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Title details for Poor People by Fyodor Dostoevsky - Available

Poor People

by Fyodor Dostoevsky
John Lescault
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available

Both a masterpiece of Russian populist writing and a parody of the entire genre, Poor People is an early example of Dostoevsky's genius.

Written as a series of letters, Poor People is the tragic tale of a petty clerk and his impossible love for a young girl. Longing to help her and her family, he sells everything he can, but his kindness leads him only into more desperate poverty, and ultimately into debauchery. As a typical "man of the underground," he serves as the embodiment of the belief that happiness can only be achieved with riches.

This work is remarkable for its vivid characterizations, especially of Dievushkin, the clerk, solely by means of his letters to the young girl and her answers to him.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    November 9, 2004

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781481549240
      • File size: 167328 KB
      • Duration: 05:48:35

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Text Difficulty: 11-12

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Dostoevsky's first published fictional work is a series of letters between a poor clerk, Makar Alexievitch Dievushkin, and a young girl, Barbara Alexievna Dobroselova, the object of his desires who lives nearby. As their correspondence progresses, Dievushkin literally sells everything to help Dobroselova, but their epistles lead to sadness. Patrick Cullen and Julia Emlen read the letters with deep emotion, exhibiting the love, frustration, and ultimate sorrow felt by the characters. Cullen's portrayal of Dievushkin's bouts of drunkenness, as well as his frantic efforts to save Dobroselova, are marvelous and intense. Unfortunately, the narrators' lack of Russian accents, and their consequent failure to provide the characters with a proper ethnicity, detracts from what would be considered masterful performances. D.J.S. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Text Difficulty:11-12

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