The Meek One

Name: The Meek One
Author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
ISBN: 9780141397481

by Fyodor Dostoevsky

64 pages2026The Lost Book ProjectISBN 9780141397481

Slavic philology

About this book

The Meek One, also published in English as The Gentle Spirit, by Fyodor Dostoevsky, is one of Dostoevsky’s most intense and psychologically penetrating short works. First published in 1876, this novella presents a harrowing interior monologue in which a man confronts the suicide of his young wife and attempts to justify, explain, and unravel his own moral responsibility. Told almost entirely through the fractured thoughts of the husband, The Meek One is a masterclass in psychological realism. Dostoevsky explores power, pride, cruelty, silence, and emotional domination within marriage, revealing how moral blindness and intellectual arrogance can destroy intimacy. The narrator’s voice shifts between confession, self defense, and despair, exposing the unstable inner logic of a man who believes himself rational while remaining incapable of love or humility. Often read alongside Notes from Underground and The Dream of a Ridiculous Man, this work represents Dostoevsky’s late style at its most compressed and unforgiving. It is essential reading for those interested in psychological fiction, existential literature, moral philosophy, and the anatomy of guilt. Known to English readers under both titles, The Meek One or The Gentle Spirit remains a disturbing and relevant examination of conscience, responsibility, and the consequences of emotional tyranny. This edition presents a timeless classic of Russian literature that continues to challenge readers with its unsparing portrayal of the human capacity for self deception. Available in Kindle and Paperback formats.

Publication Details

Publisher: The Lost Book Project
Published: 2026
Pages: 64
ISBN: 9780141397481
Language: en

About Fyodor Dostoevsky

Russian novelist Fyodor Mikhailovitch Dostoyevsky was a journalist and short-story writer, whose psychological penetration into the human soul profoundly influenced the 20th century novel. Dostoevsky's novels have much autobiographical elements, but ultimately they deal with moral and philosophical questions. He presented interacting characters with contrasting views or ideas about freedom of choice, Socialism, atheisms, good and evil, happiness and so forth. Dostoevsky's central obsession was God, whom his characters constantly search through painful errors and humiliations. ([Source][1]) Dostoyevsky's literary output explores human psychology in the troubled political, social and spiritual context of 19th-century Russian society. Considered by many as a founder or precursor of 20th-century existentialism, his *Notes from Underground* (1864), written in the embittered voice of the anonymous "underground man", was called by Walter Kaufmann the "best overture for existentialism ever written." A prominent figure in world literature, Dostoyevsky is often acknowledged by critics as one of the greatest psychologists in world literature. ([Source][2]) Фёдор Миха́йлович Достое́вский (рус. дореф. Ѳедоръ Михайловичъ Достоевскій; 30 октября [11 ноября] 1821, Москва, Российская империя — 28 января [9 февраля] 1881, Санкт-Петербург, Российская империя) — русский писатель, мыслитель, философ и публицист. Член-корреспондент Петербургской АН с 1877 года. ([Source][3]) Как в начале, так и в продолжении своего литературного творчества после четырёх лет каторги и ссылки за участие в кружке Петрашевского Достоевский выступал в качестве новатора в русле традиций русского реализма, что не получило должной оценки современников при жизни писателя. ([Source][3]) После смерти Достоевский был признан классиком русской литературы и одним из лучших романистов мирового значения, считается первым представителем персонализма в России. Творчество русского писателя оказало воздействие