Notes from the Underground
by Fyodor · first published 2011
64% recommend30% neutral6% critical
Why HN recommends it
Short, intense novella voiced by a self-sabotaging, isolated narrator; valued as an entry point to Dostoevsky and to existential nihilism, and for readers wrestling with self-doubt, superiority or alienation.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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Currently reading: Notes from the Underground, Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Usually don't read fiction, but this is good.
on “Ask HN: What are you reading?” ↗…"Animal Farm" - Huxley "Brave New World", "The Doors Of Perception" - Michael Pollan "How to change your mind" - Jeff Hawkins "On Intelligence" - Fyodor Dostoevsky "The Dream of a Ridiculous Man", "Notes from the Underground", "The Brothers Kasamarov", "The Gambler", "The Idiot", "Crime & Punishment" - Peter Smith "Teach Yourself Logic" - Thomas More "Utopia" - Emil Cioran "The Trouble With Being Born" - Solzhenitsyn…
on “Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?” ↗…(The Demolished Man, The Stars My Destination) - Neal Stephenson (Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon) - Orson Scott Card (Ender’s game, Speaker for the Dead) - Fyodor Dostoevsky (Crime and punishment, the idiot, notes from the underground and many more) - Plato (apology, the republic) - Bible, Torah, Quran and any other sacred text - Mythology (Greek, Indian, Norse and o5hers) And a last one, completely unrelated... - Clive Barker (Hellraiser…
on “Ask HN: You've got $300 to fill an empty library. What do you choose?” ↗…describe at your age. Everyone in this is thread is saying great things and I don't need to repeat them, so I'll mention something different that helped me. That was literature. Books and plays like "Notes From The Underground" by Fyodor Dostoevsky, "You Can't Go Home Again" by Thomas Wolfe, "Long Day's Journey Into Night" by Eugene O'Neill and "Our Town" by Thornton Wilder. What you are feeling is not unique and it will pass,…
on “Ask HN: Words of encouragement for someone lost in life?” ↗…and Punishment, despises it and justifies violent crime with this mentality. Wonderful works, both of them. Unlike many, I read TBK first and decided to read Dostoevsky's other works and fell in love. Notes from the underground will always hold a special spot in my heart because of how much I can relate to the protagonist unfortunately. Can anyone recommend other similar works of literature? I haven't read many books like this…
on ““The Idiot” Savant: On Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Idiot” ↗If you're having nihilistic thoughts, Notes from the Underground is a must. Idiot is good if you have a Jesus complex. :)
on “Dostoyevsky's “Dream of a Ridiculous Man” (2014)” ↗I don't have any favorites, but the books I've read the most are "Notes from the Underground" and Walden. The last time I read Walden I didn't enjoy it much, so maybe I shouldn't mention it... The first should be read by everyone though http://www.gutenberg.org/files/600/600.txt
on “Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.” ↗…hopeless journey to the bottom of humanity. It's not an easy read even though the style is so simple. Think Houellebecq, but much better :) - Dostoyevsky; I was obsessed with him when I was younger. "Notes from the underground" is one of the best introductions to existential nihilism I can think of. "The Idiot" one of the few books that made me cry. - The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony; if you're into Greek literature, this…
on “Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?” ↗If you enjoy The Brothers Karamazov I couldn't recommend one of Dostoevsky's other books enough: Notes from the underground. IMO a must read for any intellectual that has ever struggled with anything from self-deprecating thoughts to superiority complexes.
on “Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?” ↗The Structure of Scientific Revolutions and Notes from the Underground: https://goo.gl/x6QLgC https://goo.gl/aDPsUz
on “Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?” ↗The Gambler is probably the easiest to understand Dostoevsky novel I've read. It's a character analysis of himself written quickly to pay off his own gambling debts. I'd recommend this first, then Notes from the Underground, for a gentle introduction.
on “Dostoyevsky's “Dream of a Ridiculous Man” (2014)” ↗Victory - Joseph Conrad Notes from the Underground - Dostoyevsky Brothers Karamazov - Dostoyevsky (there is a bunch of other brilliant Dostoyevsky books)
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?” ↗…of people who find existential truth separate from the opinions of the world, but at a cost. Becoming a solipsist, iconoclast, nihilist.... Try Camus (Stranger), Cervantes (Don Quixote). Dostoyevsky (Notes from the Underground), Salinger (Catcher in the Rye), and there's plenty in Bronte (all of them), Blake and Hardy. But I suspect these aren't the droids you're looking for.
on “Ask HN: What are some good books on how to stop comparing yourself to others?” ↗…trying to get people to want to genuinely engage in difficult conversations. Not going to happen. Author needs to study humans a little more. Possibly start with some of the short Russian greats like notes From the underground or a day in the life of ivan denisovich. Or go academic a study a little bit HEXACO. As Twain said, never wrestle with a pig – it gets mud all over you and the pig likes it. Or "Matthew 7:6" if that's…
on “DDoS'ing in Arguments” ↗True confidence is just being too stupid to know what you are getting into. Read Notes from the Underground.
on “Ask HN: Slow thinkers, how do you compensate for your lack of quick-wittedness?” ↗