The Best Short Stories of Dostoyevsky (Modern Library Series)

Rating:
Summary: A Must-Have
Review: Dostoievski is an unparalleled writer, so any collection of his work is inherently valuable. This particular collection, though, rises above the rest. The translation is clear and fluid. The author's literal meaning has been maintained, but not at the expense of the language and its rhythm. The selections are also impeccable. Along with some obvious, and perhaps essential, Dostoievski masterpieces, the editor has included some lesser-known stories. We see, in this collection, the roots of Dosoievski's craft; we see the early sketches that would evolve into his great psychological examinations of the Russian soul. This is an unparalleled book.

Rating:
Summary: A Must-Have
Review: Dostoievski is an unparalleled writer, so any collection of his work is inherently valuable. This particular collection, though, rises above the rest. The translation is clear and fluid. The author's literal meaning has been maintained, but not at the expense of the language and its rhythm. The selections are also impeccable. Along with some obvious, and perhaps essential, Dostoievski masterpieces, the editor has included some lesser-known stories. We see, in this collection, the roots of Dosoievski's craft; we see the early sketches that would evolve into his great psychological examinations of the Russian soul. This is an unparalleled book.

Rating:
Summary: Dostoevsky's Grim View of Mankind
Review: This collection of six short stories and the novella Notes from the Underground give the reader a glimpse into the mind of one of the 19th Centuries greatest authors. The collection literally covers the entire career of the novelist. The stories offer compact detailed descriptions of life in St. Petersburg at the end of the last century.

While the stories are certainly not happy they are worth reading. The selections include the following: White Nights: a love story between a dreamer and a woman he meets and loses in a time span of 4 days. This story hearkens to later dreamers in Dostoevsky's writings including the Underground Man.

In The Honest Thief we see a more mature writer grappling with the idea of guilt associated with a minor crime. The honest thief of the title is Yemalyan who may be the genesis for later characters who are unable to avoid crime that surrounds them

The Christmas Tree and a Wedding is a straight forward story with a twist that is almost O. Henry-ish in its finale. It is probably the most perfect story in the collection.

The Peasant Marey is a recollection from the author's youth which was written during a prison stay. The purpose is to show the nobility of the peasant class.

Notes From Underground has been reviewed earlier and needs no more discussion at this point.

A Gentle Creature is an excellent example of realism. The story recounts the tortured thoughts of a less than perfect husband on the occassion of his young wife's suicide.

The Dream of a Ridiculous Man recounts Dostoevsky's final analysis of the human condition. Man is essentially good but can be corrupted bt reason and science.

On the whole this is a good introduction to the author's shorter works that with careful reading can be if not joyful quite meaningful.