White Nights and Other Stories (original 1962; edition 1918)

This volume contains the following:
'White Nights'
'Notes from the Underground'
'A Faint Heart'
'A Christmas Tree and a Wedding'
'Polzunkov'
'A Little Hero'
'Mr. Prohartchin'

I found Notes from the Underground the most difficult and least interesting of these stories. White Nights, A Faint Heart, and A Little Hero were charming and the others were good. Overall I would recommend this as an introduction to Dostoyevsky. ( )

I saw a film "Two Lovers" with Gweneth Paltrow and heard that it was based on the Dostoevsky tale, White Nights. This seemed implausible to me, but upon reading the story, I'm convinced. Main character is a social misfit (Asperger's syndrome, before anyone had ever heard of it?) who can't communicate with anyone. Then, one night, he meets a girl The two exchange confidences for four nights. Our hero is madly in love with her; she awaits the return of the man she hopes will rescue her from her miserable life. Prince Charming doesn't show; our misfit declares his love for her; she seems to be amenable . . . and then Prince Charming does show. Off she goes, and back into his miserable life goes our hero.
Dostoevesky really does know the dark corners of the mind.
And the movie isn't bad either. ( )