<DIV><DIV><B>Introducing the first in a long line of underground characters, Dostoevsky's first full-length work of fiction is a poignant, tragi-comic tale which foreshadows the greatness of his later novels</B></DIV><DIV> </DIV>Presented as a series of letters between the humble copying-clerk Devushkin and a distant relative of his, the young Varenka, this book brings to the fore the underclass of St. Petersburg, who live at the margins of society in the most appalling conditions and abject poverty. As Devushkin tries to help Varenka improve her plight by selling anything he can, he is reduced to even more desperate circumstances and seeks refuge in alcohol, looking on helplessly as the object of his impossible love is taken away from him.</DIV>