Notes from Underground and The Double
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Notes from the Underground is a dystopian tale of the Underground Man, a retired civil servant living in St Petersburg who retreats from society. This work is considered by many to be the first existentialist novel and influenced many classic works including Metamorphosis and Invisible Man.
The Double tells the story of Golyadkin who, on a bitter snowy night, encounters a stranger who looks exactly like him. They become friends, but then Golyadkin realises that unlike himself, his double is socially successful - likeable and charming - and thus the relationship starts to deteriorate. Golyadkin is caught up in a psychological battle that can only end in tragedy.
These two works draw on Dostoevsky's acute observation of Russian life; his thoughts on philosophy and social mores; and his reactions to the work of Nikolai Gogol. At the heart of both lies Dostoevsky's ruminations on the need to establish one's true identity and how society can distort the perception of who one truly is.
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Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-81) was one of Russia's foremost writers, producing novels, short stories, essays and philosophical texts. Born in Moscow, he initially trained as an engineer, spending his spare time translating books. The publication of his first book, Poor Folk, saw him enter the literary circles of St Petersburg, but he developed a gambling habit as he toured around Europe and then fell foul of the Russian authorities who sent him into exile in Siberia in 1849 for reading banned works. Crime and Punishment was the second novel that Dostoevsky wrote after he returned from exile and its serialisation was considered a huge success, earning Dostoevsky many plaudits.
Constance Garnett (1861-1946) was a celebrated English translator of Russian literature, most notably the works of Anton Chekov and Fyodor Dostoevsky. Her translations received high acclaim from numerous critics and authors, including Joseph Conrad and D. H. Lawrence.
