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Fyodor Dostoyevsky
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Netochka Nezvanova (Penguin Classics) Paperback – January 7, 1986

by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Author), Jane Kentish (Translator, Introduction)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 69 ratings
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Netochka Nezvanova - a 'Nameless Nobody' - tells the story of a childhood dominated by her stepfather, Efimov, a failed musician who believes he is a neglected genius. The young girl is strangely drawn to this drunken ruin of a man, who exploits her and drives the family to poverty. But when she is rescued by an aristocratic family, the abuse against Netochka's delicate psyche continues in a more subtle way, condemning her to remain an outsider - a solitary spectator of a glittering society. Conceived as part of a novel on a grand scale, Netochka Nezvanova remained incomplete after Dostoyevsky was exiled to Siberia for 'revolutionary activities' in 1849. With its depiction of the suffering, loneliness, madness and sin that affect both rich and poor in St Petersburg, it contains the great themes that were to dominate his later novels.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    176 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin Classics
  4. Publication date
    January 7, 1986
  5. Grade level
    12 and up
  6. Reading age
    18 years and up
  7. Dimensions
    7.71 x 5.02 x 0.42 inches
  8. ISBN-10
    0140444556
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0140444551
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky Russian novelist, journalist, short-story writer whose psychological penetration into the human soul had a profound influence on the 20th century novel. Among his most famous works, Notes from Underground, Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1868-69), and The Possessed (1872). An epileptic all his life, Dostoevsky died in St. Petersburg on February 9 (New Style), 1881.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Classics; First Edition (January 7, 1986)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140444556
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140444551
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 12 and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.71 x 5.02 x 0.42 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 69 ratings

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Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

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Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky (/ˌdɒstəˈjɛfski, ˌdʌs-/; Russian: Фёдор Миха́йлович Достое́вский; IPA: [ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪtɕ dəstɐˈjɛfskʲɪj]; 11 November 1821 – 9 February 1881), sometimes transliterated Dostoevsky, was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist, journalist and philosopher. Dostoyevsky's literary works explore human psychology in the troubled political, social, and spiritual atmosphere of 19th-century Russia. Many of his works are marked by a preoccupation with Christianity, explored through the prism of the individual confronted with life's hardships and beauty.

He began writing in his 20s, and his first novel, Poor Folk, was published in 1846 when he was 25. His major works include Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1869), Demons (1872) and The Brothers Karamazov (1880). His output consists of 11 novels, three novellas, 17 short novels and numerous other works. Many literary critics rate him as one of the greatest psychologists in world literature. His 1864 novella Notes from Underground is considered to be one of the first works of existentialist literature.

Born in Moscow in 1821, Dostoyevsky was introduced to literature at an early age through fairy tales and legends, and through books by Russian and foreign authors. His mother died in 1837, when he was 15, and around the same time he left school to enter the Nikolayev Military Engineering Institute. After graduating, he worked as an engineer and briefly enjoyed a lavish lifestyle, translating books to earn extra money. In the mid-1840s he wrote his first novel, Poor Folk, which gained him entry into St. Petersburg's literary circles.

In the following years, Dostoyevsky worked as a journalist, publishing and editing several magazines of his own and later A Writer's Diary, a collection of his writings. He began to travel around western Europe and developed a gambling addiction, which led to financial hardship. For a time, he had to beg for money, but he eventually became one of the most widely read and highly regarded Russian writers. His books have been translated into more than 170 languages. Dostoyevsky influenced a multitude of writers and philosophers, from Anton Chekhov and Ernest Hemingway to Friedrich Nietzsche and Jean-Paul Sartre.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
69 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Soraya Beheshti
5.0 out of 5 stars Dostoevsky never ceases to amaze, and this book is no exception
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2015
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Dostoevsky never ceases to amaze, and this book is no exception. No words with how in awe I am of this story. It is one of the best books I've ever read and it's tragic that he never finished it
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Rick Carter
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2014
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A good introduction to how Dostoevsky creates his characters.
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MimeNarrator
4.0 out of 5 stars In defense of the third part
Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2011
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I am not in the habit of writing reviews, but I feel compelled to respond to the many negative comments regarding the third part of the story, which I regard as the best.

There is perhaps some merit to the claim that the last section lacks some of the polish and relative coherence of the rest of the book, but I don't regard this as a real deficiency. These very features help the reader experience some of the same doubt, uncertainty, and ungroundedness that is experienced and depicted by the narrator Netochka. This makes the final section feel especially vivid and alive.

The personalities of three main characters of the third section are all artfully depicted. The depiction of the husband is especially masterful. The letter is also brilliant, and seems to hint at times of the style, if not the substance, of Notes from Underground. Generally, this section seems to presage Dostoevsky's later masterworks more than the rest of the book. I wish he had been able to finish the novel, but the brilliant fragments to be found in this text make it well worth reading.
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Don Quixote
5.0 out of 5 stars Proof That Some Unfinished Novels Are Worth Reading
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2018
I rarely read "unfinished" novels. If I remember correctly, I've made only two exceptions so far: Hemingway's _The Garden of Eden_, and now Dostoevsky's _Netochka Nezvanova_. The first one, though amazing, presents several problems, among which are the extensive editing the text was subjected to (to the point that one must question whether the novel should be considered a Hemingway text at all) and the fact that the story is obviously truncated. _Netochka Nezvanova_ does not present these problems. As a matter of fact, it does not seem to present any problems at all. Had the publisher not stated in the back cover that this novel was unfinished, I may not have become aware of the fact. Dostoevsky's first novelistic project, _Netochka Nezvanova_ proved too ambitious an undertaking, especially after life got complicated for the author, but as it is, it remains a tour de force, one that is best appreciated when read as a novella.

Published in 1849, the text we know as _Netochka Nezvanova_ was supposed to be, as translator Jane Kentish points out, only the opening section of a long biographical novel. As the title--the equivalent of "Nameless Nobody"--indicates, this is the story of an ordinary girl, though if anything can be learned from Dostoevsky, it is that even the most ordinary people may be extraordinary in their own way. Netochka's story of her childhood up to her sixteenth year is divided into seven chapters and narrated by herself. Almost every chapter revolves around a key, life-altering event. The first one is a portrait of Netochka's stepfather, a self-pitying loser who married the girl's mother because she had a little money. The man is a failed musician whose drinking habit hinders him from developing his talent and causes him to mistreat his wife and his stepdaughter. In spite of this, and inexplicably to herself, Netochka sides with him and even has what she describes as "motherly" feelings for him. Netochka's parents are soon out of the picture, and she goes to live with Prince X and his family, where she is taught how to be a lady. A turning point occurs in her life when she meets Katya, the little princess, with whom the protagonist will have a complex and transformative relationship. In the final chapters, Netochka is living with Alexandra Mikhailovna (Katya's sister) and her husband Pyotr, and learns much from their troubled marriage.

_Netochka Nezvanova_ has been described as a bildungsroman. I agree with this view. Dostoevsky shows us the gradual awakening of a girl, her development from a child into a young woman, and while the text may be only a prologue, the final pages make clear that Netochka has found her own voice and has established her moral code. In terms of narrative genre, as I indicated above, _Netochka Nezvanova_ is at its best when evaluated as a novella. In this light, the text may not even be an unfinished novel, but a perfect, well-rounded novella, and this is part of the reason why I have given it five stars. The novella doesn't focus on plot, but on a situation that is reexamined, and this is certainly the way this text works. It is an episodic account of childhood, comparable to Tolstoy's and Gorky's autobiographical novels exploring this stage of life.

Even in this early story, Dostoevsky exhibits great psychological insight, especially in Freudian terms. I will cite two examples to illustrate what I mean. In chapter 2, Netochka realizes that her father needs her, and that, as a result, she can dominate him. "I was inwardly proud of this," she observes, "I gloried in it and, realizing how necessary I was to him, I even played with him at times. I admit that this strange devotion developed into quite a romance..." (48). The relationship between Netochka and Katya, for its part, is clearly more than a girl crush. "To be brief," Netochka says, "and forgive me for what I am now about to say, I was in love with Katya. Yes, it was love, real love with all its ups and downs, real passionate love" (94). To this we must add Netochka's feelings for her mother, whom her stepfather sees as an obstacle on his road to success. _Netochka Nezvanova_ would have been quite a field trip for Sigmund, but he focused on _The Brothers Karamazov_ instead, and reluctantly at that (it seems that his article was commissioned, and written without much enthusiasm).

This early Dostoevsky piece held my attention throughout. It is proof that some unfinished novels should be read. In this case, the reading experience is about more than just a plot. Knowing that the *story* is unfinished, the reader can focus on style, themes, character development, setting, social commentary, etc. _Netochka Nezvanova_ may be judged as a unit, not just as a component. It is quite possible, in fact, that the story may have lost some of its power if it had been completed. As all Dostoevsky fans know (though only some will admit), most of the author's texts demand patience and perseverance. _Netochka Nezvanova_, on the other hand, is a page-turner, and while it would be ridiculous to suggest that it reaches the heights of _Crime and Punishment_ or _The Brothers Karamazov_, it does constitute an enjoyable and thought-provoking reading experience. The sheer delight I experienced as I read is another reason why _Netochka Nezvanova_ receives five stars. Some may argue that one cannot give this book the same rating that Dostoevsky's masterpieces deserve. The "five elephants" (see my review of _Demons_ for more on this) are groundbreaking, unforgettable, immortal works of literature; there is no doubt about that. I believe, however, that a book does not need to be a literary atom bomb in order to be excellent. _Netochka Nezvanova_ explores the human condition and is a delight to read; that is enough for me.

My next book by Dostoevsky will be another one of his overlooked pieces: his first complete novel, _The Village of Stepanchikovo_.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the book!
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Catherine M. Dorkin
5.0 out of 5 stars Young and Healthy
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2002
To think a book that was to be the first long novel of Dostoyevsky turned out to be unfinished baffles me! I found this book compelling, well though and a dominate novel of Dostoyevsky's library.
The young girl, improvished and amnesiac of anything that happened to her before she was nine was fasinating. Her life, in one word was horrible. Her father, a semi-talented violinist realizes he is not as good as he thinks he is upon hearing a virtuoso of the art. A 'master' of his instrument, no one understood him and feels completely tortured. Eventually, though fits of rage that lasted through his entire life, he dies. Netochka mother kills herself, thus, leaving her orphaned. A prince takes her, and a life that was once imaginary for her, has now come to life.
The pure genius and dedication Dostoyevsky puts into this work proves his unfailing love for writing. Nechocka, the protagonist, is a lonely spectator of life but this book is far from it. This novel, will leave the heart and mind well satiate.
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Top reviews from other countries

paul lingas
5.0 out of 5 stars An inspirational early works by the great Dostoievsky
Reviewed in Canada on November 10, 2021
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A very enjoyable book
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kumar
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in India on April 9, 2015
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Great work but alas unfinished
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colin kerr
4.0 out of 5 stars His first unfinished novel. Not bad.
Reviewed in Canada on March 31, 2022
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You can't know D. without knowing his origin.
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Luc REYNAERT
4.0 out of 5 stars The difficulty to be and to survive as an artist
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 18, 2010
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After the death of her first husband, Netochka's mother marries a pathologic, alcoholic violist. When his wife dies, he neglects his stepdaughter, who is subsequently adopted by a noble family. She immediately feels the stings of a class society (`I was beneath you') and is all the time searching for a replacement of her dead mother. The marriage of her new parents is also not a happy one.

Art
Besides the excellent picture of the psychology of a child, the main interest of this unfinished novel is Dostoyevsky's vision on art: `if (thirst for fame) becomes the main source of an artist's activity then he ceases to be an artist, for he has lost the artist's chief instinct, which must be to love art simply because it is art, and not for its rewards.'
Like D.H. Lawrence (`the novel is the book of life. It can help us to live.'), F. Dostoyevsky's protagonist feels that `I was destined to live through that future by getting to know it first in books.'

This novel is written rather clumsily (`I shall now relate', `this is what happened') and can be overtly sentimental (`insufferable sadness').
It is not a good introduction to Dostoyevsky's work; better are some of his short stories (White Nights, The Eternal Husband, Uncle's Dream, The Gambler).
But, it is a must read for all Dostoyevsky fans.
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