Russian

In his introduction to the Ginsburg translation published by Bantam, Donald Fanger calls Notes from Underground “one of the most sheerly astonishing and subversive creations of European fiction.”

So, you want to read Dostoevsky’s darkest and most hilarious novel, a controversial political satire, the title of which has been variously rendered as The Possessed, The Devils, Devils, and Demons? By all accounts, it’s intense! You’ve got five in-print English translations to choose from, seven in total.

“The Idiot has merits that equal, and, in some cases, surpass those of Dostoyevsky’s other masterpieces…. The Idiot was also Dostoyevsky’s personal favorite.” —Gary Rosenshield

Dostoevsky died before writing the second half of the two-part story he wanted to tell with these characters, but this half is nevertheless a much-admired achievement.