Notes from Underground is widely considered the forerunner of modernist literature and one of Dostoevsky's greatest literary achievements. The novel recounts the thoughts and encounters of a civil servant known only as The Underground Man who has quit his job and lives in a basement flat on the outskirts of St. Petersburg, surviving on a small inheritance. His humiliation turns to an inward-turning aggression that further reinforces his alienation from mainstream society. Includes a contribution by Patrick Maxwell, the letter that Dostoevsky wrote to his brother on the day he was to be executed, a biographical timeline, and suggested reading.