How a Dostoevsky novella took TikTok by storm

Brazilian book influencer Marcelo Nogueira, 27, has become captivated by Fyodor Dostoevsky's novella White Nights, a 19th-century tale of love and loneliness that has sparked a TikTok craze. Dostoevsky's story of a dreamer who meets a young woman and falls deeply in love has surged in popularity in Brazil, nearly 180 years after its initial release. In the past year, sales of the novella have jumped 463 percent, according to Editora 34 publishing house.

The story resonates with Gen Z readers, who find an echo of the solitary dreamer in today's society, according to Nogueira, who has 13,000 followers on TikTok. In the UK and Spain, the book is also selling well. White Nights follows the narrator through four nights and a morning as he transitions from living in his imagination to embracing reality for the first time. The narrator's reflection on the fleeting nature of intense joy has struck a chord with social media users.

BookTok, a popular book community on TikTok, has witnessed tens of thousands of comments praising the popularity of Dostoevsky's work among the younger generation. Influencer Paloma Lima, a 29-year-old fan of Russian literature, noted that young TikTok users often discover her YouTube channel after reading White Nights. The short, intense nature of the book appeals to TikTok's popular narratives, such as friends becoming lovers.

In Russia, the phenomenon has generated both surprise and pride, with Russian author Ekaterina Kvitko suggesting that young readers might relate to the protagonist's solitude. White Nights has emerged as a gateway to Dostoevsky's more challenging works, with a 53 percent increase in sales of Crime and Punishment during the first seven months of the year.

While some criticize social media for fostering short attention spans, Nogueira believes that classic literature is gaining new audiences through platforms like TikTok. The aesthetic appeal of beautifully designed physical books over digital versions is also driving demand.