Fyodor Dostoevsky: Crime and Punishment. The Idiot

The novels "Crime and Punishment" and "The Idiot," along with "Demons," "The Adolescent," and "The Brothers Karamazov," make up what is known as Fyodor Dostoevsky's "pentateuch": their role in world literature is compared in significance to the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch of Moses. Deeply social and yet addressing the fundamental questions of existence, these novels largely changed our understanding of the possibilities of literature and the nature of man. The first of these great works by Dostoevsky was the novel "Crime and Punishment" (1866). It was conceived as a "psychological account of a single crime," yet the author moved far beyond his original plans, compelling the reader to reflect on sin and redemption, on the boundaries of what is permissible, and on spiritual death and resurrection. Dostoevsky formulated the main idea of the novel "The Idiot" (1868) as follows: "...To depict a positively good man. There is nothing more difficult than this in the world, and especially now." The "Prince-Christ" goes forth to preach, and Dostoevsky invests his own cherished thoughts on the Russian soul and faith into his words.

Author: Fyodor Dostoevsky

Pages: 1120 (offset). Hardcover

Dimensions: 220x150x46 mm

Series: Russian Literature. Big Books