#fyodordostoevsky #epistolarynovel #fiction #bookrecommendation #bookreview #russianliterature #bookreaders #poor
Name: Poor Folk
Author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
Genre: Epistolary Novel / Fiction
Length: 228
Performance: 5/5
As the title says, the book is about poor people and their sufferings at the hands of poverty. The story unfolds in multiple letters written by two lovers who also happen to be remote cousins and the main protagonists of the book. Theme of the story revolves around poverty, relationship with rich people, misery, helplessness, deprivation and nostalgia of old times.
Makar Devushkin, an elderly man works as a copyist in civil services at a very low rank. In a dreary lodge, he shares a part of the kitchen which is further partitioned for other occupants. Living amongst poor people of his kind the only joy in his life are the letters which he writes to and receives from his lady love, Varvara Dobroselova.
Varavara, a young and well read maiden works as a seamstress who lives in a pitiful condition suffering from poor health. The letters have mostly nothing good to share but the daily events. Exchange of letters elaborates incidents about news of death due to extreme poverty, of low confidence at workplace, awkward encounters with affluents, severity of times, changing behaviours of people around and of enduring false accusations.
The end is excruciatingly painful but an obvious one where poverty chooses affluence for survival and a better future. In my opinion, Fyodor has masterfully captured the basic human instincts without exaggerating an ounce. Writing style and diction both are simple and the book is a comfortable read. It is my first ever experience of reading Fyodor and I thoroughly relished it. The book is an evocative, moving and a marvel of Russian literature.
Some of my favourite lines:
“One is naturally timid, when one’s elbows are seeing daylig
The World for me! 