NOTES FROM UNDERGROUND AND THE DOUBLE

Two brilliant existential novels from one of the titans of Russian literature. Notes from Underground is the dystopian tale of the Underground Man, a retired civil servant living in St Petersburg, who criticises Western philosophy and contemporary society. Published in 1864, it is a short novel expressing philosophical arguments about individual freedom. The first part takes the form of a diary monologue attacking Western philosophical ideals, and the second part relates episodes from the narrator's earlier life. Dostoevsky raises complex questions about freewill, society and happiness and the prevailing philosophy of nihilism. The Double was published in 1846. It is a tale of two men who are a mirror image of each other in everything apart from their personal circumstances. After their first meeting, the protagonist Golyadkin Sr, finds his life gradually being stolen by his doppelgänger Golyadkin Jr. After their bitter snowy night encounter, they become friends, but Golyadkin gradually realises that, unlike himself, his double is socially successful, and he finds himself caught up in a psychological battle that can only end in tragedy. At the heart of both novels are ruminations on the need to establish one's true identity, and how society can distort the perception of who one truly is. 252pp, new full price paperback.