Poor People

This collection includes two early works by Dostoevsky - Poor People and The Double, which heralded the birth of the future great novelist. Poor People is the writer's debut novel. After reading it, V. G. Belinsky wrote that Dostoevsky is... a completely unknown and new name, but it seems destined to play a significant role in our literature. The touching story of the love of a low-ranking official, Makary Devushkin, and Varinka Dobroselova reveals the eternal theme of the little man. Despite their inner beauty and nobility of soul, they are unable to overcome the circumstances and are doomed to suffer in this cruel world. In the story The Double, there is a deep psychological analysis of the split consciousness and a brilliantly developed theme of duality - the human self and its shadow. The drama of Mr. Golyadkin, unfolding against the backdrop of the lively streets of 19th century St. Petersburg, is largely connected with the artistic world and poetics of Gogol's Petersburg tales.