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Chapter companions for Poor Folk by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Each chapter has a companion in the reader — open a free preview to see notes beside the text.

  1. Chapter 1

    April 8th: My Dearest Barbara Alexievna

    Makar writes to Barbara, expressing confusion over her teasing and defending his paternal feelings for her. He reflects on his past life in a cozy room with his old landlady and her granddaughter Masha, contrasting it with his current lodgings. He declines to visit her in person to avoid gossip, and asks her not to chide him for his uneducated letter.

  2. Chapter 2

    April 8th: My Beloved Makar Alexievitch

    Barbara writes to Makar, gently scolding him for sending her expensive gifts like geraniums and bonbons, which she knows he cannot afford. She expresses concern for his living conditions and health, urging him to visit her in person. She also reflects on her own sadness and uncertainty about the future, haunted by past sorrows caused by wicked people.

  3. Chapter 3

    April 8th: My Dearest Barbara Alexievna

    Makar writes to Barbara, expressing confusion over her teasing and defending his paternal feelings for her. He reflects on his past life in a cozy room with his old landlady and her granddaughter Masha, contrasting it with his current lodgings. He declines to visit her in person to avoid gossip, and asks her not to chide him for his uneducated letter.

  4. Chapter 4

    April 9th: My Dearest Makar Alexievitch

    Barbara writes to Makar, expressing concern that he has taken her previous words as a jest and fallen into despondency. She reassures him of her gratitude for his protection and asks him not to be offended, while also mentioning her own illness and Thedora's worry.

  5. Chapter 5

    April 12th: Dearest Mistress Barbara Alexievna

    Makar writes to Barbara, expressing concern for her health and describing his living quarters in detail. He recounts the unpleasant conditions of the house, the gambling habits of the other tenants, and the impoverished family of Gorshkov, whose silent suffering deeply moves him. He ends by lamenting his lack of education and his inability to write with style.

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  1. Chapter 6April 25th: My Dearest Makar Alexievitch
  2. Chapter 7May 20th: My Dearest Little Barbara
  3. Chapter 8June 1st: My Beloved Makar Alexievitch
  4. Chapter 9I
  5. Chapter 10II
  6. Chapter 11June 11th: How I Thank You for Our Walk to the Islands Yesterday, Makar Alexievitch!
  7. Chapter 12June 12th: My Dearest Barbara Alexievna
  8. Chapter 13June 20th: My Dearest Makar Alexievitch
  9. Chapter 14June 21st: My Own, My Darling
  10. Chapter 15June 22nd: My Dearest Barbara Alexievna
  11. Chapter 16June 25th: My Beloved Makar Alexievitch
  12. Chapter 17June 26th: My Dear Little Barbara
  13. Chapter 18June 27th: My Dearest Makar Alexievitch
  14. Chapter 19June 28th: My Dearest Barbara Alexievna
  15. Chapter 20My Dear Makar Alexievitch
  16. Chapter 21July 1st: Rubbish, Rubbish, Barbara!
  17. Chapter 22My Dearest Makar Alexievitch
  18. Chapter 23July 7th: My Dearest Barbara Alexievna
  19. Chapter 24July 8th: My Dearest Barbara Alexievna
  20. Chapter 25July 27th: My Dearest Makar Alexievitch
  21. Chapter 26July 28th: My Priceless Barbara Alexievna
  22. Chapter 27July 28th: Dearest Little Barbara
  23. Chapter 28July 29th: My Dearest Makar Alexievitch
  24. Chapter 29August 1st: My Darling Barbara Alexievna
  25. Chapter 30August 2nd: My Dearest Makar Alexievitch
  26. Chapter 31August 3rd: My Angel, Barbara Alexievna
  27. Chapter 32August 4th: My Beloved Makar Alexievitch
  28. Chapter 33August 4th: My Beloved Barbara Alexievna
  29. Chapter 34August 5th: Dearest Makar Alexievitch
  30. Chapter 35August 5th: My Darling Little Barbara
  31. Chapter 36August 11th: O Barbara Alexievna, I Am Undone
  32. Chapter 37August 13th: My Beloved Makar Alexievitch
  33. Chapter 38August 14th: What Is the Matter with You, Makar Alexievitch?
  34. Chapter 39August 19th: My Dearest Barbara Alexievna
  35. Chapter 40August 21st: My Dear and Kind Barbara Alexievna
  36. Chapter 41September 3rd: The Reason Why I Did Not Finish My Last Letter, Makar Alexievitch, Was That I Found It So Difficult to Write
  37. Chapter 42September 5th: My Beloved Barbara
  38. Chapter 43September 9th: My Dearest Barbara Alexievna
  39. Chapter 44September 10th: My Beloved Makar Alexievitch
  40. Chapter 45September 11th: My Darling Barbara Alexievna
  41. Chapter 46September 15th: My Dearest Makar Alexievitch
  42. Chapter 47September 18th: My Beloved Barbara Alexievna
  43. Chapter 48September 19th: My Beloved Barbara Alexievna
  44. Chapter 49September 23rd: My Dearest Makar Alexievitch
  45. Chapter 50September 23rd: My Beloved Barbara Alexievna
  46. Chapter 51September 27th: Dear Makar Alexievitch
  47. Chapter 52September 27th: My Beloved Barbara Alexievna
  48. Chapter 53September 28th: My Dearest Makar Alexievitch
  49. Chapter 54September 28th: My Beloved Barbara Alexievna
  50. Chapter 55September 29th: My Own Barbara Alexievna
  51. Chapter 56September 30th: My Beloved Makar Alexievitch
  52. Chapter 57Beloved Barbara—My Jewel, My Priceless One
  53. Chapter 58Endnotes