Publisher's Synopsis
The book consists of 2 parts. The first part contains F. Dostoyevsky's story "The meek", the second part is devoted to the stories by V. Veresaev. F. Dostoyevsky is a world-famous writer. His masterpieces, such as "Crime and punishment", "Brothers Karamasovs", "The Idiot" are well known to the readers all over the world. They have been filmed and translated into many languages. "The meek" is less readable and known to the vast public. It is a sample of a psychologically-fantastic story, dealing with the mental self-criticism of the hero, the inner state of his soul, the style, so typical of Dostoyevsky's writing manner. The hero tries to understand and realize the motif of his wife's suicide. He blames himself, either addressing the imaginary judges, or speaking to himself. Being under the emotional stress, he often interrupts oneself, his speech is sometimes incoherent and seemingly senseless. Choosing the story for the translation, the authors hope that it will add to the English readers' better acquaintance with Dostoyevsky's list of stories writing style. The stories by V. Veresaev, presented in the collection, illustrate the author's style, his outlook, love of art, penetration into the inner world of his heroes, their family relations, moral values, dark and light sides of human nature. The stories "The Princess" and "Revenge" describe the fate of a woman in the unhappy marriage, her longing for real love. "The Bet" was written in the period of the writer's belief in Marxism and revolutionary ideals. In "The Web" V. Veresaev touches upon the subtle spiritual experiences, love and family relations. Especially touching is the story "The Birthday", in which the poor orphan boy found warmth and sympathy in his new children's family. Descriptions of nature in the stories charm the reader with the keen penetration into its spiritual beauty. "The Web" was written during the writer's travel in Italy. The charm of Adriatica and masterpieces of Italian art impress the reader. We chose for translation the stories, less known for the broad public.