The Double

The Double: A Petersburg Poem is a novel written by Fyodor Dostoevsky and originally published in 1846. It is the second novel by the Russian writer.

Yakov Petrovich Golyadkin is a low-ranking civil servant in St. Petersburg. Anxious about status and social acceptance, he lives with his servant Petrushka but feels increasingly insecure and isolated.

From the beginning, Golyadkin struggles to relate to others and feels humiliated by those above him in the hierarchy. His attempts to enter respectable society only deepen his embarrassment and suspicion.

His life changes when an outwardly identical but socially adept double appears and wins the favor of his colleagues and superiors. As the rival takes over his place, the novel leaves unsettled whether the double is an external figure or a projection of Golyadkin’s fractured perception.

This edition of the book The Double is based on the translation by Constance Garnett.

"It was a little before eight o’clock in the morning when Yakov Petrovitch Golyadkin, a titular councillor, woke up from a long sleep. He yawned, stretched, and at last opened his eyes completely."