Beginner question
Dostoevsky's short books: the best place to start small
Short answer: White Nights is the most recommended short Dostoevsky (112 pages in Penguin's Little Black Classics). Oxford's A Gentle Creature and Other Stories collects White Nights, A Gentle Creature and The Dream of a Ridiculous Man in one slim volume. Notes from Underground is short but more demanding.
Dostoevsky's short books, in order
White Nights
Fyodor Dostoevsky
The gentlest start, repeatedly recommended on r/dostoevsky.
112 pp≈3 h●○○ GentleEdition: Penguin Little Black Classics · ISBN 9780241252086
A Gentle Creature and Other Stories
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Oxford World's Classics: White Nights, A Gentle Creature and The Dream of a Ridiculous Man together.
132 pp≈3 h●○○ GentleEdition: Oxford University Press · ISBN 9780199555086
Notes from Underground
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Short but intense; Part 1 is the hard bit.
136 pp≈3 h●●○ SteadyRead this first: Part 1 is the hard, ranting monologue; Part 2 is story. Some readers start with Part 2.
Edition: Vintage Books · ISBN 9780679734529
Does translation matter for the short works?
Translation matters less for the short works than for the big novels editorial. Garnett's White Nights is free on Project Gutenberg; the Notes from Underground edition we link is Pevear & Volokhonsky (Vintage).
Where people get stuck
- Expecting White Nights to read like the big novels: it's a short, romantic story.
- Notes from Underground Part 1 is a hard monologue; Part 2 is story.
Frequently asked questions
What is Dostoevsky's shortest book?
Of the books we link, White Nights is the shortest stand-alone edition (112 pages). Short stories such as The Dream of a Ridiculous Man are shorter still.
Should I start with a short book or Crime and Punishment?
Both are common advice; short works let you test his style cheaply.