Fyodor Dostoevsky

Poor Folk is Dostoevsky’s first novel, written as a series of letters exchanged between two impoverished relatives, Makar Devushkin and Varvara Dobroselova. Through their correspondence, they reveal their daily struggles with poverty, loneliness, and social humiliation in 19th-century St. Petersburg. Despite their difficult circumstances, they show deep emotional connection and care for each other. As their lives become increasingly constrained by financial hardship and societal pressure, their relationship is tested. The novel explores themes of poverty, dignity, compassion, human suffering, and the emotional lives of the poor.