Dostoevsky's Notes From the Underground

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Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821–1881) was a Russian novelist, philosopher, and journalist whose work shaped modern literature and existential thought. His life was marked by personal suffering, including the death of his parents, financial hardship, chronic illness, and years in a Siberian prison camp. These experiences influenced his writing, which often explores themes of human suffering, morality and free will.

Notes from the Underground is a fictional confession of a bitter, isolated former civil servant who rejects society and rationalist philosophies. Through this unnamed “Underground Man,” Dostoevsky critiques the prevailing belief in reason, progress, and human perfectibility, offering instead a vision of humanity as contradictory, irrational, and often self-destructive. The novel is considered a precursor to existentialism and has influenced thinkers like Nietzsche, Sartre, and Camus.

We read the book before the event (about 130 pages) and then discuss it and explore the philosophical themes in the book during the meetup. The book can be found via the link below or in any respectable bookstore.
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/600