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The Double

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The Double

By: Fyodor Dostoevsky
Narrated by: Nick Sullivan
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About this listen

First published in 1846, Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novella The Double is a classic doppelganger story and the second major work published by the author. It is the story of Yakov Petrovich Golyadkin, a government clerk who believes that a fellow clerk has taken over his identity and is determined to bring about his ruin. Considered the most Gogolesque of Dostoyevsky's works, the novella brilliantly depicts Golyadkin's descent into madness in a way that is hauntingly poetic. The Double illustrates Dostoyevsky's uncanny ability at capturing the complexity of human emotion, especially the darker side of the human psyche.

Public Domain (P)2012 AudioGO Anthologies & Short Stories Classics Fiction Short Stories

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SPOILER ALERT!!!
A paranoid schizofrenic walks into a bar...I bet most jokes told by Doestoevsky would start that way. Anyway its a story about a deeply insecure man thats plunging into madness completely unaware that he is a paranoid schizofrenic suffering from hallucionations. Its a sad story, he is actually a nice guy but at the time no one knew mental issues were a thing really. And FD portrayed it beautifully. As usual FD perfectly describes the inner conversations of the human mind and the reasoning behind Golyadkins actions. Makes you wonder what kind of people did FD hang out with or what kind of person he was privately. The most frightening thing about this novel (and most Dostoevskys novels) is the reasoning of the protagonists that justifies completely ridioulous and detrimental actions. And in the same way we all reason that way on occasion. We can all recognise ourselves at least partly in Dostoevskys characters. Worth a listen this one, the reader did a great job. 5/5!

Enthralling story, fantastically read

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I found this story to be a strange and uncomfortable experience, but also interesting due to it being a different experience. It portrayed the madness very convincingly.

Strange and unusual story

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Having always struggled with the Russian names when reading Dostoevsky this audio version is the perfect solution. This is an amazing story which feels totally contemporary in its exploration of identity, mental health and fragile nature of our lives and grip on reality. At time very disturbing it also has the dark humour of Kafka or Ionesco. I loved the reader and the clarity of the recording. 5 stars all round.

This feels so contemporary.

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It is a well written book. I have enjoyed every moment of this story. The narrator read it excelletly. Highly recommended!

Very good story to hear

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Worth every second. Dostoevsky paints his characters so vividly, no movie could compare. The hero is unsettled in an excruciating way which is fascinating

Brilliant

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Amazingly accurate description of a person descending into paranoid schizophrenia at a time when such matters were very poorly understood.

Genius

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I can see why Nabokov liked this above all of FD’s books, it is the only one that comes close to being similar to Nabokov’s own social satire, portrayed through a richly ambiguous and comic character.

Dostoyevsky’s most Nabokovian novel

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Christianivonavitch said waay too many times, very long-winded, couldn't finish it, kept nodding off!

Oh dear...

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Look, when he put his hand to it, Dostoevsky was one of the greatest writers of his age.
But that greatness was limited to two books:
'the Brothers Karamazov ' & 'Crime & Punishment '..the former a masterpiece, the latter superb but with the edges of his madness creeping in. Unfortunately almost everything else he's written have been the nonsensical furious rantings of a man on the verge of insanity. This dreadful book 'the double ' along with 'Notes from the Underground ' falls into that class.
Awful, pretentious, meaningless drivel of a deeply disturbed and conflicted man.

I hated this book. I hated Notes from the underground
it's an insult to literature and the narrator is the same narrator i listened to in 'NFTU' with his ridiculous Vincent Price accent with all the spirit of that madness just amplifies it's awfulness.

Dreadful squitter, the rant of a madman

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Couldn't get past 1st chapter, sounded like a robot with no clue what was reading

Must remember to listen to sample 1st

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