The Fyodor Dostoyevsky Group discussion

I’m hoping to find a short story or novella by Dostoevsky that may be accessible to newcomers to his work, and I would be especially interested in finding one that has one or more interesting film adaptations. I would potentially be reading this along with some others (family members who have an interest but would like something easier to wade through than The Brothers Karamazov).

So far I’m seeing White Nights as a good possibility.


Any other suggestions?

Thank you!

Amyjzed wrote: "I’m hoping to find a short story or novella by Dostoevsky that may be accessible to newcomers to his work, and I would be especially interested in finding one that has one or more interesting film ..."

Try 'The Meek One' or 'The Gentle Creature' ('кроткая'), 'A Most Unfortunate Incident' or 'A Nasty Story' (Скверный анекдот). Two of his best short fictions. Also try 'The Double' (Двойник), 'Poor Folk' (Бедные люди), and also 'The Eternal Husband' (‎Вечный муж). These three are some of the best novellas ever written and certainly the best by Dostoyevsky in that form.

Thank you!

I'm looking at a book that has most of these titles in it.

What do you think of The Dream of a Ridiculous Man?

Try this anthology: The Eternal Husband and Other Stories, contains the best ones that I mentioned like The Eternal Husband, The Meek One, A Nasty Story and The Dream of a Ridiculous Man.

Also: Poor Folk and Other Stories contains the novella of the same title along with a collection of other stories.

Thank you!

I was looking at this:
Great Short Works of Fyodor Dostoevsky

Translators of the works include George Bird, David Magarshack, Nora Gottlieb & Constance Garnett. No P&V.