Dostoevsky’s story of young love begins with a chance encounter between the lonely narrator and a 17-year-old girl, Nastenka. Over the course of four nights, the two reveal their fears and desires to each other, yet Nastenka's heart belongs to someone else. Dostoevsky's love story, set during the bright summer nights of St. Petersburg, is a timeless masterpiece.
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (1821–1881) was the second of eight children of an impoverished aristocratic family from Moscow. Four years of forced labour due to revolutionary activities shaped his life, as did his passion for gambling and the resulting money worries. In addition to nine novels, Dostoevsky wrote numerous stories, novellas and essays.