Saturday, March 8, 2008

more dostoevsky short stories

I finished this collection a couple weeks back, and I can't say there is too much to recommend about it. Dostoevsky, of course, is a good storyteller, but I think it's better to approach his longer novels than getting bogged down in the many, many short stories he wrote. Many of these are well done, but not earth shattering. Some of these stories I had already read in the Great Short Works book, but did not realize this because the titles were translated differently.

The themes in these stories are familiar to readers of Dostoevsky, and I don't have much to add. They're enjoyable for those that know what they're getting into, but are not essential reading by any stretch, and I don't think the short story is the format that he is best in--he needs at least a little space to work.

No comments: