White Nights and Other Stories The Novels of Fyodor Dostoevsky, Volume X

So entertaining and inspiring...in a very lucid language...

White nights is undoubtedly one of the best works of Fyodor Dostoevsky and other stories too are very well written..

I read it in college.Read it again.Dostoevsky is incomparable. He stirs your heart and soul.

A must read

Fine

Ein buch halt

In my two previous reviews I discussed two collections of short works by Dostoevsky, both published by the Modern Library: _The Eternal Husband and Other Stories_ and _The Best Short Stories of Dostoevsky_. The former is translated by Pevear & Volokhonsky; the latter, by Magarshack. Both collections include the novella _A Gentle Creature_ (which P&V titled _The Meek One_) and the short story "The Dream of a Ridiculous Man." The collection under consideration now, _White Nights and Other Stories_ (free on Kindle), includes three pieces that appear in one or the other of the books I've just mentioned, and four additional short stories. These three volumes, in other words, contain not only the best of brief Dostoevsky, but in fact the vast majority of it. Readers of these volumes would only be missing four short stories by Dostoevsky: "A Novel in Nine Letters," "Another Man's Wife and a Husband Under the Bed," "The Crocodile," and "The Heavenly Christmas Tree." The best of these may well be "The Crocodile," which is available, along with a very different story with the same title by the great Uruguayan author Felisberto Hernández, in _Two Crocodiles_, published by New Directions.The Kindle edition of _White Nights and Other Stories_ offers the classics translations by Constance Garnett. These days it is common practice to disparage these versions, but as I pointed out in one of my previous reviews, the great authors of the twentieth century experienced the best of Russian literature through them, and this doesn't seem to have caused them great harm. Garnett's translations still read beautifully. They are not as "modern" as other translations, but then I wonder how "modern" Dostoevsky's prose sounds to twenty-first century Russian readers. Regarding the other collections I mentioned above, I personally enjoyed the Magarshack translation more than the P&V.These are the texts included in this collection:* White Nights: my personal introduction to Dostoevsky. The hero is the typical Dostoevsky loner, though this one has not abandoned all hope like the Underground Man. Our narrator is so disconnected from his fellow human beings that, at the beginning of the story, he humanizes buildings even as he contemplates the dehumanization of people. A sentimental novella, _White Nights_ describes a brief chance encounter that has a lasting effect. (I kept thinking of Richard Linklater’s film _Before Sunrise_, though not of the inferior sequels.) The unnamed hero meets the young Nastenka as the latter is being pursued by a predator. The girl spends most of her time literally pinned to her overprotective grandmother. There is an instant connection between her and the narrator, but there's also a problem: she happens to be waiting for another man, who promised to return to her. Is there a future for the narrator and Nastenka? The story, which encompasses 4 nights, was adapted to film by Luchino Visconti in 1957, and by Robert Bresson in 1971 as _Four Nights of a Dreamer_.* Notes from Underground: please see my review of _The Best Short Stories of Dostoevsky_ for more on this one. More philosophical than narrative, this novella (one of the best examples of the genre) consists of the opinions and a few events in the life of a misanthrope.* A Faint Heart: the story of two friends, one of whom is about to get married. The latter, the protagonist of the story, is a bit of a slacker, but as his marriage approaches he becomes a workaholic. I would call this story a tragicomedy. Interestingly, it begins in medias res because, wanting to differentiate himself from other authors, the narrator announces he will not provide background information about the characters.* A Christmas Tree and a Wedding: also included in _The Best Short Stories of Dostoevsky_, this story criticizes the tradition of marriage proposals. It is one of Dostoevsky's shortest stories, and one of his most effective.* Polzunkov: a framed narrative about a joker who becomes the victim of a cruel--though well-deserved--joke. The story takes place during April Fools' Day. An illustration of the dangers of not treating others the way one wants to be treated.* A Little Hero: an 11-year-old boy's story of first love. While spending the summer in a village near Moscow with some relatives, the "little hero" becomes infatuated with an older, married young woman. He is a loner, a nobody, but in the course of the summer he will get the chance to do a heroic deed that will change others' opinion of him. This wonderful story of childhood features great lyrical descriptions and is one of the best pieces in the collection. For an interesting contrast, I suggest reading it back to back with Turgenev's _First Love_.* Mr. Prohartchin: this is Dostoevsky's first short story, and this fact is quite evident. There's a great deal of Gogol in it, including an unmissable allusion to "The Nose." A character study for the most part, "Mr. Prohartchin" is too long and rambling. The title character is an extremely frugal man who lives in a boarding house. It seems to me that so much more could have been done with this character and this setting. The message, namely that people may not be what they seem, is a relevant one, but the execution is poor to say the least.The two texts that open the collection are, indisputably, mandatory Dostoevsky. _White Nights_ is one of his most hopeful pieces; _Notes from the Underground_, one of his darkest. Both are excellent. This was an author who knew extreme emotions and states of mind. I loved "A Little Hero," and liked "A Faint Heart" and "A Christmas Tree and a Wedding." My least favorite stories were "Polzunkov" and "Mr. Prohartchin."Because Dostoevsky produced immortal novels and delightful novellas, his short stories are neglected. Granted, not all of his stories are excellent, but then the same may be said of his novels and novellas. I recommend _White Nights and Other Stories_ are well as the other two collections mentioned above. There is much that is memorable in these tales.My next work by Dostoevsky will be the novella _The Landlady_.Thanks for reading, and enjoy the book!

Might the notion that nice guys finish last have originated here in Dostoevsky's novella "White Nights"? Published in 1848, in a time we cannot today well-enough comprehend, Dostoyevsky gives us a glimpse into the human heart that reaffirms we, as a loving, emotionally-driven people, aren't so different now as we were nearly 200 years ago.Dostoyevsky can be a challenge for the average reader, but after having read this book, I find myself wanting to urge any reader of any genre or preference to read this fascinating story. The plot itself is simple, and one we've all grown accustomed to seeing or experiencing. A lonely man for years, now cynical about his future and ultimately relegated to a misanthropic life within a lonely apartment, the only company an elderly maid, happens upon a girl in distress one night as he walks languidly around the cold, desolate streets of St. Petersburg. He's drawn to her and appears overcome with love at first sight. He emotionally exposes himself to her, relaying a timidity he has toward women, essentially a lack of confidence, the kind with which many men can empathize.What transpires is a four-night journey that has both this man, the narrator, and Nastenka, the lady whom he grows to love, reconvene at the same location where they first met. They slowly get to know and grow fond of one another by revealing details of their respective backgrounds, lending further understanding to the circumstances that led to their happenstance encounter. We see the man struggle with himself, his timidity obvious as he dives into the uncharted waters of love to secure the hand of a woman who battles her own affliction of love toward another man. The outcome is jaw-dropping, and alone worth the read (and on a side-note, I say this because I rarely react, in the moment, audibly to much of anything I read. I was stunned at how this story ends)."White Nights" plot is straightforward, but where the plot excels is in its continuing relevance and appearance in many, modern-day relationships. Anyone can and will find such themes similar to this in abundance today and will continue to do so in the many stories yet imagined. But there's an elegance within classical literature that brings beauty to an otherwise, seemingly melancholy circumstance that befalls this man as has millions of others since.Doestoevsky achieves this in "White Nights", leaving an indelible mark that goes beyond the words he chooses, offering anyone a story that may reawaken a memory or reopen a wound, whether through a similar experience, or of one's own making.

I am not able to judge a master. This are clasic. Good, very good.At times not an easy read but in the end an enjoyable read.If you have not read this as of yet you must.

This review is mainly for the short story, White Nights. Always been a great fan of Dostoyevsky, but this short story of his is perhaps my favourite short story ever written. The poetic story telling he engages the reader in is like none can- soulful and full of the most nuanced emotions, woven inextricably with the storyline.