Fyodor Dostoevsky's Poor Folk/Бедные люди in English and Russian

The novel "Poor Folk" (sometimes translated as Poor People) by Dostoevsky, written in 1845, marked the budding writer's first significant success. After receiving feedback on the initial edition, Fyodor Mikhailovich revised the work three times. It takes the form of an epistolary novel, comprising letters exchanged between the main characters.

Makar, a solitary man, has never experienced married life or parenthood. He cares for his distant relative Varenka, who has been left destitute following her mother's death. Makar sacrifices much to ensure Varenka's comfort, sparing no expense to provide her with a decent living space, flowers, and sweets. Despite their closeness, they communicate solely through letters to avoid scandal. In his letters, Makar conceals his dire financial situation from Varenka, their relationship ultimately unravelling as the truth is revealed.

Dostoevsky delves into the theme of the "common man" in literature, depicting the emotions and struggles of ordinary, impoverished individuals capable of love, sacrifice, and deceit in the name of pure affection.

This edition boasts a bilingual English/Russian format, and we believe that reading bilingual books (parallel texts) and being allowed to infer and easily compare both vocabulary and grammar is a far superior method of language learning compared to traditional memorisation.

It also happens to be much less painful.

So set your hesitations aside! Be it linguistic passion or love for timeless classics that drives you, this edition promises to not disappoint!