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Cover of Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Notes from Underground

Записки из подполья

by Fyodor Dostoevsky

An isolated narrator argues with society, reason, himself, and every explanation he has just offered.

Published
1864
Setting
Russia
Shelf rating
4.8

About Fyodor Dostoevsky

Illustrated portrait of Fyodor Dostoevsky
Fyodor Dostoevsky

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The story, briefly

Spoiler-free

Fyodor Dostoevsky’s 1864 novella gives the floor to an anonymous former civil servant whose intelligence, bitterness, pride, and contradictions keep him apart from other people.

Why we recommend it

  1. Alienation argued aloud

    Dostoevsky’s narrator explains, revises, and attacks his own ideas while refusing the comforting stories other people accept.

What this book explores

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Paperback
Paperback

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Cover of The Stranger by Albert Camus

The Stranger

Albert Camus

A clerk in Algiers kills a man, then faces a court more interested in his behavior at his mother’s funeral.

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References

References

The sources below include the primary text, editions, scholarship, archival materials, and other records that informed this page. They document Notes from Underground, its publication, and its place in literary history.

  1. 1Notes from Underground — Open Library ISBN catalogue

    Official record
    Open Library, Internet Archive
    Used for

    Open Library ISBN catalogue used to verify the title, ISBN, and publication metadata.

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  2. 2Notes from Underground — Google Books catalogue

    Official record
    Google
    Used for

    Google Books catalogue record used to cross-check the title and edition metadata.

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  1. 3Notes from Underground — Internet Archive ISBN catalogue

    Official record
    Internet Archive
    Used for

    Internet Archive ISBN catalogue used to cross-check the edition and its availability in library holdings.

    View source
  2. 4Notes from Underground — Library of Congress books catalogue

    Official record
    Library of Congress
    Used for

    Library of Congress books catalogue used to cross-check the bibliographic record by ISBN.

    View source
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Why these sources are here

The primary text is the baseline reference for every book page. Additional references document publication history, interpretation, and historical context where that evidence is available.

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