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This is the first of the numerous works penned by the great Fyodor Dostoyevsky. He was 25 years old at its publication in 1846, and was himself in
financial straits at the time due to gambling and other irresponsible behavior. This book brought him success, and established him as a writer of worth.
The entire novel is written in the form of letters between a woman and an older man who live across from each other in the slums of Petersburg. Makar
Alexyvitch Devushkin is a government worker who works in an office as a copyist. Varvara Alexyevna Dobroselova is a seamstress. Both are living in
extreme poverty.
Though they sometimes see each other, we know very little about their visits, except what is written in their letters. We know they love each other
devotedly, perhaps he more than her, but we really don't know the nature of their love. Though the blurb on the back of the Dover edition says they want to
marry, I do not recall any implications of marriage in my reading. We also know they are related somehow.
At one point, Varvara Alexyevna shares her diary, so we know a little of her background, and how she came to be in this horrendous condition, but we
know less about Makar Alexyvitch. Gradually they unveil their lives through their correspondence—not so much about them, but who they are as people—their
fears, joys, sadness, frustrations, and their perceptions about life. It is from a standpoint of being held prisoner in poverty, and it is a bleak picture
they paint.
The fact that the entire book is written in letter form makes it very realistic.
But even more so, the fact that most of what they discuss are trivial matters and their reactions to every day life in the slum. They pour out their hearts
to each other and they scold. They rejoice in each others' victories, cry at each others' pain.
At first Makar Alexyvitch appears that he is not in need. He is constantly sending treats and small gifts to Varvara Alexyevna, for which she
reprimands him:
"Do you know I shall have to quarrel with you outright at last. I swear to you, dear Makar Alexyvitch, that it really hurts me to take your presents. I know what they cost you, how you deny yourself, and deprive yourself of what is necessary. How many times have I told you that I need nothing, absolutely nothing, that I shall never be able to repay you for the kindness you have showered upon me?"
But little by little, the depth of their poverty is revealed, and we learn that they have not been totally honest to each other about their desperate situations. Varvara Alexyevna is sickly, and goes through periods of convalescence when she cannot work. Makar Alexyvitch writes:
"Who told you I had grown thin? It is slander, slander again. I am well and hearty, and getting so fat that I am quite ashamed. I am well fed and well content: the only thing is for you to get well again."
Of course, this is not true. We eventually learn that he has nothing. He cannot pay his rent and his clothing is falling off his back. He begins to drink and gets into trouble. She does extra sewing and gives him money. She, at one point is offered a position as a governess, which would get her out of poverty and the slum, but he begs her not to accept. But in the end, an offer is made to her which she cannot refuse.
Dostoyevsky was known for his incredible gift for putting into words the anguish and suffering of the human experience, especially during this period in
Russia. Most of his works grew out of his own experience, and as his own
experiences became more disturbing, so did his writing. In Poor Folk, the characters are not only plagued with poverty, but
are ridiculed and abused by the people around them, and no wonder, because they see themselves as small and worthless. Dostoyevsky continued this theme of
self-searching and seeking self-worth, expanding it to agonizing over guilt and conscience and yearning for the divine. His obsession with delving to the
depths of the human psyche developed and matured throughout his whole writing career culminating with his final masterpiece, The Brothers Karamazov.
Unlike that last work, this one, though grueling and depressing, is quite easy to read and digest. I love Dostoyevsky's novels and am working
toward reading all of his major works. If you have not read him yet, this one is a good starter.
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