Notes from Underground (Everyman's Library)

Dostoyevsky is Dostoyevsky, and if you care about literature you will read his great works if you haven't already. But what makes this edition of one of those great works, Notes from Underground, great is that it is combined with other shorter works from different periods in his life. Dostoyevsky is serious stuff. Living in a time and a place of brutal oppression, he could do nothing else but write about the serious questions of life. And through the writings chosen for this collection, we can see the progression of his thoughts and beliefs as he aged.We start with `White Nights', a story of selflessness in which a young man helps a girl connect with her love even though he loves her too. Though this story has the grave tone common of 19th century Russian literature, it has a tinge of hopefulness in the man's sacrifice. This is the young and idealistic Dostoyevsky, before he was jailed for having `revolutionary ideas' and sentenced to death only to be pardoned moments from being shot. Obviously this had a great impact on his mind and went a long way towards destroying any hopefulness he had. The transition is seen in the three stories selected from The House of the Dead, his first successful work. Written in 1862, or about a decade after his imprisonment, these stories tell of senseless murderers and corporal punishers. Almost entirely devoid of emotion, we can see a Dostoyevsky who has gone inward and narrates simply and pragmatically. Life has become a matter of survival, with no room for the sentimentality of the protagonist in `White Nights'.Then in the main event, Notes from Underground, the emotion is back, but it has been transformed into anger and hatred in the form of the bitter and isolated narrator. There is much existentialist (this work is considered the founding work of existentialism) rambling in the first part, as he debates with us, the reader (even though these are his memoirs, not a two way discussion) about logic and determinism, arguing that man will not always do what's best for himself, as propounded by the utopians of the time, but will often act in direct antagonism towards themselves to display `individualism'. And, as he is an `individual', he cannot act properly in society, which is why he is now isolated and bitter. Then he gets into a proper narrative in Part II, as he demonstrates his ideas to us with stories from his earlier life. There are three parts to this, but the most interesting is the last: his brief encounter with a prostitute, where he shows the inkling of decency and love towards her, but rejects her when she returns it. Despite feeling much revulsion for the narrator to this point, there is a sense of poignancy at this end for him, and perhaps reflects both Dostoyevsky's struggle with society after his imprisonment, and our admiration for him despite his nihilistic views.The collection closes with Dream of a Ridiculous Man, a story written just a few years before his death. In it, a man decides life is meaningless and wants to commit suicide. He chances upon a little girl whose mother needs help, but he brushes the girl away. He then goes home, feels guilty, falls asleep, and has a dream. In the dream he goes to a utopia where everyone is happy until heteaches them to lie and ruins the society. He awakens a changed man who only wants to love others as himself. Near the end of his life, Dostoyevsky had found God.

Part 1 consists of continuous rambling from the narrator in a stream of conscience way which was hard to follow. By the time it hit part 2, it felt more so like storytelling which was easier to follow and more entertaining for me. Overall, the book was not bad but if I were to read any part again, it would be part 2.

Notes from UndergroundEveryman’s Library, 8th Printing (US)Pevear and Volokhonsky (P&V) TranslationThe Brief:-discounted price-many other books in series (matching jacket styles)-P&V translationThe Publisher (see pics):Everyman’s Library novels appear to come in either a black and white styled jacket spine or a red and black one. This came in the black and white style. These editions have a ribbon bookmark and a bibliography and chronology are included along with the introduction. This one also came with a set of (End) notes. The book is roughly 8”x5”, with relatively thick paper, wide margins, and smaller font. I find that this makes a nice appearance. Everyman’s Library doesn't always have the “best” translation, but they use the more agreeable P&V translation here. If you are looking to start a collection, Everyman’s Library can provide you with a nice looking book shelf of classic novels. Most of them are also heavily discounted on Amazon, I paid $14 instead of the list $21.The Basics of the Novel:The underlying theme is the “…the evolution of the Russian intelligentsia: the sentimental, literary 1840s and the rational and utilitarian 1860s…” (As per the introduction, very helpful!).The style of the book has some uniqueness. It is written as if we found and are reading the writings of this underground man. Part I is written as if he is addressing a reader while Part II is a more typical recollection of events from the underground man’s life.A Little More Detail-14 page Introduction-2 page Select Bibliography-6 page Chronology of Author’s Life, Literary Context and Historical Events-119 pages for the text-6 pages (End) NotesThe introduction provides helpful information for understanding the text (see example quoted earlier). Pevear also spends three pages discussing his choices in the translation and includes a bibliography. This is important as it reinforces the creditability of the translation and the analysis (I’ve read reviews of some editions where these aren’t included).The chronology helps in setting the time period, but you would need to know of the novels and historical events mentioned. The time line of Dostoevsky life allows some insight into his life.This edition uses endnotes instead of footnotes. They were infrequent enough as to not be annoying. I found that the notes were mostly analytical, and only a few were used to remind us that the Colossus of Rhodes was a 100ft statue. The French is translated in the endnotes. I didn’t mind because I took French in high school and I use it to test how much I remembered.I chose the Everyman’s edition because I like matching book sets and they publish a large amount of novels in only a couple different styles. The only case where I wouldn’t recommend them is if they don’t have an agreeable translation. For example, I believe their edition of Don Quixote is the generally disapproved “Anglicized” translation by Motteux.