Notes from Underground (Norton Critical Editions) (Paperback)

It is only "Notes" (it runs to only 130 pages), and it is very short on Dostoevsky's skilfully crafted dialogue, but nonetheless this novel makes an excellent introduction to Dostoevsky.

You may have noticed that there are different editions of this book. Prices range from 79p to £8. You're probably thinking "why on Earth should I buy the £8 copy?"

The reason is that Pevear and Volokhonsky's translation is the only translation that counts. They are the only translators who succeed in making Dostoevsky accessible to a 21st century audience, thanks to their ruthless attention to detail at the expense of alterations which can dilute Dostoevsky's unique and flowing style of writing. No 19th century author I have ever come across writes more intelligently or conveys ideas more clearly. The great appeal this book retains even today is in part due to Pevear and Volokhonsky, as well as to Dostoevsky himself.

Furthermore, Richard Pevear's substantial introduction is essential reading. It explains the purpose of the book and the historical significance of its ideas. Dostoevsky was writing at a time when Russia had reason to be optimistic, but the warning signs in his fiction perhaps leave us clues as to why Russia still has social problems today - and why, less than 40 years after Dostoevsky's death, Russia embraced Communism and destroyed the society in which Dostoevsky had lived.

The book is presented in two parts. Part one ‘Underground’ is written in the form of the nameless narrator’s rambling thoughts on reason and his claim that throughout history, human actions have been anything but influenced by reason. Underground Man’s charge is that man values most the freedom to choose to act in opposition to reason’s dictates. Dostoyevsky’s critique of reason then, although it demands attention and is somewhat difficult to follow, sets the philosophical foundations for the rest of the book.

Part two ‘A Propos of the Wet Snow’ is much easier to read, as the narrator recounts three episodes which happened when he was fifteen years younger and working as a civil servant in St. Petersburg. The first considers an incident in which an army officer insults him and goes on to detail Underground Man’s subsequent internal anguish at his inability to commit an act of retribution. The second episode takes place at a farewell dinner for an acquaintance named Zverkov. The narrator is utterly disgusted with the company in which he finds himself but despite this, he is unable – even though he desires it - to make them realise this. The third episode details Underground Man’s brief, painful and emotional relationship with a prostitute.

Dostoyevsky is refreshing in this book thanks not only to his incredibly powerful prose, but also for the intense but subtle way in which the stories reflect and indeed embody his philosophical theories. This dark and pessimistic portrayal of the nature of man may not sit very comfortably with many readers, however the ideas expressed in ‘Notes From The Underground’ are as relevant and worthy of deliberation now as I am sure they were in 1864.