Most Popular Books by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky is regarded by scholars and critics as one of the most important writers of the nineteenth century. His deeply philosophical novels present a nuanced look at some of the psychological struggles that men and women face. This novel, set against the backdrop of the initial rumblings of revolution in Imperial Russia, delves into the motivations that inspire extreme political ideologies.

Crime and Punishment: Large Printby Fyodor Mikhailovich DostoyevskyThe poverty-stricken Raskolnikov, believing he is exempt from moral law, murders a man only to face the consequences not only from society but from his conscience, in this seminal story of justice, morality, and redemption from one of Russia''s greatest novelists.

Fiódor Dostoiévski Mikháilovitch was born in Moscow in 1821 and died in St. Petersburg in 1881. He is recognized as one of the greatest writers in Soviet and international literature. "Notes from Underground" is Dostoevsky''s darkest and strangest work. The book offers a powerful refutation of Enlightenment and idealism, as well as the promises of socialist utopianism. It boldly rejects the ideas of "development" and "higher consciousness," preferring to describe humans as irrational, rebellious, and uncooperative. According to Nietzsche, it''s a work that expresses "the voice of blood." " Notes from Underground" is a challenging and irresistible novel that deserves recognition as much more than a mere critical prelude to Dostoevsky''s later and more famous works. Rightly so, the work is included in the famous collection " 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die."

"The Idiot" by Fyodor Dostoevsky is a novel written during the late 19th century. The story revolves around Prince Lef Nicolaievitch Muishkin, a young man returning to Russia after spending several years in a Swiss sanatorium for epilepsy. Through the prince, Dostoevsky explores themes of innocence, social dynamics, and the clash between idealism and the harsh realities of life. At the start of the novel, the prince is introduced on a train coming into St. Petersburg, where he meets fellow passengers who engage in conversation about their circumstances and backgrounds. Notably, he encounters Rogojin, a passionate and wealthy man who seems to have a deep interest in a beautiful woman named Nastasia Philipovna. The narrative begins to hint at complex relationships, societal expectations, and Muishkin''s unique perspective on life shaped by his illness and previous isolation. The opening chapters set a stage rich with contrasts between characters and unveil the future pivotal role that love and tragedy will play in the lives of these individuals.

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.

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!

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.

The Life in a Siberian Prison “Whoever has experienced the power and the unrestrained ability to humiliate another human being automatically loses his own sensations. Tyranny is a habit, it has its own organic life, it develops finally into a disease. The habit can kill and coarsen the very best man or woman to the level of a beast. Blood and power intoxicate ... the return of the human dignity, repentance and regeneration becomes almost impossible.” - Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The House of the Dead Written after the author himself experienced four years of hard labor in Siberia, The House of the Dead is the story of one Aleksandr Petrovich Goryanchikov – a gentleman from the noble class – who is deported in Siberia for murdering his wife. At first he can’t adapt to the harsh conditions and to the fellow inmates – mostly member of the lower classes. Eventually however, he starts to see the life in Siberia in a different perspective. Xist Publishing is a digital-first publisher. Xist Publishing creates books for the touchscreen generation and is dedicated to helping everyone develop a lifetime love of reading, no matter what form it takes

The Gambler is a short novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky about a young tutor in the employment of a formerly wealthy Russian general. The novella reflects Dostoevsky''s own addiction to roulette, which was in more ways than one the inspiration for the book. Dostoevsky completed the novella in 1866 under a strict deadline to pay off gambling debts.The Gambler treated a subject Fyodor Dostoevsky himself was familiar with gambling. Fyodor Dostoevsky gambled for the first time at the tables at Wiesbaden in 1862. From that time till 1871, when his passion for gambling subsided, he played at Baden-Baden, Homburg, and Saxon-les-Bains frequently, often beginning by winning a small amount of money and losing far more in the end.

The Gambler is a gripping exploration of obsession, risk, and the destructive allure of chance. Fyodor Dostoevsky delves into the psychology of addiction and the compulsions that drive individuals to the edge, set against the backdrop of a European resort town. Through the experiences of Alexei Ivanovich, a tutor ensnared by both gambling and unrequited love, the novel examines themes of power, fate, and the illusion of control, portraying a world where fortunes shift in an instant. Since its publication, The Gambler has been recognized for its intense psychological depth and incisive portrayal of human weakness. Dostoevsky, who himself struggled with gambling addiction, infuses the narrative with firsthand insight, making it a compelling study of self-destruction and the thrill of risk-taking. The novel''s exploration of the fine line between ambition and recklessness, as well as its critique of social hierarchy and financial desperation, has secured its place as a vital work in Russian literature. The novel''s enduring relevance lies in its ability to dissect the human mind under pressure, revealing the seductive yet ruinous nature of gambling. By illustrating the interplay between personal desire and external forces.

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.

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 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 Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky

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.

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.

The Devils (sometimes also called The Possessed or Demons ) 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 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." Devils 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), are presented as the unconscious progenitors and helpless accomplices of the "demonic" forces that take possession of the town.

How is this book unique? Font adjustments & biography included Unabridged (100% Original content) Illustrated About Poor Folk by Fyodor Dostoevsky With their penetrating psychological insight and their emphasis on human dignity, respect and forgiveness, Dostoyevsky''s early short stories contain the seeds of the themes that came to his major novels. Poor Folk, the author''s first great literary triumph, is the story of a tragic relationship between an impoverished copy clerk and a young seamstress, told through their passionate letters to each other. In The Landlady Dostoyevsky portrays a dreamer hero who is captivated by a curious couple and becomes their lodger. Mr Prokharchin, inspired by a true story, is a sly comedy centring on an eccentric miser, and Polzunkov is a powerful character sketch which, in common with the other tales in this volume, questions the very nature of existence. Lauded as "socially responsible literature" by critics all over the world, "Poor Folk" quickly became a landmark book for its portrayal of the human plight. Through a series of letters exchanged between the characters, "Poor Folk" provides a profound account of the lives of low-income Russians during the mid-nineteenth century.