Which Dostoevsky novella begins with the narrator describing himself as a sick and spiteful man?

Dostoevsky’s novella Notes from Underground begins with its narrator declaring that he is a sick man and a spiteful man. The famous opening introduces the unnamed Underground Man, a deeply alienated former civil servant who reflects on consciousness, free will, resentment, and isolation.

The work was published in 1864 and is commonly divided into two parts. The first is a philosophical monologue, while the second presents episodes from the narrator’s past, including his humiliating encounters with former schoolmates and his painful meeting with Liza.

Readers sometimes mistake Notes from Underground for a conventional novel because of its major influence on later fiction and philosophy. It is generally classified as a novella, and its argumentative first section is as important as its narrative episodes.

The opening phrase is also sometimes translated with slightly different wording, such as “I am a sick man” or “I am a diseased man.” The title and work remain the same despite those translation differences.