This novel brought its 24-year-old author critical and public acclaim nearly overnight. Written in the form of letters, it recounts a blossoming romance amid St. Petersburg's slums between a middle-aged writer and a much younger seamstress. Compact and easy to read, it represents an excellent introduction to Dostoyevsky's work.

Originally published as part of the collection The gambler and other stories: London : Heinemann, 1914. With new introd.