“Man needs only independent will, whatever that independence may cost and wherever it may lead.”
— Fyodor Dostoevsky
Why It's Lindy
The first existentialist novel, written twenty years before Nietzsche. Dostoevsky's underground man anticipates every 20th-century critique of rationalism and utopia. Nietzsche said it was the only psychologically true book he had ever read.
About This Volume
A bitter, brilliant narrator delivers a two-part monologue attacking rational egoism and the idea that human beings can be reduced to predictable, self-interested machines.
Frequently Asked
Why should I read Notes from Underground?
The first existentialist novel, written twenty years before Nietzsche. Dostoevsky's underground man anticipates every 20th-century critique of rationalism and utopia. Nietzsche said it was the only psychologically true book he had ever read.
What is Notes from Underground about?
A bitter, brilliant narrator delivers a two-part monologue attacking rational egoism and the idea that human beings can be reduced to predictable, self-interested machines.
