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White Nights: And Other Stories; 1918 English Translation by Constance Garnett

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Annotated Content

This fully annotated edition

Historical ContextDetailed 20th Century Analysis

A Collection of Classic Short Stories by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, One of the Greatest Russian Novelists of the Nineteenth Century


During the early parts of his career, Fyodor Dostoevsky published White Nights. Like many of Dostoevsky's stories, White Nights is narrated in the first person. This classic short story tells the tale of a lonely man living in Saint Petersburg who meets a sad young woman, whom he soon discovers is still in love with another man. The young man tries to help her reunite with him, secretly hoping she’ll realize they are meant to be together.

Sneak Peek

“Well, yes; but do, for goodness' sake, be kind. Think what I am! Here, I am twenty-six and I have never seen any one. How can I speak well, tactfully, and to the point? It will seem better to you when I have told you everything openly.... I don't know how to be silent when my heart is speaking. Well, never mind.... Believe me, not one woman, never, never! No acquaintance of any sort! And I do nothing but dream every day that at last I shall meet some one. Oh, if only you knew how often I have been in love in that way....”

Summary

This edition of White Nights includes Constance Garnett's 1918 English translation along with additional short stories by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, such as Polzunkov, which tells the story of a ridiculous and amusing man who shares his April Fools' joke that backfired and cost him the woman he hoped to marry. And A Christmas Tree and a Wedding, which features a guest commending his host and hostess on their daughter, who happens to be a future heiress.

A Remarkable Reprint

At Timeless Publications, our team has taken every step possible to ensure the original integrity of this title has been upheld to the highest standard. This means that the text in this eBook is the original, unabridged edition from the original author's publication, preserving its earliest form for your indulgence. This title, contains classic short stories by Fyodor Dostoyevsky; its words are strung together with such literary precision. Well known short stories that you no longer see in the modern age. This title will make an excellent gift for the Fyodor Dostoyevsky short stories buff in your life or a fantastic addition to your current collection.

Our team is ready to send this book off to you today at lightning speed, so you will find yourself indulging in this title without delay. To get your copy of this timeless publication, scroll up to the top of this page and click the "Buy now with 1-Click" button!

Title Details

Original 1918 English Translation by Constance GarnettClassic Short Stories

389 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 5, 2024

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Fyodor Dostoyevsky

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Displaying 1 of 1 review
Profile Image for Nicole Heim.
168 reviews1 follower
April 1, 2026
My god I am falling in love with Dostoyevsky. This isn’t 5 stars because two of the shorter stories were only okay, but I loved White Night, Faint of Heart, and Polzunkov.
White night
At first I was so frustrated with Nastenka. It felt like she was pulling him close, letting him hope, only to turn her heart somewhere else. I wanted to call her cruel…But the more I sat with it, the more I realized she wasn’t totally at fault.
She told him who she was from the beginning. She asked him not to fall in love. She never promised more than she could give. And yet… he did anyway.
There’s something devastating about the idea that when you’re lonely enough, even the smallest act of kindness can feel like love. That a few nights of connection can take on a weight they were never meant to carry.
This isn’t really a love story—it’s a story about longing, timing, and about how we sometimes fall in love with the feeling of being seen and feeling connection rather than the person in front of us.
*Faint of heart- At its core, it feels like a story about one friend trying desperately to hold another together. Arkady’s love is so genuine, so earnest, and so hopeful—he truly believes that if he just cares enough, stays close enough, reassures him enough, it will be enough to fix everything.
And that’s what makes it so heartbreaking.
Because it isn’t.
Vasya’s unraveling feels sudden and inevitable, driven by overwhelming sensitivity and pressure that no one else can quite see or reach. Watching Arkady try to save him, only to realize that love has limits, is what gives this story its weight.
It made me think about how painful it is to care deeply for someone and still not be able to pull them out of their own mind.
Dostoevsky captures that helplessness so honestly.
Polzunkov
Wow…insecurity can make someone unbearable to listen to, even when they just want to be understood
Displaying 1 of 1 review