The Double

The Double is a novella written by the Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky. It tells the tragic but comic tale of the polite and well-established titular councilor Yakov Petrovitch Golyadkin. His problems begin when his exact double enters his life and begins to take over. Golyadkin turns to his colleagues for help, but no matter whom he talks to, he increasingly feels surrounded by enemies. The novel begins with Golyadkin waking at his usual hour of 8am. He counts his 750 rubles in his notebook before checking on his servant Petrushka. Petrushka is talking to some fellow lackeys and Golyadkin orders him back into the apartment to make breakfast. After breakfast, Golyadkin climbs in a waiting carriage and tells the driver to stop at his doctor's house.