Novella · 1848
White Nights
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Aya Saleh · Ink & Ivy
Novella · 1848 · Russian · 19th Century
White Nights
A Petersburg dreamer meets Nastenka over four nights and one morning.
Read the book
English reading edition · Constance Garnett, translator
Full Project Gutenberg text, newly typeset—not a publisher scan. Public-domain status varies by country; check local laws. The source license is included.
Edition and sourceHow to read it
The first-person dreamer romanticises his exclusion while briefly entering another person's story. The ending holds genuine gratitude and self-protective fantasy together.
Complete section guide
Constance Garnett; White Nights and Other Stories, Project Gutenberg #36034. The PDF includes the surrounding collection. Summaries contain spoilers; descriptive headings are editorial.
Night 1The canal
A lonely dreamer protects Nastenka from a drunken pursuer. They agree to meet again without falling in love.
Night 2Two histories
He describes his fantasies; Nastenka tells of her grandmother and the lodger she loves. He agrees to help contact the returned lover.
Night 3Waiting
Nastenka rejoices in the narrator’s friendship while waiting unsuccessfully for the other man. His own love deepens.
Night 4A possible future
He confesses his love and they imagine marriage. Her lover appears, and she rejoins him.
MorningGratitude
Nastenka asks forgiveness in a letter announcing marriage. The narrator treasures their brief happiness rather than condemning her.
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