White Nights - Poor Folk - The Double - Wordsworth Classics

White Nights is one of Dostoyevsky's earlier short stories but one of his most enduringly popular. It tells the story of four nights in the life of the lonely narrator, who meets and falls in love with the mysterious and beautiful Nastenka.

Poor Folk was Dostoevsky's first novel, written to try and alleviate his financial plight, and was a commercial success. It tells the story of Makar Devushkin, a clerk, and Varvara Dobroselova, a seamstress, by means of the letters they exchange; they are in love, but too poor to marry. Its exploration of humanitarian themes led to it being described as Russia's first 'social novel'.

By contrast, Dostoevsky's second novel, The Double was not well received. First published in 1846, it was revised and republished by Dostoyevskyin 1866, but he did not consider it a success. By contrast, Vladimir Nabokov called it 'the best thing he ever wrote' and described it as 'a perfect work of art'.

Part of Wordsworth Classics

Wordsworth Classics are inexpensive editions designed to appeal to the general reader and students. We commissioned teachers and specialists to write wide ranging, jargon-free introductions and to provide notes that would assist the understanding of our readers rather than interpret the stories for them. In the same spirit, because the pleasures of reading are inseparable from the surprises, secrets and revelations that all narratives contain, we strongly advise you to enjoy this book before turning to the Introduction.