Belye nochi (White Nights)

White Nights (Belye nochi), published in 1848, is one of Dostoevsky's most tender and accessible short novels. Set over four consecutive nights and one morning in St Petersburg, it tells the story of a lonely young dreamer who falls in love with a beautiful girl named Nastenka during a chance encounter on a canal bridge. The novella is a bittersweet meditation on loneliness, romantic idealism, and the brief joy that an unexpected connection can bring. Narrated in a lyrical, intimate style, it is very different from Dostoevsky's later psychological epics and remains one of his most loved works. Stream free, no account required.