Start with White Nights or Notes From Underground, not Crime and Punishment. Both are short, both are complete, and both cost under NPR 400 in Nepal. They tell you within an evening whether Dostoevsky is for you, before you commit to a 700-page novel.
Dostoevsky is the most recommended and least finished novelist on most reading lists. The usual reason is that people start with a 700-page novel featuring nine characters who each have three names. There is a much kinder way in, and it costs under NPR 400.
Which Dostoevsky should you read first?
White Nights, at around NPR 360. It is a short story about a lonely man who meets someone over four nights in St Petersburg. It has no crime, no philosophy lecture and no cast of thousands, and it contains everything people love about him: the feverish narration, the aching sincerity, the sense of someone talking directly at you.
If you want something with more edge, read Notes From Underground at around NPR 180. It is the most influential 150 pages he wrote, and the narrator is deliberately unpleasant company, which some readers find bracing and others find exhausting.
When should you attempt the big novels?
Once a short one has landed. The Brothers Karamazov at around NPR 719 is his last and largest novel, and generally considered his best. Crime and Punishment is the more common entry point but is a harder first book than its reputation suggests.
A practical tip for the long novels: write the character names down as they appear, with their nicknames next to them. Russian names shift between formal, familiar and diminutive forms, and most people who give up on Dostoevsky give up on the names rather than the story.
Does the translation matter?
Yes, more than for almost any other author. The same paragraph can read as stiff and Victorian or as urgent and modern depending on who translated it. Editions sold in Nepal vary widely, so check the translator named on the copyright page before buying, and be wary of any edition that names none at all.
What order should you read them in?
There is no required order. Nothing carries over between books. A reasonable path is White Nights, then Notes From Underground, then Crime and Punishment, then The Brothers Karamazov, moving up in length as your patience for Russian patronymics grows.
Frequently asked questions
Which Dostoevsky book is shortest? White Nights, at around 80 pages depending on edition.
Are these available in Nepal? Yes, all of the above are in stock with delivery to all seven provinces and cash on delivery.
Are cheap editions abridged? Not usually for these titles, but check the page count. An 80-page Crime and Punishment is an abridgement, not a bargain.
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