Review of 'Winter Notes on Summer Impressions' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
some interesting facts about Dostoevsky that I discovered from reading this book:
- When he was a young child, his parents would read Ann Radcliffe to him before going to sleep (weird choice for a bedtime story but who am I to judge) which would lead him to have some sleepless nights due to the effect of the stories upon him
“(…) Mrs Radcliffe’s novels, which put me into a fever and kept me awake at night.” – page 4
- Dostoevsky wasn’t exactly an enjoyer of pocket editions (especially ones with smaller fonts), he expresses his dislike for this book format by mentioning a train ride where he was sat beside an English man that read and I quote “(…) a book of that very small English print which only English people can tolerate and even praise for its convenience (…) ”
- While in England he was shocked …
some interesting facts about Dostoevsky that I discovered from reading this book:
- When he was a young child, his parents would read Ann Radcliffe to him before going to sleep (weird choice for a bedtime story but who am I to judge) which would lead him to have some sleepless nights due to the effect of the stories upon him
“(…) Mrs Radcliffe’s novels, which put me into a fever and kept me awake at night.” – page 4
- Dostoevsky wasn’t exactly an enjoyer of pocket editions (especially ones with smaller fonts), he expresses his dislike for this book format by mentioning a train ride where he was sat beside an English man that read and I quote “(…) a book of that very small English print which only English people can tolerate and even praise for its convenience (…) ”
- While in England he was shocked by the ever-present prostitution in the streets (especially during nighttime), he even mentioned that he had an encounter with a little girl, probably not even 6, to whom he gave some money out of pity (this moment reminds me of the image of the little girl seeking help in the streets from his story ‘The Dream of a Ridiculous Man’, but I’m not completely sure if the dates match to consider it an influence)
- In this book he describes beautifully the moment he beheld a gorgeous girl in a casino, that was abandoned by what Dostoevsky presumed to be her lover… (the manner with which he wrote their exchanges and the continual change of her facial expressions was really touching)
- He mentions countless times the rather Dionysian tendencies of the populace, their habit of losing themselves completely, by any means of intoxication attainable, as a way to not be confronted with the wretched reality in which they lived.
- Dostoyevsky was surveilled by a group of spies (members of the police) during a train ride in France, he only obtained this information after their departure, by being informed by a man that had been on the same ride with him that they had been following him from the moment he got into the station.
(if there are any grammatical or syntax errors i will not correct them for i am tired and only wish for a good night of sleep)