This Arcturus Classics edition presents two of Dostoevsky's shorter novels in one volume, Notes from the Underground and The Double.
Notes from the Underground is a dystopian tale of the Underground Man, a retired civil servant living in St Petersburg who retreats from society. This work is considered by many to be the first existentialist novel and influenced many classic works including Metamorphosis and Invisible Man.
The Double tells the story of Golyadkin who, on a bitter snowy night, encounters a stranger who looks exactly like him. They become friends, but then Golyadkin realises that unlike himself, his double is socially successful - likeable and charming - and thus the relationship starts to deteriorate. Golyadkin is caught up in a psychological battle that can only end in tragedy.
These two works draw on Dostoevsky's acute observation of Russian life; his thoughts on philosophy and social mores; and his reactions to the work of Nikolai Gogol. At the heart of both lies Dostoevsky's ruminations on the need to establish one's true identity and how society can distort the perception of who one truly is.