Notes from Underground, White Nights, The Dream of a Ridiculous Man, and Selections from The House of the Dead

242 Pages·1961·5.438 MB·English

by  Fyodor Dostoevsky, Andrew R. MacAndrew, Ben Marcus

PYoooDRo sTOYEVwSasK bYo rn
inM oscowo n Octobe3r0 ,1 821.
He wase ducatiendM oscowa nda tt heS chooolf M ilitary
EngineeirnsS t.P etersbuwrhge,r eh es penfto ury earsI.n
1844h e resihginsCe odm missiionnt hea rmyt od evothei mself
toli teratureIn. 1846h,e wrohtiesfi rsnto velP,o orF olki;t
wasa ni mmediactrei tiacnadlp opulasru ccesThsi.s wasf ol­
lowebdy s horts toriaensda novelT,h eD oubleW.h ilaet w ork
onN etochNkeaz vanovtah,et wenty-seven-yaeuatrh-oworal sd
arrestfeodrb elongitnoag y ounsgo cialigrsotu p.H e was tried
andc ondemnetdod eathb,u ta tt hel asmto menth iss entence
wasc ommutetdo p risoinnS iberiHae. s penfto uyr earisn t he
penasle ttlemaetnO tm sk;t henh ew asr eleasoendt hec ondi­
tiotnh ahte s ervien t hea rmy.W hilei nt hea rmyh ef eliln
love withm ararinedd M arieI saevIa.n1 859h ew asg ranted
fulalm nestayn dal lowedt or eturn toS t.P etersbuIrngt .h e
nexfte wy earhse wr oteh isfi rsftu ll-lennogvtehl sT:h eF riend
of theF amily( 1859a)n d The Insultaendd theI njured
(1862N)o.t efsr omU ndergrou(n1d8 64w)a si nm anyw ays
hism osti nfluential owfot rhki pse riocdo,n taintihnegw ell­
sprinogfsh ism aturpeh ilosophtyh:eh opeo fg ainisnagl vation
througdhe gradatainodns ufferingA.t thee ndo ft hilsi terary
periohdi,sw ifdei edP.l aguebdye pilepfsayc,e wdi tfihn ancial
ruinh,ew orkeadt s uperhumsapne etdo p roducTeh eG ambler,
dictatitnhgen ovelt o eighteen-yeaArn-noal Gdr igorievna
SnitkinTah.e m anuscriwpats d eliverteodh i sp ublishienr
timeD.u rintgh en exfto urteeyne arDso,s toyevwrskoyt eh is
greateswto rksC:r imea ndP unishmenTth,eI dioTth,e P os­
sesseadn,d T heB rotheKrasr amazovT.he lattbeoro kw as
publishae yde arb eforhei sd eatohn J anuar2y8 ,1 881.
DOSTOYEVSKY
The Dreaam
of
and
SELECTIONS FROM
� A SIGNET CLASSIC
NotjersoU 1nnd erground
WhiNtieg hts
RidicMualno us
ThHeo uosfte h Dee ad
A NEW TRANSLATIWOINT HA N AFTERWORD
BYA NDREWR .M ACANDREW
PUBLISHED BY
THE NEW AMERICAN LffiRAR Y, NEW YORK AND TORONTO
THE NEW ENGLISH LIBRARY LIMITED,L ONDON
CAREFULLYS ELECTED. EDITED. AND PRINTED.
SIGNET CLASSICS PROVIDEA TREASURY OF THE WORLD'S
GREAT WRmNGS INH ANDSOMELY DESIGNED VOLUMES.
COPYRI@G H1T9 61B Y
ANDREW MRA.cA NDREW
Alrli ghrtess erved
SixtPhr inting
BIQNET TRADEMARK REO. U.SP.A T. Oll'B'.A ND JI'OREION COONTBIBB
BlDQIBTERmD TBADIIMABK-MABOA BliOiISTBADA
BBOHO BN OBIOAQO, 0.8..&.
SIGNETC LASSICaSr ep ublishiendt heU nitSetda tes
byT heN ew AmericaLni brarIyn,c 1.3,0 1A venueo ft he
AmericaNse,w YorNke,w York1 0019i,n C anadbyaT he
New AmericaLni braroyf C anadaL imited2,9 5K ing
StreEeats tT,o ront2o, O ntarioi,n t heU nitKeidn gdom
by The New EnglisLhi brarLyi miteBdarn,ar d's Inn,
Ho1bornL,o ndonE,. C1., E ngland
PRINTIENTD H EU NITED SOTFAA MTEERSI CA
Contents
WhitNei ght7s
Selectiofnrso mT heH ousoeft hDee ad6 2
BaklushSktionry'6 s2
AkulkaH'uss ban6d9
Int hHeo spit8a1l
Notefsr oUmn dergro9u0n d
TheD reaomf Rai dciulous M2a0n4
Afterwor2d27
Selectelido gBhriyab 2p40

Mghts
lVhite
A TALE OF LOVE FROM THE REMINISCENCESO F A DREAMER
Coulhdeb eb orfnr otmh set art,
Ifo nlfyo ar fleetimnogm ent,
Tob es od eatroy ouhre art?
IVAN 'fuRGENEV
The FirNsitg ht
It wasa marvelounsi ght,t hes orto fn ighotn eo nly
experienwcheesn o nei sy oungT.h e skyw as so
brighta,n dt herwee res om anys tartsh atg,a zingu pward,
onec ouldnh'etl pw onderihnogw so manyw himsical,
wickepde oplceo ulldi vuen desru cha skyThis. too isa
questiotnh awto ulodn locyc urt oth e youngt,o t hev ery
youngb;u tm ay God makey ouw onderlik e thatas
ofteasn p ossible!
Now,m entioninwgh imsicaanlg,ry pe oplem akesm e
think how wellI behavetdh adta y.A stranagneg uish
hadt ormentemde since emaorrninlgy. I suddenhlayd
the impressithoant I hadb eenl efaltl a lonteh,a etv ery­
onew ass hrinkaiwnagy f romm e,a voidimneg.Y ou are,
ofc oursrei,g htto a skw ho tha"te veryonies"f, o ra l­
thoughI 'vliev edi nP etersbfuorrge ighyte arnso w,I
havenm'atn agetdo m akea singflrei enBdu.tw hatd oI
needf rienodras c quaintafnocrAe?ss iti sI,' ma cquainted
withal lo fP etersbAunrdg .t hatw'hsy I hadth e impres­
siono f beinagb andonebdy everyownhee nt hew hole
citryo saen dl effto rt hes ummerI. w asaf raitdo b el eft
7
8 WhitNei ghts
alonea,n df ort hredea ysI roamedde jectetdhlryo ugh
thec ituyn,a blteou nderstwahnadtw ash appenitnomg e .
WhetheIr w entt oN evskAyv enuet,ot hep arko,r w an­
dereadl ontgh ee mbankmenIt sn,e vecra mea crostsh e
peoplIe w asa ccustomteomd e eti nc ertasipno tast c er­
taihno uralsl yearr oundT.h eyo,f c oursdei,d nk'nto w
me;b utI knewt hemal,l r ighIt k.n ewt hemi ntimately,
andh avinsgt uditehde ifra cesI, r ejoicweidt ht hem
whent heyw erec heerfaunld g rievweidt ht hemw hen
theyw ered owncasIt a.l mosbte camfer ienwdist ha lit­
tleo ldm an whomI mete verdya ya ta certaitni meo n
theF ontanEkmab ankmenHti.sf acwea sso dignified and
thoughtfhuelc ;a rriae kdn ottwya lkicnag new itah gold
topi nh isr ighhta nds,w iginng hisl efatrm , andw as
constantly mumsbolmientgh iinnga udibHlee e.v enn o­
ticemde and tooka keeni ntereisnt m y existence.
I'ms ureh e must'vbee enq uituep sewth enI didn ot
appeaart a givenh ouro nt hee mbankmenTth.a t'wsh y
sometimwees almost exchangegdr eentgis,e specially
whenw e bothha ppenteodb ei na goodm oodR.e cently,
twod aysw entb yw ithoouutr s eeienagc ho thearn,d o n
thet hirdda yo,u rh andasl mossth outp too urh atsb,u t
thanGko d,w e camet oo urs ensedsr,o ppeodu rh ands,
and passebdyw itmhu tuasly mpathy.
I'ma cquainwtietdhh o usetso oA.s I walku pa street,
eachh ouse seteohm asv ed arteda heaadn dt ob ew aiting
form e,l ookiantgm e outo fa lli tsw indowsa,l most
sayin"gH:e llHoo!w arey oug ettionng?I 'mfi nem yself.
Andy ouk noww hatT?h ey'groei ntgo a dda nothsetro ry
to me inM ay!"O r: "How arey ou?W ellm,e ,I 'll
havet o undergsoo mer epaitrosm orrowO.r": "You
know,I almosbtu rnedd ownl asnti ghtI.tg avem e
sucha frighAtn!d" othetrh ingosf t hats ort.A mong
houseIs h,a vem y favoriStoemse.a rei ntimaftrei ends.
Oneh add ecidteodu ndergao c oursoeft reatment with
an architdeucrti ntgh es ummerI.' lmla kea poinotf
visithiinmge verdya y,i nc aset het reatmetnutrn so ut
tob ef ataGlo,d f orbiId'!ln le vefro rgwehta th appenteod
one very pretty, roshyo uslieAt.lt tlheo ughhe was
rathehra ughtdiilsyt awnitt h his cnleuimgshyb otrhsa,t
WhitNei ghts 9
littslteo nheo useu sedt ol ooka tm e so niceltyh aIt
alwayfse lgtl adas I passebdy .B utl aswte eka,s I was
walkinagl ontgh ats treemty, f rienldo okeadt m e de­
jectedalnydI, heard phliasi ntcirvye: "They're painting
me yellowAh!," thec riminalTsh!e barbariaTnhse!y
sparendo thinnge;i thtehre c olumnnso rt hec ornices,
andm y frienbedc amey elloaws a canarIy n.e arlhya d
an attacokf j aundimcyes elafn,d I stihlla venb'ete n
ablet o go backa nd visimty poord isfigurferdi end
paintiendt hec oloorf t heC elestEimapli re.
So yous eet,h atw'hsa tI meantb y beinagc quainted
witalhl P etersburg.
As I saidI,' db eenu neasfyo rt hredea ysa ndn ow
I'dd iscovewrheyd.Thi ngs didnf'ete rli ghitnt hes treet
-thiso new asm issintgh,ao tn ew asm issinagn,dw here
one arthw ass uch-and-sAuncdh a?th ome,t ooI, w asn't
quitmey selFfo.r t wow holee veningIs' dt riedt od e­
terminweh atI wasm issiinngm y comerw,h yI wass oil l
ate aset herPeu.zz ledI, k epte xaminimnyg gr eenw alls
witht heibrl acsko ots taintsh,e c eilicnogv erewdi th
cobwebtsh atM atryoncau ltivawtietshs uche minent
succesIs e.x amineedv erpyi ecoef f urnituree,v ery sin­
glec hairt,o s eew hethetrh et roubwlaes n'hti ddejnu st
therFeo.r I knowt haIt canb e badluyp seift a chair
isn oti ne xacttlhyes ame placaes i tw ast hed ayb efore.
I alsol ookeadt t hew indowB.u ta lli nv ainI. e ven
decidetdo caliln Matryonaa ndgi ve hera fatherly
scoldianbgo utth ec obwebasn da bouth ers lovenliness
ing eneraBlu.t s heo nly lookeadt m e,s urprisaendd,
lefwti thouatn swerian gw ord;t hec obwebrse mained
unmolested.
Itw aso nltyhi sm orningt haIt r ealizwehd atw ash ap­
peningW.h y,t heyw ered esertmien gf ort heisru mmer
placeIs m.u sta pologizef ort hitsri vialw ayo fp utting
itb,u tI can'bet botherweidt hs tyljeu snto w,b ecause
everyoniese ithelre avingP etersbuorrg h asa lready
lefitt ;b ecauseev eryr espectable-lmaono khianigl ing
a cabi nt hes treiestt herebbye,f ormey verye yes,
turning himselifn toa venerabplaet efra milwihaos,,
havintga kecna reo fh isu suadlu ties, dejpuasratst s,