The Dostoyevsky Library

In which a curious company engages in a game of confessing their worst deeds, revealing unexpected depths and stirring emotions among the assembled guests, while a certain lady, Nastasia Philipovna, makes a startling marital declaration that commands the prince’s solemn involvement. The evening’s delicate balance shatters with an abrupt summons at the door, hinting at unfolding events fraught with...

In which the prince, seeking entrance to a certain lady’s abode, finds himself entangled with a dishevelled general whose overheated reminiscences and personal misfortunes reveal a world both weary and tangled in debts of the heart and purse. Amidst the melancholy visits to forgotten friends and the candid reflections of a young companion, the evening unfolds into a tapestry of fractured loyalties...

In which the prince retreats to solitude, only to be drawn into a complex web of family discord and uneasy alliances, observing with quiet sympathy the follies and passions of those around him. Among heated discussions and unexpected confessions, he contemplates the fragile interplay of honour, pride, and desperation that shapes the lives before him.

In which a tumultuous and unruly group led by Rogojin invades a genteel household, bringing with them a storm of accusations, drunken boasts, and tense confrontations that lay bare the frailties and passions of those assembled. Amidst this upheaval, the prince intervenes with quiet dignity, bearing witness to the unfolding drama with a sorrowful smile and an unspoken plea for dignity and restraint...

In which Nastasia Philipovna makes an unexpected and spirited entrance into Gania’s family home, unsettling the assembled guests with her vivacity and sharp wit, while the tensions and unspoken resentments among those present quietly simmer beneath the surface. The evening grows lively with the arrival of General Ivolgin, whose boisterous tales and peculiar demeanour only add to the curious mingli...

In which the prince arrives at the somewhat cramped and financially strained flat of Gania’s family, meeting its various inhabitants and intruding upon a household teetering between pride and practical hardship, where tensions quietly simmer beneath the surface. Amid introductions and uneasy conversations, the unexpected arrival of Nastasia Philipovna shatters the fragile calm and sets the stage f...

In which the prince, amidst a lively domestic scene marked by subtle tensions and secretive correspondences, navigates delicate social interactions involving a mysterious portrait and a letter of desperate entreaty; the interplay between frank observation, concealed motives, and simmering emotions reveals the complex fabric of relationships woven around him. There is a quiet yet profound scrutiny...

In which a humble and curious prince, newly arrived and foreign in manner, becomes the centre of a lively family’s scrutiny and kindness, his gentle oddities and past torments becoming the subject of thoughtful discourse and delicate teasing; his reflections on life, death, and moments of grace stir a mixture of scepticism and tender interest in his listeners, while the quiet dignity of his presen...

In which the prince recounts his years spent among village children, with a particular focus on a poor girl named Marie, whose tragic circumstances and gentle soul evoke both the scorn of the villagers and the affection of the children and himself. Through his candid storytelling and encounters, the prince reveals a tender connection to innocence and suffering, and reflects on his own nature and p...

In which the tranquil and orderly existence of the Epanchin family is delicately unsettled by the approaching prospect of a matrimonial alliance between the eldest daughter and the wealthy, yet complicated, Afanasy Ivanovitch Totski, whose shadowy past and enigmatic ward, Nastasia Philipovna, introduce a stirring element of uncertainty and intrigue. Against this backdrop, various characters naviga...

In which the young Prince Muishkin arrives in St Petersburg and, after an awkward yet sincere introduction to General Epanchin, finds himself tentatively welcomed into a genteel household, where conversations reveal tensions and intrigues concerning a certain beautiful woman of troubled reputation. The prince’s simple, unaffected manner and delicate health contrast markedly with the bustling ambit...

In which two young men of contrasting demeanours meet by chance on a mist-shrouded train bound for St. Petersburg, their disparate pasts gradually unfolding through a candid and occasionally mocking exchange with a knowing fellow traveller. The journey sets the stage for a curious intertwining of fortunes, marked by uneasy confidences and the faint stirrings of acquaintance amid the dreariness of...

In which the modest yet prosperous General Epanchin and his accomplished family are introduced with a delicate portrait of their social standing and dispositions, and Prince Muishkin arrives at their home bearing an air of quiet curiosity and sincere openness, intriguingly out of step with the formalities and suspicions of the household servants. Their ensuing conversation—ranging from whispered d...

In which a despondent Mr. Golyadkin, burdened by a sodden greatcoat and the gnawing loss of a letter, seeks refuge behind a woodstack in the yard of Olsufy Ivanovitch’s home, only to be invited into a crowded drawing-room amid curious and sympathetic eyes. There, surrounded by an assembly of acquaintances and his unsettling double, he is led reluctantly to face a grave reckoning, concluding a nigh...

In which Mr. Golyadkin, pursued by a scornful double who bears his likeness and better manners, struggles to confront him in a sequence of encounters marked by humiliation and strained civility. Amidst the murky Petersburg snow and the unsettling whispers of society, our hero receives a mysterious letter that stirs his deepest anxieties and propels him into a state of trembling disarray.

In which a gentleman of modest rank finds himself engaged in a perplexing and disquieting confrontation with a servant whose loyalties waver, leading him through a series of troubled reflections and an uneasy audience with a figure of authority. Amid the gloom of a wintry evening, our hero grapples with the shadows cast by rivalry and misunderstanding, while pondering how best to disentangle himse...

In which the pitiable Mr. Golyadkin endures a night of tormenting visions and humiliations, beset by the uncanny presence of his doppelgänger who swiftly supplants him in the esteem of society and the office. Awakening at last, he ventures forth to investigate the intrigues surrounding him, only to confront coldness and cunning deceit at every turn, culminating in a bitter encounter with his merci...

In which Mr. Golyadkin grapples with a troubling resemblance to another man who intrudes upon his life, intensifying his sense of confusion and distress in a world that seems increasingly hostile. Driven by a mixture of pride and despair, he navigates a series of vexing encounters and composes a letter that both asserts his dignity and seeks to untangle a bewildering misunderstanding.

In which a modest gentleman, Mr. Golyadkin, receives a shy and distressed visitor who shares not only his name but a tale of hardship and misfortune, leading to an evening of cautious camaraderie and tentative trust. Their interrupted companionship is quietly observed by a grumbling servant, while Mr. Golyadkin, caught between hope and unease, drinks deeply of punch and conviviality before surrend...

In which the bewildered Mr. Golyadkin awakes to find the visitor of the previous night vanished without a trace, and soon encounters a strange and unsettling doppelgänger whose insolent behaviour at the office leaves our hero utterly confounded and deeply humiliated. As he grapples with this mysterious rivalry and the cruel machinations of fate, the poor gentleman steels himself to face the shame...

In which Mr. Golyadkin awakens burdened by the haunting recollection of the tumultuous occurrences of the previous day, grappling with a disturbing sense of malice and confusion, and tries to maintain composure amid the bewildering presence of a new clerk who is his exact double. Observed with an air of polite detachment by his colleagues, he endures the uncanny situation with a fragile hopefulnes...

In which the troubled Mr. Golyadkin, pursued by a storm and his own despair through the desolate streets of Petersburg, encounters a mysterious stranger whose presence unnerves and confounds him beyond measure. Amid the relentless November weather and the cacophony of the city, this chance meeting draws Mr. Golyadkin into a bewildering and intimate confrontation with a figure indistinguishable fro...

In which a grand and resplendent birthday ball unfolds with an air of genteel society, where Mr. Golyadkin, a timid and out-of-place clerk, lingers hesitantly in the shadows before venturing awkwardly into the midst of the festivity. His uneasy presence, marked by stammering words and social missteps, swiftly draws the curious and ultimately leads to his ignominious removal, leaving him to flee in...

In which Mr. Golyadkin embarks upon a frenetic and somewhat bewildering pilgrimage through the bustling shops of Nevsky Prospect, displaying an air of urgent commerce and peculiarly heavy import. He then confronts social awkwardness and surprising rebuffs at a family dinner engagement, culminating in a solitary retreat to a modest restaurant where he wrestles with the tumult of his own thoughts.

In which the modest titular councillor Yakov Petrovitch Golyadkin awakens to a dreary Petersburg morning and prepares himself with great care and anticipation for a day that promises some semblance of dignity and order amidst his troubled existence. Amidst his fidgeting with currency and attire, he ventures into the city, only to be beset by the wary eyes of acquaintances and the unsettling demand...