Most Popular Books by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky (11 November 1821 - 9 February 1881), sometimes transliterated Dostoevsky, was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist, journalist and philosopher. Dostoyevsky''s literary works explore human psychology in the troubled political, social, and spiritual atmospheres of 19th-century Russia, and engage with a variety of realistic philosophical and religious themes.

"Crime and Punishment is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Crime and Punishment is considered the first great novel of his mature period of writing. Crime and Punishment focuses on the mental anguish and moral dilemmas of Rodion Raskolnikov, an impoverished ex student in Saint Petersburg who formulates a plan to kill an unscrupulous pawnbroker for her money. Before the killing, Raskolnikov believes that with the money he could liberate himself from poverty and go on to perform great deeds. However, once it is done he finds himself racked with confusion, paranoia, and disgust for what he has done. His ethical justifications disintegrate completely as he struggles with guilt and horror and confronts the real-world moral consequences of his deed."

The Double is a psychological exploration of identity, paranoia, and existential crisis within the rigid structure of 19th-century Russian society. Fyodor Dostoyevsky examines the fragile nature of self-perception through the story of Yakov Petrovich Golyadkin, a government clerk who encounters his uncanny double. As Golyadkin''s life unravels, the novel delves into themes of alienation, madness, and the struggle for recognition in a bureaucratic and hierarchical world. Since its publication, The Double has been recognized for its psychological depth and innovative narrative style. Its portrayal of a fractured identity and the tension between self and society has influenced discussions on existentialism and modernist literature. The novel''s unsettling atmosphere and exploration of paranoia continue to captivate readers, solidifying its place as an essential work in Dostoyevsky''s literary evolution. The novel''s lasting significance lies in its ability to depict the instability of human identity and the psychological toll of societal pressures. By confronting readers with the ambiguity of perception and the fragility of selfhood, The Double invites reflection on the nature of consciousness and the fears that arise when one''s reality is questioned.

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky in original version. A timeless, wonderful and accessible book for everyone. Crime and Punishment is one of the greatest and most readable novels ever written. Sublime Edition.

In this dark and compelling short novel, Fyodor Dostoevsky tells the story of Alexey Ivanovitch, a young tutor working in the household of an imperious Russian general. Alexey tries to break through the wall of the established order in Russia, but instead becomes mired in the endless downward spiral of betting and loss. His intense and inescapable addiction is accentuated by his affair with the General’s cruel yet seductive niece, Polina. In The Gambler, Dostoevsky reaches the heights of drama with this stunning psychological portrait.

Dostoevsky''s unique, mesmerizing and revolutionary work of art. He has depicted the underground politics with deep skepticism. The significance of this great literary work is enhanced by its stunning fight scenes and alluring suspense. Compelling language and life-like characterization give a clear view of dilemmas being faced by the whole Russian nation. Astounding and enthralling!

Master translation of a neglected Russian classic into English Long before Solzhenitsyn''s Gulag Archipelago came Dostoevsky''s Notes from the House of the Dead, a compelling account of the horrific conditions in Siberian labor camps. First published in 1861, this novel, based on Dostoevsky''s own experience as a political prisoner, is a forerunner of his famous novels Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov. The characters and situations that Dostoevsky encountered in prison were so violent and extraordinary that they changed his psyche profoundly. Through that experience, he later said, he was resurrected into a new spiritual condition -- one in which he would create some of the greatest novels ever written. Including an illuminating introduction by James Scanlan on Dostoevsky''s prison years, this totally new translation by Boris Jakim captures Dostoevsky''s semi-autobiographical narrative -- at times coarse, at times intensely emotional, at times philosophical -- in rich American English.

In "The Gambler," Fyodor Dostoevsky delves into the psychological complexities of addiction and the perils of obsession through the lens of gambling. Set against the backdrop of a fictional European spa town, the narrative unfolds with a visceral immediacy, employing a distinctive first-person perspective that immerses the reader in the protagonist''s turbulent mind. Dostoevsky''s prose is marked by its intensity and moral ambiguity, reflecting the existential struggles of the human condition while navigating themes of desperation, desire, and the quest for identity within the realm of chance. This unabridged Hogarth translation captures the nuances of Dostoevsky''s style, richly conveying the tension and vivid characterizations that make the novel a poignant study of societal pressures and personal downfall. Dostoevsky''s life experiences, characterized by his own battles with gambling addiction and his time in Siberian exile, profoundly shaped the narrative of "The Gambler." Emerging from a period of tumultuous financial instability and existential inquiry, Dostoevsky''s intricate understanding of human psychology is evident in the depth of his characters, who grapple with their moral choices in a world rife with uncertainty. The novel can be seen as a reflection of the author''s broader contemplation on fate, luck, and the essence of freedom. This compelling work is a must-read for those fascinated by the intersection of psychology and literature, as well as admirers of existential thought. "The Gambler" provides readers with an intimate exploration of the destructive allure of addiction, prompting introspection on the choices that define us. Dostoevsky''s exploration of the darker aspects of human nature remains resonant, making it a timeless classic deserving of attention.

A Classic Russian Novella that has influenced Kafka''s The Metamorphosis, Ralph Ellison''s Invisible Man, Brett Easton Ellis'' novel American Psycho, and Martin Scorsese''s Taxi Driver. Notes from Underground, is an 1864 novella by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Notes is considered by many to be one of the first existentialist novels. It presents itself as an excerpt from the rambling memoirs of a bitter, isolated, unnamed narrator (generally referred to by critics as the Underground Man), who is a retired civil servant living in St. Petersburg. The first part of the story is told in monologue form, or the underground man''s diary, and attacks emerging Western philosophy, especially Nikolay Chernyshevsky''s What Is to Be Done? The second part of the book is called "Apropos of the Wet Snow" and describes certain events that appear to be destroying and sometimes renewing the underground man, who acts as a first person, unreliable narrator and anti-hero.

The Brothers Karamazov is the final novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky spent nearly two years writing The Brothers Karamazov, which was published as a serial in The Russian Messenger from January 1879 to November 1880. Dostoevsky died less than four months after its publication. Set in 19th-century Russia, The Brothers Karamazov is a passionate philosophical novel that enters deeply into questions of God, free will, and morality. It is a theological drama dealing with problems of faith, doubt and reason in the context of a modernizing Russia, with a plot that revolves around the subject of patricide. Dostoevsky composed much of the novel in Staraya Russa, which inspired the main setting.Since its publication, it has been acclaimed as one of the supreme achievements in world literature. lthough Dostoevsky began his first notes for The Brothers Karamazov in April 1878, the novel incorporated elements and themes from an earlier unfinished project he had begun in 1869 entitled The Life of a Great Sinner. Another unfinished project, Drama in Tobolsk (Драма. В Тобольске), is considered to be the first draft of the first chapter of The Brothers Karamazov. Dated 13 September 1874, it tells of a fictional murder in Staraya Russa committed by a praporshchik named Dmitry Ilynskov (based on a real soldier from Omsk), who is thought to have murdered his father. It goes on to note that the father''s body was suddenly discovered in a pit under a house.[4] The similarly unfinished Sorokoviny (Сороковины), dated 1 August 1875, is reflected in book IX, chapter 3-5 and book XI, chapter nine] In the October 1877 Writer''s Diary article "To the Reader", Dostoevsky mentions a "literary work that has imperceptibly and involuntarily been taking shape within me over these two years of publishing the Diary." The Diary covered a multitude of themes and issues, some of which would be explored in greater depth in The Brothers Karamazov. These include patricide, law and order, and a variety of social problems. The writing of The Brothers Karamazov was altered by a personal tragedy: in May 1878, Dostoevsky''s 3-year-old son Alyosha died of epilepsy, a condition inherited from his father. The novelist''s grief is apparent throughout the book. Dostoevsky named the hero Alyosha, as well as imbuing him with qualities that he sought and most admired. His loss is also reflected in the story of Captain Snegiryov and his young son Ilyusha. The death of his son brought Dostoevsky to the Optina Monastery later that year. There he found inspiration for several aspects of The Brothers Karamazov, though at the time he intended to write a novel about childhood instead. Parts of the biographical section of Zosima''s life are based on "The Life of the Elder Leonid", a text he found at Optina and copied "almost word for word.

The two years before he wrote Crime and Punishment (1866) had been bad ones for Dostoyevsky. His wife and brother had died; the magazine he and his brother had started, Epoch, collapsed under its load of debt; and he was threatened with debtor''s prison. With an advance that he managed to wangle for an unwritten novel, he fled to Wiesbaden, hoping to win enough at the roulette table to get himself out of debt. Instead, he lost all his money; he had to pawn his clothes and beg friends for loans to pay his hotel bill and get back to Russia. One of his begging letters went to a magazine editor, asking for an advance on yet another unwritten novel -- which he described as Crime and Punishment.One of the supreme masterpieces of world literature, Crime and Punishment catapulted Dostoyevsky to the forefront of Russian writers and into the ranks of the world''s greatest novelists. Drawing upon experiences from his own prison days, the author recounts in feverish, compelling tones the story of Raskolnikov, an impoverished student tormented by his own nihilism, and the struggle between good and evil. Believing that he is above the law, and convinced that humanitarian ends justify vile means, he brutally murders an old woman -- a pawnbroker whom he regards as "stupid, ailing, greedy...good for nothing." Overwhelmed afterwards by feelings of guilt and terror, Raskolnikov confesses to the crime and goes to prison. There he realizes that happiness and redemption can only be achieved through suffering. Infused with forceful religious, social, and philosophical elements, the novel was an immediate success. This extraordinary, unforgettable work is reprinted here in the authoritative Constance Garnett translation.

The Possessed (The Devils) by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky

The Idiot is a novel by the 19th-century Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published serially in the journal The Russian Messenger in 1868-69.The title is an ironic reference to the central character of the novel, Prince (Knyaz) Lev Nikolayevich Myshkin, a young man whose goodness, open-hearted simplicity and guilelessness lead many of the more worldly characters he encounters to mistakenly assume that he lacks intelligence and insight. In the character of Prince Myshkin, Dostoevsky set himself the task of depicting "the positively good and beautiful man."[1] The novel examines the consequences of placing such a unique individual at the centre of the conflicts, desires, passions and egoism of worldly society, both for the man himself and for those with whom he becomes involved.

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky

Crime and Punishment is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky.It was first published in the literary journal The Russian Messenger in twelve monthly installments during 1866.It was later published in a single volume. It is the second of Dostoevsky''s full-length novels following his return from ten years of exile in Siberia. Crime and Punishment is considered the first great novel of his "mature" period of writing.The novel is often cited as one of the supreme achievements in literature. Crime and Punishment focuses on the mental anguish and moral dilemmas of Rodion Raskolnikov, an impoverished ex-student in Saint Petersburg who formulates a plan to kill an unscrupulous pawnbroker for her money. Before the killing, Raskolnikov believes that with the money he could liberate himself from poverty and go on to perform great deeds. However, once it is done he finds himself racked with confusion, paranoia, and disgust for his actions. His justifications disintegrate completely as he struggles with guilt and horror and confronts the real-world consequences of his deed.

In September 1867, when Dostoevsky began work on what was to become The Idiot, he was living in Switzerland with his new wife Anna Grigoryevna, having left Russia in order to escape his creditors. They were living in extreme poverty, and constantly had to borrow money or pawn their possessions. They were evicted from their lodgings five times for non-payment of rent, and by the time the novel was finished in January 1869 they had moved between four different cities in Switzerland and Italy. During this time Dostoevsky periodically fell into the grip of his gambling addiction and lost what little money they had on the roulette tables. He was subject to regular and severe epileptic seizures, including one while Anna was going into labor with their daughter Sofia, delaying their ability to go for a midwife. The baby died aged only three months, and Dostoevsky blamed himself for the loss. Dostoevsky''s notebooks of 1867 reveal deep uncertainty as to the direction he was taking with the novel. Detailed plot outlines and character sketches were made, but were quickly abandoned and replaced with new ones. In one early draft, the character who was to become Prince Myshkin is an evil man who commits a series of terrible crimes, including the rape of his adopted sister (Nastasya Filippovna), and who only arrives at goodness by way of his conversion through Christ. By the end of the year, however, a new premise had been firmly adopted. In a letter to Apollon Maykov, Dostoevsky explained that his own desperate circumstances had "forced" him to seize on an idea that he had considered for some time but had been afraid of, feeling himself to be artistically unready for it. This was the idea to "depict a completely beautiful human being". Rather than bring a man to goodness, he wanted to start with a man who was already a truly Christian soul, someone who is essentially innocent and deeply compassionate, and test him against the psychological, social and political complexities of the modern Russian world. It was not only a matter of how the good man responded to that world, but of how it responded to him. Devising a series of scandalous scenes, he would "examine each character''s emotions and record what each would do in response to Myshkin and to the other characters." The difficulty with this approach was that he himself did not know in advance how the characters were going to respond, and thus he was unable to pre-plan the plot or structure of the novel. Nonetheless, in January 1868 the first chapters of The Idiot were sent off to The Russian Messenger. Here is the complete text of the novel with the followings annotations: * Historical context: The Idiot was conceived and created in the late 1860s when the enthusiasm over the liberal reforms of Alexander II was beginning to wane and their results were proving to be unfavorable to many. *literary analysis: The Idiot Analysis. The Idiot explores many universal themes through its premise and its characters. * Fyodor Dostoevsky Quotes: -"To go wrong in one''s own way is better than to go right in someone else''s." -"What is hell? I maintain that it is the suffering of being unable to love." -"I say let the world go to hell, but I should always have my tea." *Biographical Information: Novels and novellas (1846) Poor Folk (1846) The Double (1847) The Landlady (novella) (1849) Netochka Nezvanova (unfinished)...

Demons (pre-reform Russian: post-reform Russian: IPA: sometimes also called The Possessed or The Devils) is a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky, first published in the journal The Russian Messenger in 1871-72. It is considered one of the four masterworks written by Dostoevsky after his return from Siberian exile, along with Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1869), and The Brothers Karamazov (1880). Demons is a social and political satire, a psychological drama, and a large-scale tragedy. Joyce Carol Oates has described it as "Dostoevsky''s most confused and violent novel, and his most satisfactorily ''tragic'' work." According to Ronald Hingley, it is Dostoevsky''s "greatest onslaught on Nihilism", and "one of humanity''s most impressive achievements--perhaps even its supreme achievement--in the art of prose fiction." Demon is an allegory of the potentially catastrophic consequences of the political and moral nihilism that were becoming prevalent in Russia in the 1860s. A fictional town descends into chaos as it becomes the focal point of an attempted revolution, orchestrated by master conspirator Pyotr Verkhovensky. The mysterious aristocratic figure of Nikolai Stavrogin--Verkhovensky''s counterpart in the moral sphere--dominates the book, exercising an extraordinary influence over the hearts and minds of almost all the other characters. The idealistic, Western-influenced generation of the 1840s, epitomized in the character of Stepan Verkhovensky (who is both Pyotr Verkhovensky''s father and Nikolai Stavrogin''s childhood teacher), is presented as the unconscious progenitors and helpless accomplices of the "demonic" forces that take possession of the town.