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'It's the very complexity of ideas that the notion of a Double throws up that makes this short novel so engaging and ultimately still so pertinent.' --Jeremy Dyson
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Book Description
IN A NEW TRANSLATION BY RICHARD PEVEAR and LARISSA VOLOKHONSKY
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Inside This Book
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Most of Dostoevsky's famous works were written after his spell in prison and mock execution had profoundly affected his world view. 'The Double' was written before all this, and is consequently very different from the other books of his I have read. It is the story of Golyadkin, a socially inept clerk who is encouraged by his physician to socialise more. No sooner has he received this advice than another Golyadkin appears on the scene, physically indistinguishable from the first, but much more confident. This second Golyadkin frustrates the ambitions of the first in love, at work and in society, precipitating a shocking end.
Although many of Dostoevsky's trade-marks are in evidence here, such as the feverish ant-hero and the criticism of Russian society, the hallucinatory style is unusual for him. Impossible events are described very matter-of-factly and the supernatural premise to the whole book is accepted by all the characters, giving the story a surreal feel. It is also comic in places, more obviously so than his later books (though I think that Dostoevsky is often more tongue-in-cheek than he is given credit for). 'The Double' could easily read as a horror story (albeit a largely psychological one). The whole thing reminded me of Gogol's short story 'The Nose', as much as anything. All this meant that it was very unlike anything else of his that I have read. It was still very good, but a bit strange for Dostoevsky. Definitely worth a read, but not one to judge the rest of his stuff by.
Although many of Dostoevsky's trade-marks are in evidence here, such as the feverish ant-hero and the criticism of Russian society, the hallucinatory style is unusual for him. Impossible events are described very matter-of-factly and the supernatural premise to the whole book is accepted by all the characters, giving the story a surreal feel. It is also comic in places, more obviously so than his later books (though I think that Dostoevsky is often more tongue-in-cheek than he is given credit for). 'The Double' could easily read as a horror story (albeit a largely psychological one). The whole thing reminded me of Gogol's short story 'The Nose', as much as anything. All this meant that it was very unlike anything else of his that I have read. It was still very good, but a bit strange for Dostoevsky. Definitely worth a read, but not one to judge the rest of his stuff by.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Double is a Kafkaesque novel, 70 years before Kafka. A dark, gripping psychological thriller, it tells the story of Goliadkin, whose life unravels when an identical-looking man starts to impersonate him. Short, surreal, economically written, mean-spirited and carrying a strong anti-establishment vibe, this is a far cry from the novels of Dostoevsky's golden period 20 years later. Despite this, it's surprising how much of the familiar Dostoevsky style is there in embryonic form: a grimy everyday setting; frantic, turbulent dialogue; high-strung characters; attention to psychological detail; a mischievous narrator; and a good helping of black humour. Though The Double is not clearly the work of the same author who (after a spell in Siberia) would go on to write a series of masterpieces, the clues are there.
As with all Dostoevsky's work, getting a good translation will transform your experience of the novel. I strongly recommend the brand new Pevear/Volokhonsky translation, contained in a single volume with The Gambler. By preserving the idiosyncracies of the author in fresh, modern English, these acclaimed translators make Russian literature as brilliant and rich as it should be.
As with all Dostoevsky's work, getting a good translation will transform your experience of the novel. I strongly recommend the brand new Pevear/Volokhonsky translation, contained in a single volume with The Gambler. By preserving the idiosyncracies of the author in fresh, modern English, these acclaimed translators make Russian literature as brilliant and rich as it should be.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
`The Double', Dostoevsky's second publication, was a vast improvement on his first short novel in letters `Poor Folk'. The latter had a poor intrigue, had no real characters (only types), was a would-be tearjerker and was pure expression of rather childish emotions without real impact on the reader.
`The Double' is already an excellent character study of a `double' personality: a (too) good, servile one and its counterpart, an evil, cynical parasite.
However, Dostoevsky's book is no challenge for Gogol's formidable masterpiece with the same theme `The Diary of a Madman'. His book is too long; the intervention of the protagonist's human environment seems to be too slow. The scenes are not incisive enough and not always convincing.
This book is not a good introduction to Dostoevsky's major works. His short novels, like `White Nights', `The Eternal Husband', `The Gambler', `Uncle's Dream', are real gems.
Only for Dostoevsky fans.
`The Double' is already an excellent character study of a `double' personality: a (too) good, servile one and its counterpart, an evil, cynical parasite.
However, Dostoevsky's book is no challenge for Gogol's formidable masterpiece with the same theme `The Diary of a Madman'. His book is too long; the intervention of the protagonist's human environment seems to be too slow. The scenes are not incisive enough and not always convincing.
This book is not a good introduction to Dostoevsky's major works. His short novels, like `White Nights', `The Eternal Husband', `The Gambler', `Uncle's Dream', are real gems.
Only for Dostoevsky fans.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Does what it says on the tin!
The Dover Thrift edition of The Double is a cheap way to discover Dostoyevsky. This is a low cost and low quality paperback - but that doesn't mean it is poor. Read more
Published on 26 April 2010 by AJ
Early Dostoevsky, Creepy and Disturbing
Early Dostoevsky perhaps not unlike early Shostakovich, more shocking, prankish, blackly comic without the same pity and spirituality of the later masterpieces. Read more
Published on 2 Feb 2010 by Philoctetes
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