The Little Hero and Other Stories

Author's name: Dostoevsky

Translated by: Sami Al-Daroubi

Dostoevsky wrote "The Little Hero" while he was in solitary confinement in the Petropavloskaya Fortress. Long afterward, he told his friend: When I found myself in prison, I thought this was the end, but I suddenly calmed down completely. What did I do? I wrote "The Little Hero." Read this story! Do you find in it any anger, resentment, or pain? While I was in prison, I had calm, kind, sweet, and pleasant dreams, and the longer I remained in prison, the better I became. This contrast between the damp cell, with the long wait for the verdict, and the calm dreams and bright, vivid memories is a rare psychological phenomenon. Dostoevsky explained this phenomenon by saying: There is an amazing vitality in human nature! I truly would not have believed that humans possessed such vitality, but now I know it from experience. My childhood is over. How wonderfully Dostoevsky describes these emotions that rage in the heart of an inflamed boy! The final lines of this story, written by Dostoevsky before his transfer to the Siberian concentration camp, are among the purest romantic dreams ever penned. They are a farewell to his youth before the sufferings that would reveal to him the power of evil in the workings of the human soul. This romantic spirit unites most of what is included in this collection of stories.