The novel "The Double", the second work of Dostoevsky, was published in early 1846, that is, only days after the great success achieved by the novel "The Poor". This book raises the issue of madness, which is one of Dostoevsky's favorite topics in his later major novels.
This novel depicts the internal conflict in the soul of Yakov Petrovich Golyadkin, an employee in one of the administrations of the city of Petersburg whose life is turned upside down when a person who looks exactly like him appears, plots against him and gradually occupies his position at work and at home, until he pushes his life to complete collapse. Perhaps the most important thing that affected Mr. Golyadkin and aroused his astonishment was that the people around him, led by his boss and servant Petrushka, did not seem shocked by the appearance of this look-alike, and considered him just a man who looked like him and treated him on that basis.
Dostoevsky's extensive reliance on the technique of internal dialogue in this novel enabled him to explore the depths of his hero's personality, and to penetrate his psyche, which was changed by the entry of this other, devoting his genius to the analysis of the human soul, as Nietzsche said about him: "Dostoevsky is the only writer I learned It's a bit of psychology."
Although The Double is not Dostoevsky's most famous work, it is considered the cornerstone of his unique style. Vladimir Nabokov even said it was "the greatest book Dostoevsky ever wrote."
240 pages
