Fyodor Dostoevsky

The gambler

Poor folk

"And the young man covered his face with his hand; and many a time afterwards, in the course of his life, shuddered at seeing how much inhumanity there is in man, how much savage coarseness is concealed beneath delicate, refined worldliness, and even, O God! in that man whom the world acknowledges as honourable and noble."
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What a shame that I have never read anything by Gogol until now, let alone this gem of a story, for it was so enjoyable. Russian literature has so far always proven to be a very satisfying, enjoyable reading experience for me, and this one was no exception.

A story about a man obsessively living for his work and getting by on meagre earnings that one day needs to splurge what he can on a new cape to brave the cold winter mornings, The Overcoat is a fantastic read for sure that has similarities to Kafka at certain points. The story is packed with understated humor, shifting to a low scale tragedy to a gothic supernatural tale, all unexpected and enjoyable to the last.

Recommended to those looking for a short, but enjoyable read in the Russian literature territory.

shoug

هل يجب التضحية بحياة روح مسكينة حتى يتنبه المرء لأن يكون أكثر لطفاً ؟

“Poor Folk” is the first novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky, written between 1844 and 1845. Presented in the form of letters exchanged between the two main characters, the novel paints a picture of the life of poor people, exploring poverty in general as well as the relationship with the rich. He wrote the book to raise funds during a time of financial hardship, which resulted from an extravagant lifestyle and addiction to gambling. Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (1821 – 1881) was a Russian novelist, essayist, short story writer, journalist, and philosopher. His literature examines human psychology during the turbulent social, spiritual and political atmosphere of 19th-century Russia, and he is considered one of the greatest psychologists in world literature. A prolific writer, Dostoevsky produced 11 novels, three novellas, 17 short stories and numerous other works. This volume is not to be missed by fans of Russian literature and collectors of Dostoevsky's seminal work. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. We are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new biography of the author.

Poor Folk

eliz

dnf at 70%

least work from him. I'm not even mad at it I just accepted that his earlier works are not ✨ dostoevsky ✨ yet and it shows and it's ok kkk

shorouq ali

Caroline Mao

3.75 stars. Rounded down because while it's objectively a good story and I was into it, it just didn't have that spark for me.

That ending, though. The other ghost. Like, damn. I mostly read this for quiz bowl and already knew the story's basic plot, but I didn't see that part coming.

Also, Gogol's writing style reminded me a lot of Lemony Snicket's, if Snicket was more Russian. Humorous, cynical, a bit ironic. I liked it.

Shelby Doherty

** spoiler alert **
           Likes:
- Quite easy to read, especially given the time and place that it was written

Dislikes:
-

Poor folk The gambler

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