even. Whether it is good or bad, it is sometimes very pleasant to smash things, too. Not that I'm particularly anxious to plead the cause of suffering, or of happiness, for that matter. All I plead for is that I should be allowed my whims, and that they should be guaranteed to me whenever I want them. […] I am convinced that man will never renounce real suffering, that is to say, destruction and chaos. Suffering! Why, it's the sole cause of consciousness! And though at the beginning I did argue that consciousness was the greatest misfortune to man, yet I know that man loves it and will not exchange it for any satisfaction. Consciousness, for instance, is infinitely superior to twice-two. After twice-two there is nothing left for you to do, or even to learn. All you could do then would be to stop up your five senses and sink into contemplation. While if you hang on to your consciousness you may achieve the same result, that is to say, there will be nothing left for you to do, either, you could at least administer a good thrashing to yourself from time to time, and that at any rate livens you up a bit. It may be a reactionary step, but it is better than nothing, isn't it?(less)

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May 31, 2008 Amelia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, favorites

White Nights and A Disgraceful Affair are so good. All of his stories are scripts for graphic novels, they are cinematic and shot in such a dramatic range of gray and black tones, and the characters are hilarious because they are so painfully awful. The heirs to his crown are undoubtedly Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais. Have you seen "Extras"? It's the same idea!

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Sep 08, 2012 Lainie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I finally picked up Crime and Punishment and read the lengthy introduction. By the end of it, I decided to first read Notes from the Underground to get a sense of Dostoevsky's early versus later writings. In this edition, you get (published in chronological order except for The Peasant Marey):

White Nights
The Honest Thief
The Christmas Tree and a Wedding
The Peasant Marey
Notes from the Underground, which is really more of a novella than a short story
A Gentle Creature
The Dream of a Ri...more

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Feb 12, 2011 Erik Graff rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Dostoevsky fans

Recommended to Erik by: Janny Marie Willis

Shelves: literature

My first really serious relationship was with a woman who had read pretty much all of Dostoevsky. We had met during my last year at Grinnell College in Iowa. It could have ended there as I was back in Illinois working that subsequent summer, but we corresponded, she came to stay at my home and, eventually, a semester later, she transferred from Grinnell to Barnard College, moving into my dorm room at Union Theological Seminary in New York.

My job as a security guard at Chicago's Women's Athletic...more

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Jul 30, 2010 Mike rated it 5 of 5 stars

Here are my reviews:

I loved this book - it contains 7 short works including White Nights and the Dream of a Ridiculous Man, two of the best stories I've read. The opening lines are great. Notes from Underground starts off with "I am a sick man, a spiteful man. I believe something is wrong with my liver." Underground is the longest piece in the book, and the first half is a manic jumble, but the second half is a pretty good narrative. Like a lot of his books, these stories have shy, flawed charac...more

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May 25, 2013 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had been looking forward to having a chance to read some of Dostoyevsky's short stories, as I am more familiar with his novels. So I am pleased to say that I was not disappointed, and that I immensely enjoyed this collection! First of all, from an organizational perspective, I appreciated the editor's choice to arrange the stories in chronological order. In this way, one can note Dostoyevsky's progress as a writer throughout his life. I find it fascinating to see which themes changed, and whic...more I had been looking forward to having a chance to read some of Dostoyevsky's short stories, as I am more familiar with his novels. So I am pleased to say that I was not disappointed, and that I immensely enjoyed this collection! First of all, from an organizational perspective, I appreciated the editor's choice to arrange the stories in chronological order. In this way, one can note Dostoyevsky's progress as a writer throughout his life. I find it fascinating to see which themes changed, and which ones persist throughout each of the pieces.

I don't have time to write about each story, but I will comment on a few that made the strongest impact on me. I was impressed with Dostoyevsky's forward-thinking attitude in "A Christmas Tree and a Wedding";though the story itself is brief, it has quite a bit to say.Satirical in tone,the piece protests several conventions of 19th century society, most notably the forcing of young girls into marriages for the sake of money and power. Dostoyevsky depicts the girl's intended fiance as an incredibly-shady figure who literally calculates the interest that the girl's dowry will accumulate in the next few years. Like a man betting on a racehorse, he adds up the sum that his "winnings" will total by the time the unfortunate young lady turns 16 and marries him. Such blatant contempt on Dostoyevsky's part for this practice must have caused quite a scandal in its day!

The most persistent theme throughout the later stories in this collection is a favorite of Dostoyevsky's, and that is the necessity for compassion among human beings. In "A Gentle Creature", a lack of understanding and sympathy between people is shown to destroy lives. And most powerfully in "The Dream of a Ridiculous Man", Dostoyevsky illustrates the ways in which an increasingly-individualistic society leads to war, suffering, and an inability to recall that we are not so different from one another. These issues resonate just as deeply today as they did when Dostoyevsky wrote about them, and I suppose there is a reason why the Russians call him a prophet.

Perhaps the most powerful passage in this book comes from "The Dream of a Ridiculous Man": "I have beheld it and know that people can be happy and beautiful without losing their ability to live on earth. I will not and cannot believe that evil is the normal condition among men. And yet they all laugh at this faith of mine. But how can I help believing it?" (284).

I think this sums up Dostoyevsky's philosophy quite well, and it is why he will always be my favorite author. Because no matter how much cruelty he saw and endured, he still believed quite unshakably in the inherent goodness of humanity. And he didn't care if others called such a mindset naive, because it was the only way he knew how to live.(less)

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May 07, 2011 Alex rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

well i knew this book would be great from the get go as few names are as revered and mentioned in world literature as that of Fyodor Dostoevsky. well this book makes a very bold statement by being named "The Best Short Stories of Fyodor Dostoevsky" now i must admit i havent read much of his work but have heard great things of both his novels and short stories but after having read this,bear in mind i say this with the limited knowledge of his short stories, it is exactly what it claims to be. i...more well i knew this book would be great from the get go as few names are as revered and mentioned in world literature as that of Fyodor Dostoevsky. well this book makes a very bold statement by being named "The Best Short Stories of Fyodor Dostoevsky" now i must admit i havent read much of his work but have heard great things of both his novels and short stories but after having read this,bear in mind i say this with the limited knowledge of his short stories, it is exactly what it claims to be. i at first was very hesitant to read as i heard alot about Dostoevksy before reading any of his work and i always heard it was very confusing and complicated and not the easiest reading material but now after reading it beside one story that i absolutely disliked which is what kept me from giving this amazing book 5 stars and i dont think i have to name the story as im sure many who read it will know the one im speaking of. it starts of with for me what is the best story in this book "White Nights" such an amazing story as i wasnt expecting it to be such an emotionally driven story it made many a good point frankly so good that it hurt as i related far too much to the character and his situation but his last line was one of the greatest ever spoken by any character at least in my opinion. the following 3 stories are...well 2 of them are absolutely fantastic stories as well but were for me eclipsed by the final 3 stories which were all works of art, firstly this trio of masterful writing is spear headed by the phenomenal(again in my opinion) "Notes From The Underground" i never thought i would find this book as delightfully funny as i did nor did i expect it to be an ironic criticism on two very common approaches to life the ignorant and the aware is how i best describe it in my opinion but while it taking the point of view of the "aware" man it also paints him as a very faulted figure who very vaguely realizes his faults but buries them by exaggerating those of the people around him. that is all i shall say as i wish to not give too much away on this absolute beautiful work. then the touching and beautiful "A Gentle Creature" which i must admit left me a bit confused in the end but how beautifully it was written and the dilemma presented in such a perfectly described and humane way with two characters that are so identifiable whether we are like that at the moment we read it or not we have at one point felt like one of these two characters which i feel doesnt come from the characters themselves but the words Dostoevsky puts in their mouth. then finally "The Dream of a Ridiculous Man" which is such an excursion into human nature and morality and society that normally you'd need something as thick as an atlas to just begin to scratch the surface on these topic but Dostoevsky so wonderfully and masterfully gets his point across and plants the seed in your mind which leads to what all the greatest authors achieve self inspection and the exploring of our minds and souls. independently any of these short stories are enough to be bought in individual printings but this book is an amazing treat we in the english speaking world very rarely get, a compendium of amazing short stories by such a wonderful russian author so if there is one collection of short stories i would recommend as a must own it is this one as it has anything and everything a human needs or at least what i needed so for me that is enough to treasure this book and reread it many many times.(less)

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Jun 06, 2009 Martin rated it 3 of 5 stars

I only read 4 of the short stories here. Half the book is taken up by "Notes from the Underground" which was one of my favorite novellas in college, and I even made a mixtape adaptation starring Notorious B.I.G., Lil Kim, Curtis Mayfield, and Nancy Sinatra. So I'm not reviewing that story, since it's been a while. I read a pre-prison story, "White Nights", which was awful. Treacly and fatalistic at the same time, it was recently adapted into a huge Bollywood movie "Sawariyaa". I didn't like the...more

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Jan 30, 2008 Cathy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I picked this up purely to read "White Nights." I had recently seen "Saawariya," a Bollywood film inspired by the story, which was pretty but lifeless. The story is just as dreamy as the movie, but what the movie lacked was the story's strong focus on what makes the main character a dreamer, and what it costs him to live so much in his own head. What the story lacks that the movie has is ... lots of very pretty musical numbers. I guess it's no surprise that Dostoevsky creams Sanjay Leela Bhansal...more

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Jul 28, 2009 TY rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

White Nights: 4/5
This was written before his prison term. It's a love story. Enjoyable but nothing special.

The Honest Thief: 3/5
It was good but nothing great either. Sometimes a little draggy.

The Christmas Tree and the Wedding: 4/5
I quite like this one. It is kind of a social satire.

The Peasant Marey: 3/5
I don't quite understand this one. Or maybe there isn't much to understand about.

Notes From the Underground: 5/5
This is one of his most famous works. It is brilliant though I think I need to re-...more

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May 18, 2013 JP rated it 4 of 5 stars

It is with this broader sampling that we can fully appreciate the reputation of the Russian writers for conveying human essence and spirituality. This collection consists of White Nights, The Honest Thief, The Christmas Tree and a Wedding, The Peasant Marey, Notes from the Underground, A Gentle Creature, and The Dream of a Ridiculous Man.

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Nov 27, 2010 Andrew Wilson rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed every story in this collection, though I must admit that I haven't completely made it through Notes from the Underground yet. If I HAD to chose just one story from this collection for other to read, I would recommend The Dreams of a Ridiculous Man. It almost makes you want to cry over the society we find ourselves in nowadays.

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Nov 28, 2010 Maggie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Dostoevsky was suggested by a friend.....thought I would start with some 'short stories' to see if this was something I would like. Thoroughly enjoyed "White Nights" and "The Dream of a Ridiculous Man". As Dostoevsky commands your full attention, it does take some time and commitment to finish even his short stories. This being said, I think I will save 'Crime and Punishment' and 'The Idiot' until the new year....and will focus on a completely different genre for the time being.

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Dec 05, 2010 Travis Gensler rated it 5 of 5 stars

This Piece of work is too much for my meager words to describe. I simply couldn't put it down for a week. I found myself confounded by the foes, and mistakes of the characters, yet somehow, could relate. I heartily suggest this to any reader, especially "The Dream of a Ridiculous man."

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Dec 08, 2008 Matthew rated it 5 of 5 stars

'The Peasant Marey' is Dostoyevsky's recollection of a spring day when he was in prison in Siberia. On this day he remembers a peasant from his youth that did something very simple and kind for him. The memory gives him comfort in his torment. This is a very special story.

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Mar 12, 2012 Tarun rated it 5 of 5 stars

To be precise:

1."White Nights" : 4 stars

2."The honest thief" : 4 stars

3."The Christmas Tree & a wedding" : 4 stars

4."The Peasant Marey ": 5 stars

5."Notes from the Underground" : 5 stars

6."A Gentle Creature" : 5 stars

7."The Dream of a Ridiculous Man" : 5 stars

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Jul 10, 2012 Elena rated it 3 of 5 stars

He undresses the Russian culture to the point that it is embarrassing how accurate he is. I felt awkward so many times throughout reading these stories, but only because everything he writes is true and reminds me of so many people.

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Jul 27, 2009 Zachary Wingerd rated it 4 of 5 stars

I think my liver is diseased ("Notes from Underground")--my favorite short story was "The Dream of a Ridiculous Man"--this for me sums up Dostoevsky's worldview; however, Brothers Karamazov must be read to explore that entirely

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Aug 23, 2010 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars

I find that I must always be in a certain odd, fairly pensive mood to read Dostoyevsky well, but for the sake of having to return the book to the library in time, I couldn't. My favourites were 'The Christmas Tree and the Wedding' and 'The Honest Thief'. Musings and impassioned declarations from 'Notes from the Underground' are very interesting, but I find it better to read these excerpts when I am in the aforementioned mood, and not while I'm reading for the first time, for the sake of getting...more

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Jul 03, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dostoevsky...what a concept. I love these short stories because they are not as long as "the Brothers Karamezov," and yet one still receives the amazingness of Dostoevsky.

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Sep 10, 2012 Lord_emsworth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Dostoyevsky has written some of the greatest short stories I have ever read. Reading one of them is like imagining god writing a book in the style of Stephen King.

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Dec 19, 2010 Talli rated it 5 of 5 stars

Breathtaking. Each short story manages to be romantic without really being about romance. Ridiculous Man and White Nights are the two that stuck out the most to me.

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Jul 19, 2009 Joe rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

big fan of fyodor. cant wait to meet him in the new earth. the dream of a ridiculous man is an amazing introduction into the theology of this literary giant

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Oct 29, 2007 Jason rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: short-stories

Dostoevsky is certainly not for everyone, but I'm a huge fan. His short stories may be a good way to get your feet wet if you're not ready to venture into the deeper waters of his extraordinary novels.

I wouldn't start with Notes From the Underground. It's certainly the most interesting piece in the collection, but it's a tad bizarre. Underground is a psychological exploration of human nature, which happens to be Dostoevsky's forte. If Notes From the Underground turns you off, then maybe Dostoevs...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Evelyn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-13-winter, historical, realistic

Ideological differences made me less receptive to these stories than I otherwise might have been. I liked "White Nights", "The Peasant Marey", and "A Gentle Creature." Shall I read Dostoevsky's big novels? Perhaps.

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Aug 27, 2011 Prasad GR rated it 5 of 5 stars

Master of human psychology. 'White Nights', 'Notes From The Underground', & 'The Honest Thief' are all unforgettable pieces of work.

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May 20, 2013 Julia added it · review of another edition

Notes from the Underground: soul crushing narration of a man suffering simultaneously from superiority and inferiority complex.

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Mar 13, 2011 David rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love Dostoyevsky's writing. This collection of short stories measures up to the best of his novels.

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About Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoyevsky (Russian: Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский) was a Russian novelist, journalist, and short-story writer whose psychological penetration into the human soul had a profound influence on the 20th century novel.

Dostoevsky was the second son of a former army doctor. He was educated at home and at a private school. Shortly after the death of his mother in 1837 he was sent to S...more Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoyevsky (Russian: Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский) was a Russian novelist, journalist, and short-story writer whose psychological penetration into the human soul had a profound influence on the 20th century novel.

Dostoevsky was the second son of a former army doctor. He was educated at home and at a private school. Shortly after the death of his mother in 1837 he was sent to St. Petersburg, where he entered the Army Engineering College. Dostoevsky's father died in 1839, most likely of apoplexy, but it was rumored that he was murdered by his own serfs. Dostoevsky graduated as a military engineer, but resigned in 1844 to devote himself to writing. His first novel, Poor Folk appeared in 1846.

That year he joined a group of utopian socialists. He was arrested in 1849 and sentenced to death, commuted to imprisonment in Siberia. Dostoevsky spent four years in hard labor and four years as a soldier in Semipalatinsk, a city in what it is today Kazakhstan.

Dostoevsky returned to St. Petersburg in 1854 as a writer with a religious mission and published three works that derive in different ways from his Siberia experiences: The House of the Dead , (1860) a fictional account of prison life, The Insulted and Injured, which reflects the author's refutation of naive Utopianism in the face of evil, and Winter Notes on Summer Impressions, his account of a trip to Western Europe.

In 1857 Dostoevsky married Maria Isaev, a 29-year old widow. He resigned from the army two years later. Between the years 1861 and 1863 he served as editor of the monthly periodical Time, which was later suppressed because of an article on the Polish uprising.

In 1864-65 his wife and brother died and he was burdened with debts. His situation was made even worse by his gambling addiction. From the turmoil of the 1860s emerged Notes from the Underground, a psychological study of an outsider, which marked a major advancement in Dostoevsky's artistic development.

In 1867 Dostoevsky married Anna Snitkin, his 22-year old stenographer. They traveled abroad and returned in 1871. By the time of The Brothers Karamazov (1879-80), Dostoevsky was recognized in his own country as one of its great writers.(less)

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