“The living corpse” and “The double”, or once again about the fantastic of Dostoevsky (based on the observations of the translator)

From the experience perspective of translation experience and observations, the author of this article proposes returning to the topic “Odoevsky - Dostoevsky”, which is not the most studied one in Russian and Western criticism. The article briefly reviews some articles and comments made by Russian critics about the artistic dialogue between V. F. Odoevsky and Fyodor Dostoevsky. By focusing on the story “The Living Corpse” and the short novel' “The Double”, the author finds a number of linguistic, thematic and compositional references, which allow us to raise again the issue of the influence of Odoevsky's works on young Dostoevsky. The role and purpose of the fantastic poetics in the worldview of these writers, а specific approach to the topic of the double and the use of colloquial language by the narrator and the main characters are the subject of analysis. The author made a supposition that the traces of “The Living Corpse” may be found not only in “Poor Folk”, but also in “The Double”, in which main characters' psychology and actions are comparable. Attention is also paid to the structure of both works. In the end the author speculates on the relationship between the truth and writing, or on the aspiration of Dostoevsky's characters to know themselves through writing.