this norton critical edition contains michael katz's new translation of the 1863 novel, introduced and annotated specifically for english-speaking readers. [b]backgrounds and sources[/b], also freshly translated by the editor, includes excerpts from dostoevsky's letters and notebooks and from "winter notes on summer impressions," as well as a substantial extract from n. g. chernyshevsky's novel [i]what is to be done?[/i], the utilitarianism of which dostoevsky replies to in [i]notes from underground.[/i] since its publication, [i]notes from underground[/i] has been emulated and parodied. by assembling varied responses to the text, michael katz links this seminal novel to the underground-man-inspired works of mikhail saltykov-shchendrin, woody allen, robert walser, ralph ellison, and john lennon and paul mccartney. a broad selection of criticism includes the work of both russian and western critics from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries-from nikolai mikhailovsky and lev shestov to ralph e. matlaw and joseph frank. a chronology of dostoevsky's life and career is included, as are a list of principle translations and a selected bibliography. [p]no other series of classic texts equals the caliber of the [b]norton critical editions[/b]. each volume combines the most authoritative text available with the comprehenive pedagogical apparatus necessary to appreciate the work fully. careful editing, first-rate translation, and thorough explanatory annotations allow each text to meet the highest literary standards while remaining accessible to students. each edition is printed on acid-free paper and every text in the series remains in print. norton critical editions are the choice for excellence in scholarship for students at more than 2,000 universities worldwide.