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Fyodor Dostoyevsky
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The Dream Of A Ridiculous Man Paperback – June 17, 2004

by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 368 ratings
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The Dream of a Ridiculous Man is a short story written by Fyodor Dostoevsky. The story follows the journey of a man who has become disillusioned with life and decides to take his own life. However, he has a dream in which he is transported to another world where he meets a group of people who are pure and innocent.The man is horrified by the contrast between this world and the one he left behind, and he realizes that he has been living his life in a selfish and meaningless way. He is overcome with a sense of regret and remorse and decides to dedicate his life to helping others.The Dream of a Ridiculous Man is a powerful exploration of the human psyche and the search for meaning in life. It is a deeply philosophical work that delves into the nature of existence and the human condition. Dostoevsky's writing is both poetic and profound, and the story is a testament to his skill as a writer and his understanding of the human soul.I have mentioned that I dropped asleep unawares and even seemed to be still reflecting on the same subjects. I suddenly dreamt that I picked up the revolver and aimed it straight at my heart - my heart, and not my head; and I had determined beforehand to fire at my head, at my right temple. After aiming at my chest I waited a second or two, and suddenly my candle, my table, and the wall in front of me began moving and heaving. I made haste to pull the trigger.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
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  1. Print length
    48 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Kessinger Publishing
  4. Publication date
    June 17, 2004
  5. Dimensions
    7.5 x 0.12 x 9.14 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1419160222
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1419160226
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kessinger Publishing (June 17, 2004)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 48 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1419160222
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1419160226
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 0.12 x 9.14 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 368 ratings

About the author

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Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

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Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky (/ˌdɒstəˈjɛfski, ˌdʌs-/; Russian: Фёдор Миха́йлович Достое́вский; IPA: [ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪtɕ dəstɐˈjɛfskʲɪj]; 11 November 1821 – 9 February 1881), sometimes transliterated Dostoevsky, was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist, journalist and philosopher. Dostoyevsky's literary works explore human psychology in the troubled political, social, and spiritual atmosphere of 19th-century Russia. Many of his works are marked by a preoccupation with Christianity, explored through the prism of the individual confronted with life's hardships and beauty.

He began writing in his 20s, and his first novel, Poor Folk, was published in 1846 when he was 25. His major works include Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1869), Demons (1872) and The Brothers Karamazov (1880). His output consists of 11 novels, three novellas, 17 short novels and numerous other works. Many literary critics rate him as one of the greatest psychologists in world literature. His 1864 novella Notes from Underground is considered to be one of the first works of existentialist literature.

Born in Moscow in 1821, Dostoyevsky was introduced to literature at an early age through fairy tales and legends, and through books by Russian and foreign authors. His mother died in 1837, when he was 15, and around the same time he left school to enter the Nikolayev Military Engineering Institute. After graduating, he worked as an engineer and briefly enjoyed a lavish lifestyle, translating books to earn extra money. In the mid-1840s he wrote his first novel, Poor Folk, which gained him entry into St. Petersburg's literary circles.

In the following years, Dostoyevsky worked as a journalist, publishing and editing several magazines of his own and later A Writer's Diary, a collection of his writings. He began to travel around western Europe and developed a gambling addiction, which led to financial hardship. For a time, he had to beg for money, but he eventually became one of the most widely read and highly regarded Russian writers. His books have been translated into more than 170 languages. Dostoyevsky influenced a multitude of writers and philosophers, from Anton Chekhov and Ernest Hemingway to Friedrich Nietzsche and Jean-Paul Sartre.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
368 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

guadaguy
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2022
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This is such a remarkable and beautiful telling of earth, a true paradise of before and what's become of it......
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A. Ives
5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Story w/ Implications Only Exceeded in Magnitude By Humor
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2010
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Let's just say that Dostoyevsky is always getting at the big picture, whatever subtleties he might employ. Here, it could only be possible to dismiss the scale of this story as 'minor' as critics often will if the fictional events are seen as too fantastic and exaggerated, or, if you will, ridiculous. And of course it is precisely this condition of being ridiculous that not only has the narrator come to terms with, but has even understood to be his salvation as and not just his downfall. As for the 'dream.' That is the question. As is the relevance of whether or not this story is a work of fiction, as is the relevance of if Jonah was really in the belly of a whale. All of these distinctions becoming irrelevant is precisely where Dostoyevsky is taking the reader. Because--if it has been imagined, if it exists in figuration, story, and most especially, if one can get the logic to work, it is real and there is only one layer of reality. Truth on the other hand is an altogether a different matter.

I believe that this book brings one so close to the core of Dostoevsky's brilliance that it is a treasure. And hopefully you will buy this story and agree and hold on to this as a treasure. The short works of authors are often overlooked. Consider Tolstoi. I believe the only thing he wrote in the 20th Cent. (death thereafter) was a five page story, 'Alyosha the Pot.' Also there is 'The Death of Ivan Illych.' And of course Tolstoi was always on some gigantic mission like writing war and peace. But I'll tell you, I'd trade either of those stories, yes, even the 5 page Alyosha the Pot for its stunning poetic beauty & do without War & Peace.

Now with Dostoyevsky I am not that extreme. His novels are unmatched in scale and the detail is startling. He is amongst the world's greatest novelists. Yet, to look over his short stories, and I do mean very many more beyond Notes From the Underground, is missing out and creates an incomplete perspective on the man's abilities as a writer. As for the translation, it is the good-old ever-faithful Constant Garnett that is still redeeming us from ignorance of Russian Literature though many things have be re-translated. By the way, She did a wonderful job! The language is perfect!
9 people found this helpful
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Bill R. Moore
4.0 out of 5 stars Great, but why not buy a collection?
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2010
"The Dream of a Ridiculous Man" is one of Dostoevsky's best, most original, and most influential short stories. It epitomizes several of his defining preoccupations - alienation, Christian charity, etc. - and is a preeminent example of his characteristic psychological realism. A first-person tour de force, it shows yet again that no one matches him for psychological verisimilitude. It is also heavy on his core philosophical concerns and, perhaps most notably, pioneered important concepts that had not even been defined, namely psychoanalysis and solipsism. One can easily see why Freud frequently cited Dostoevsky, as this story essentially prefigured much of his work on dreams by several decades. Fantastic as the story is in some ways - recalling the wilder flights of Paradise Lost and arguably even being almost a science fiction precursor -, it is one of Dostoevsky's most moving and deeply human works. Anyone interested in him must read it. However, the fact that it is available in many collections -- such as The Best Short Stories of Dostoevsky -- makes a standalone very hard to justify.
3 people found this helpful
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Fan reader
3.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2019
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A decent audible
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Maureen
5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book
Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2022
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Kind of sad, kind of funny. A good read for a single sitting.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars We are all connected, we never pray alone
Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2019
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Excellent, print on demand version!
++Huge LARGE print 🌞🌞🌞!

Had, somehow, never come across this short. Beautiful illustrations and a ‘bonus’ story included! Real Value. All of our actions, thoughts and dreams both affect and effect each of the others in our world🌍. John 3:16 is an expression of Agape on a scale worthy of a Κόσμος ! (μετάνοια)

“When you have come to the edge of the abyss and can no longer bear it, take a few steps back, and have a cup of tea ☕️.” -Elder Sophrony of Essex

Camus was a great advocate of Dostoyevsky and ‘the myth of Sisyphus’ is something of a diptych for this ‘Dream’. Also ‘Nihilism’ by Fr Seraphim Rose (St Herman’s) Faith, Hope & Love remain......

Grace and Peace to you!
🔥Hold to the beautiful, the True & the Good ☦️.....
4 people found this helpful
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Adam
5.0 out of 5 stars Good short read
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2021
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I really liked this book, it’s short and sweet- sort of your typical Dostoevsky style rant and raving but very good.
One person found this helpful
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Dostoyevsky Fan JCL
5.0 out of 5 stars Its me
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2022
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He is me and I am he. We are all the protagonist of this story. Atheists may not like this book so much.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Richard Giraud
1.0 out of 5 stars Hardcover version includes a Korean cookbook
Reviewed in Canada on April 5, 2022
Verified Purchase
Received the hardcover version, which is approximately 100 pages, the first 80 being "The Super Easy Vegan Korean Cookbook", with the Dream of a Ridiculous Man making up the last 20 pages or so. Not sure how that came to be. This isn't the kind of mistake I would expect in a $30 book.
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Paulo Magalhães
4.0 out of 5 stars Fácil
Reviewed in Brazil on January 30, 2022
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Fácil
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Habib saleh
5.0 out of 5 stars I love it
Reviewed in Germany on February 10, 2024
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My favourite book 📖
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清雅
5.0 out of 5 stars Fyodor Dostoyevsky's short story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 30, 2023
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Goes through overcoming nihilistic thoughts about suicide
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清雅
5.0 out of 5 stars Fyodor Dostoyevsky's short story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 30, 2023
Goes through overcoming nihilistic thoughts about suicide
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Aakash Gyan
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful
Reviewed in India on May 10, 2020
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An idea of a utopian society develops to the writer after a dream he witnessed or reality , and what he discovers is the "love" will lead you to a better world and it's not just self love but a selfless love .
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