Dostoevsky is best known for his great novels The Idiot, Crime & Punishment, Devils, and The Brothers Karamazov but he also wrote short stories. This collection features three stories, “A Gentle Creature,” “White Nights,” and “The Dream of a Ridiculous Man.” Dostoevsky explores the inner lives of shy people, dreamers, and intellectuals living in a brutal society. Loneliness and estrangement from community are Dostoevsky’s constant themes. This edition is a modern translation by Alan Myers with an Introduction and useful notes by W. J. Leatherbarrow. If you’re interested in Dostoevsky’s short fiction, this is a good place to start.
(This completes the February 2010 portion of my Short Story Reading Challenge. I will read and review one short story collection per month in 2010. To find out more about the Short Story Reading Challenge, be sure to click: “http://theshortstorychallenge.blogspot.com/”>Short Story Reading Challenge.
Dostoevsky is an interesting writer, and I liked Fathers and Sons, but I tried and failed to read Crime and Punishment, it seems like I was the one being punished. If I were going to read Russian short stories, I think I’d choose Chekhov.
I read a Chekhov short story collection for January, Rick. I’ve had these Russian short story collections around for years and this Short Story Challenge is forcing me to finally read them.
I’d forgotten about the short story challenge, George. Are you only reading one collection or anthology per month, or only reporting on one?
Related to that, I’m beginning to appreciate the shorter collections, a la Crippen & Landru, as opposed to the long ones from, say, NESFA. The big ones seem to take a long time to get through, as I don’t always want to read more than a few stories by a single author at a time. I certainly have many short story collections here from which to choose, of course.
Last thing: how long has it been since you read any stories by H.H. Munro (Saki)?
I read a thick anthology of Saki (Modern Library?) a couple decades ago, Rick. I read a couple short story collections each month. You’re right about those big NESFA collections. But, I chip away at them by reading a short story every day. I prefer novels to short stories, but I have hundreds of short story collections. This Competition is just the motiviation I needed to read these short stories I’ve been putting off for years.
Darn, I misspelled Chekhov and the spell checker didn’t catch it, or I didn’t. My in-a-hurry typos are one thing, but blatant misspellings like that really embarrass me.
I asked about Saki because I’d noticed the Modern Library collection of his stories on my own shelf just a few days ago, George. I think I last read any of it’s contents thirty years ago.
I corrected your misspelling of Chekhov, Rick. You must have the same Modern Library edition of Saki that I read long ago. I’m considering some more modern short story collections for March.
I was supposed to be participating in this. Maybe next month. Good for you for choosing such high quality stories.
I had these short story collections stacked up for years, Patti. This Challenge motivated me to read books I should have read long ago.