Notes from Underground

Synopsis

One of literature's most unforgettable antiheroes, the unnamed narrator of Notes from Underground has withdrawn from society to live in isolation, consumed by resentment, self-awareness, and contradiction. From the confines of his cramped apartment, he delivers a fierce, deeply personal monologue that challenges reason, progress, and the belief that human beings act in their own best interests. His bitter reflections are followed by the story of a series of humiliating encounters that expose the complexities of pride, loneliness, desire, and self-destruction.

Darkly comic, psychologically brilliant, and astonishingly modern, Notes from Underground is widely regarded as one of the first existential novels. Through its unforgettable narrator, Fyodor Dostoevsky explores free will, consciousness, and the irrational impulses that define human nature, creating a work that continues to resonate with readers more than a century after its publication.

About the Author

Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821–1881) was one of Russia's greatest novelists and one of the most influential writers in world literature. The author of Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, Demons, and The Brothers Karamazov, his works explore morality, psychology, faith, and the complexities of the human condition. This edition features the acclaimed translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, revised for the bicentenary of Dostoevsky's birth.

Publisher
Vintage Classics

Publication Date
September 14, 2021 (Second Edition)

Format
Paperback

Pages
160

Subjects
Classics · Literary Fiction · Russian Literature · Philosophy

ISBN
9780679734529