White nights and other stories

These short stories offer a dazzling glimpse of life in the Russian Empire and penetrating portraits of unforgettable characters. In the titular story, a lonely man has a chance meeting with a sad young woman. Learning that she is in love with another, the man vows to help them reunite, while secretly hoping she’ll realize they are meant to be together. “Polzunkov” is a man who doesn’t mind playing the buffoon, and when he tells the story of how one of his April Fools’ jokes backfired—robbing him of the woman he hoped to marry—he gets the biggest laugh of all. In “A Christmas Tree and a Wedding,” a holiday party gives one guest the chance to compliment his host and hostess on their charming daughter, who just happens to be a future heiress. Five years later, his investment pays off. Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s skill at depicting the madcap, desperate, and malicious motivations of his characters is on full display in this remarkable collection of stories.