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Works of Fyodor Dostoevsky: Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, The Brothers Karamazov, The Gambler, The Devils, The Adolescent & more
Fyodor Dostoyevsky novels explored the human psychology of a troubled political/social culture in a way few have ever come close. Collected here are the novels that made him famous. A table of context is included to help you quickly navigate to the work that you want to read.
Works included in the
The Brothers Karamazov
Crime and Punishment
The Crocodile
The Double
The Gambler
A Gentle Spirit
The Grand Inquisitor
The Idiot
Notes from the Underground
Poor Folk
The Possessed
Works included in the
The Brothers Karamazov
Crime and Punishment
The Crocodile
The Double
The Gambler
A Gentle Spirit
The Grand Inquisitor
The Idiot
Notes from the Underground
Poor Folk
The Possessed
3816 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 9, 2012
232 people are currently reading
1106 people want to read
About the author
Fyodor Dostoevsky
3,158 books69.5k followers
Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский
(Russian)
Works, such as the novels Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1869), and The Brothers Karamazov (1880), of Russian writer Feodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky or Dostoevski combine religious mysticism with profound psychological insight.
Very influential writings of Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin included Problems of Dostoyevsky's Works (1929),
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky composed short stories, essays, and journals. His literature explores humans in the troubled political, social, and spiritual atmospheres of 19th-century and engages with a variety of philosophies and themes. People most acclaimed his Demons(1872) .
Many literary critics rate him among the greatest authors of world literature and consider multiple books written by him to be highly influential masterpieces. They consider his Notes from Underground of the first existentialist literature. He is also well regarded as a philosopher and theologian.
(Russian: Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский) (see also Fiodor Dostoïevski)
Works, such as the novels Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1869), and The Brothers Karamazov (1880), of Russian writer Feodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky or Dostoevski combine religious mysticism with profound psychological insight.
Very influential writings of Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin included Problems of Dostoyevsky's Works (1929),
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky composed short stories, essays, and journals. His literature explores humans in the troubled political, social, and spiritual atmospheres of 19th-century and engages with a variety of philosophies and themes. People most acclaimed his Demons(1872) .
Many literary critics rate him among the greatest authors of world literature and consider multiple books written by him to be highly influential masterpieces. They consider his Notes from Underground of the first existentialist literature. He is also well regarded as a philosopher and theologian.
(Russian: Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский) (see also Fiodor Dostoïevski)
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
November 30, 2022
I was rereading my favorite Dostoevsky novel, The Brothers Karamazov. Even thought it was written in 1879 and I was reading the old Garnett translation, it was surprisingly readable, unlike many 19th century novels. Of course there were Christian rants, criticism of Jews, numerous subplots, and long winded passages, but this novel is still worth reading. I did find it challenging to read on a Kindle when it was bundled with other work, though--I prefer to be able to see exactly where I am, and to be able to look back when reading a book this long.
May 22, 2011
FInally finished Crime and Punishment and I was impressed by how modern and full of psychology this novel was. Having been written in the time of the Civil War, and before the seeds of Communism were taking root, I think this was an interesting vision of Russia compared to Count Tolstoy whom I adore, and his vision of the world. Can't do another Russian novel this summer but The Brothers Karamazov might be next on the Russian heavy hitters.
August 27, 2022
Some questions are left unanswered for me!
Has Dostoevsky explained how free will should prevail over authority towards the end? Or was it left open for the reader to think about? I couldn't reach a conclusion in the novel🤷🏻♀️
Has Dostoevsky explained how free will should prevail over authority towards the end? Or was it left open for the reader to think about? I couldn't reach a conclusion in the novel🤷🏻♀️
August 8, 2013
Timeless story. Reveals the good in each person. Bitterness, rivalry, insecurity, hatred, are feelings in the best of us. And there is goodness in the worst of us.
December 18, 2016
Rodion Romanovich, known as Raskolnikov, is a poor, hungry, student drop-out. His father had died and he was the centre of attention for his mother Pulkheria Raskolnikova and his sister Dunya. To them and many others, he was good-looking, very intelligent and with a great future. This had influenced Raskolnikov’s high perception of his own worth: “why do they love me so much, if I don’t deserve it?”
He preserves this certainty throughout the book (though possibly doubts are shown to emerge in the Epilogue). As a superior being he decides to take the life of the pawnbroker both to show that he is able to murder lesser beings and also because her wealth may be used better by him as a great soul.
The murder (and the unplanned killing of the pawnbroker’s sister) prompted the obvious debate as to why? The reasons given above are amended and refined in direct conversations with characters in the book and in Raskolnikov’s subsequent thoughts and agonies. This is the heart of the book. However, the literal translation of the title is “Stepping Across”, which suggests the long journey he has before in the end he has crossed and achieved peace.
This matter of translation is always difficult unless one knows the language of the author. There have been eleven known translations into English of the book, published in Russia in 1866, starting with Whitshaw in 1885, then Garnett in 1914 and so far finishing with Ready in 2014. The first two may well have recognised this as a mid 19th century book. This would have been helpful as the reader expects the flavour of other authors of the same period. The more recent translations have sought to give the flavour of Russia. As a detail “I do not give a spit” is clearly a Russian idiom and works. To refer to “pubs”sounds 20th century British and is, we thought, a mistake.
Some clues are lost to the English speaker. Thus the characters’ names have in some cases other meanings in Russian. And also colours are clues: yellow denotes suffering. Blue eyes suggest genuineness. So Raskolnikov’s inspiration and spiritual rescuer Sonya has blue eyes and dresses in yellow. However, one of the most interesting figures, Svidrigailov also has blue eyes. We debated what this was about. Mostly the group thought he was a murderer and a sexual predator. A few simply concluded that he was a great literary creation who had generous impulses suggesting compassion and who killed himself out of guilt.
There is a fascinating comparison between him and Raskolnikov. A notebook entry by Dostoevsky is that: “Svidrigailov is despair, the most cynical. Sonia is hope, the most unrealizable…. He [Raskolnikov] became passionately attached to both”. But there can be a big gap between the simplicity of the original idea and the subtleties of the finished work. To an extent artists create characters and then struggle with them to bring the book to the intended conclusion!
The novel may be seen as a group of incidents developing from minute detail through a very gradual build up of tension into dramatic conclusions. This is obvious with the central murders, but may also be seen in the funeral banquet leading to the death of Katerina Ivanovna, and also seen in the interrogations of Raskolnikov by the detective Porfiry Petrovich. The same applies to the meeting between Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov leading to the latter’s encounter with Dunya, Sonya, and his bride-to-be, and culminating in his suicide.
This is how the novel moves, from a slow pace until one is totally immersed and then on to a quite different mood. We discussed how this happened, and noted that “Crime and Punishment” may have started as a novella. Then Dostoyevsky incorporated much of an earlier book “The Drunkards”, and parts of a Pushkin story, and finally adapted it for serialisation. The end product is a complex but brilliant work of art.
We pondered the impact of Religion. Here Sonia, despite having her “yellow ticket” as a prostitute, is the committed Christian. Others adopt only the form. The priests seem to be functionaries. Raskolnikov is asked to read the Biblical passage about the resurrection of Lazarus in a moving scene with Sonya. In prison he has the Bible unread under his pillow. But this surely reflects Russian society at that time. It is claimed that Sonya is the vehicle of divine intervention and that God guides him through self-discovery, confession, punishment and finally peace. Evidently Dostoyevsky claimed this was his intention, and also had very much in his sights the fashionable English utilitarian philosophies which he saw as inimical to the truths of the Russian Orthodox Church.
But was that what actually inspired his imagination when he was writing it? If it were a work of art we would say that it is not what the artist intended with his conscious mind, but how we see the work of art, shaped by the artist’s imagination, feelings and unconscious, that matters. And the same applies to literature (a simple idea enshrined in the grand-sounding critical concept of “The Intentional Fallacy”).
There can be no disputing that the opposition of utilitarian and Christian thinking informed some of the plotting and the characters (the ruthlessly mocked Luzhin, for example, is a fan of utilitarian thinking, and Raskolnikov’s ghastly and arrogant belief about his superiority and right to murder is at some points attributed to utilitarian thinking). But we do not read this novel for an exposition of nineteenth century philosophy. We read it for its unremitting tension, for its brilliant cast of characters, for its insights into human psychology, morals and foibles, for its evocation of immense poverty and what it drives people to: in a nutshell, for its insight into the human condition.
We also noted the shaping and balance of the book, which shows, in addition to all his other talents, a superb craftsman at work. Parts I-III present the rational, proud Raskolnikov, and parts IV-VI the emerging irrational, humble Raskolnikov. The first half shows the progressive death of the first ruling principle, and the second the progressive birth of the new ruling principle. The change happens half way through giving a mirror like image. Parts I, III and V deal with his family life, and II, IV and VI with his dealings with the authorities and his father figures.
What then of psychology? Here Raskolnikov is a victim both in his own thoughts and in his debates with Porfiry. However, while he changed his account of his motives, was this a progress towards self-awareness? It seems more an attempt to fob off others, in particular Sonya. However, few novels are so rooted in the soul of the main character. It may have influenced Camus in his book “L’Etranger”.
And politics? Dostoyevsky was sentenced to face the firing squad as a result of political associations (although the sentence was commuted at the last minute by the Tsar). He was not writing as a casual observer. The great changes that affected Russia at the time figure in a number of conversations. Off stage there is a commune linked to Lebezyatnikov. This adds spice, but is only illuminating in a historical context. St Petersburg was busy to the point of turmoil and the main characters were also in turmoil. Did one reflect the other?
The conclusion of the book is strictly moral. If critics at the time did not think so they have not given proper attention to it. Had the ending been with Raskolnikov simply giving himself up, we would possibly conclude that he thought he was right to murder, but had been too weak in living through the consequences. In the Epilogue Dostoyevsky makes quite clear that a good woman saves him. The style here is different. Some thought a modern novel would have been better without it. The message is delivered in a perfunctory manner. So far as we know nobody has suggested that his publisher or a friend told him to make sure the message was a wholesome one. He was possibly in the process of moving to the political right at the time he wrote it. Possibly he was simply convincing himself that Sonya was the saint, and Raskolnikov had come to heel……
This is an extract from a Monthly Book Group review at: https://monthlybookgroup.wordpress.com/ Our reviews are also to be found at http://monthlybookgroup.blogspot.co.uk/
He preserves this certainty throughout the book (though possibly doubts are shown to emerge in the Epilogue). As a superior being he decides to take the life of the pawnbroker both to show that he is able to murder lesser beings and also because her wealth may be used better by him as a great soul.
The murder (and the unplanned killing of the pawnbroker’s sister) prompted the obvious debate as to why? The reasons given above are amended and refined in direct conversations with characters in the book and in Raskolnikov’s subsequent thoughts and agonies. This is the heart of the book. However, the literal translation of the title is “Stepping Across”, which suggests the long journey he has before in the end he has crossed and achieved peace.
This matter of translation is always difficult unless one knows the language of the author. There have been eleven known translations into English of the book, published in Russia in 1866, starting with Whitshaw in 1885, then Garnett in 1914 and so far finishing with Ready in 2014. The first two may well have recognised this as a mid 19th century book. This would have been helpful as the reader expects the flavour of other authors of the same period. The more recent translations have sought to give the flavour of Russia. As a detail “I do not give a spit” is clearly a Russian idiom and works. To refer to “pubs”sounds 20th century British and is, we thought, a mistake.
Some clues are lost to the English speaker. Thus the characters’ names have in some cases other meanings in Russian. And also colours are clues: yellow denotes suffering. Blue eyes suggest genuineness. So Raskolnikov’s inspiration and spiritual rescuer Sonya has blue eyes and dresses in yellow. However, one of the most interesting figures, Svidrigailov also has blue eyes. We debated what this was about. Mostly the group thought he was a murderer and a sexual predator. A few simply concluded that he was a great literary creation who had generous impulses suggesting compassion and who killed himself out of guilt.
There is a fascinating comparison between him and Raskolnikov. A notebook entry by Dostoevsky is that: “Svidrigailov is despair, the most cynical. Sonia is hope, the most unrealizable…. He [Raskolnikov] became passionately attached to both”. But there can be a big gap between the simplicity of the original idea and the subtleties of the finished work. To an extent artists create characters and then struggle with them to bring the book to the intended conclusion!
The novel may be seen as a group of incidents developing from minute detail through a very gradual build up of tension into dramatic conclusions. This is obvious with the central murders, but may also be seen in the funeral banquet leading to the death of Katerina Ivanovna, and also seen in the interrogations of Raskolnikov by the detective Porfiry Petrovich. The same applies to the meeting between Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov leading to the latter’s encounter with Dunya, Sonya, and his bride-to-be, and culminating in his suicide.
This is how the novel moves, from a slow pace until one is totally immersed and then on to a quite different mood. We discussed how this happened, and noted that “Crime and Punishment” may have started as a novella. Then Dostoyevsky incorporated much of an earlier book “The Drunkards”, and parts of a Pushkin story, and finally adapted it for serialisation. The end product is a complex but brilliant work of art.
We pondered the impact of Religion. Here Sonia, despite having her “yellow ticket” as a prostitute, is the committed Christian. Others adopt only the form. The priests seem to be functionaries. Raskolnikov is asked to read the Biblical passage about the resurrection of Lazarus in a moving scene with Sonya. In prison he has the Bible unread under his pillow. But this surely reflects Russian society at that time. It is claimed that Sonya is the vehicle of divine intervention and that God guides him through self-discovery, confession, punishment and finally peace. Evidently Dostoyevsky claimed this was his intention, and also had very much in his sights the fashionable English utilitarian philosophies which he saw as inimical to the truths of the Russian Orthodox Church.
But was that what actually inspired his imagination when he was writing it? If it were a work of art we would say that it is not what the artist intended with his conscious mind, but how we see the work of art, shaped by the artist’s imagination, feelings and unconscious, that matters. And the same applies to literature (a simple idea enshrined in the grand-sounding critical concept of “The Intentional Fallacy”).
There can be no disputing that the opposition of utilitarian and Christian thinking informed some of the plotting and the characters (the ruthlessly mocked Luzhin, for example, is a fan of utilitarian thinking, and Raskolnikov’s ghastly and arrogant belief about his superiority and right to murder is at some points attributed to utilitarian thinking). But we do not read this novel for an exposition of nineteenth century philosophy. We read it for its unremitting tension, for its brilliant cast of characters, for its insights into human psychology, morals and foibles, for its evocation of immense poverty and what it drives people to: in a nutshell, for its insight into the human condition.
We also noted the shaping and balance of the book, which shows, in addition to all his other talents, a superb craftsman at work. Parts I-III present the rational, proud Raskolnikov, and parts IV-VI the emerging irrational, humble Raskolnikov. The first half shows the progressive death of the first ruling principle, and the second the progressive birth of the new ruling principle. The change happens half way through giving a mirror like image. Parts I, III and V deal with his family life, and II, IV and VI with his dealings with the authorities and his father figures.
What then of psychology? Here Raskolnikov is a victim both in his own thoughts and in his debates with Porfiry. However, while he changed his account of his motives, was this a progress towards self-awareness? It seems more an attempt to fob off others, in particular Sonya. However, few novels are so rooted in the soul of the main character. It may have influenced Camus in his book “L’Etranger”.
And politics? Dostoyevsky was sentenced to face the firing squad as a result of political associations (although the sentence was commuted at the last minute by the Tsar). He was not writing as a casual observer. The great changes that affected Russia at the time figure in a number of conversations. Off stage there is a commune linked to Lebezyatnikov. This adds spice, but is only illuminating in a historical context. St Petersburg was busy to the point of turmoil and the main characters were also in turmoil. Did one reflect the other?
The conclusion of the book is strictly moral. If critics at the time did not think so they have not given proper attention to it. Had the ending been with Raskolnikov simply giving himself up, we would possibly conclude that he thought he was right to murder, but had been too weak in living through the consequences. In the Epilogue Dostoyevsky makes quite clear that a good woman saves him. The style here is different. Some thought a modern novel would have been better without it. The message is delivered in a perfunctory manner. So far as we know nobody has suggested that his publisher or a friend told him to make sure the message was a wholesome one. He was possibly in the process of moving to the political right at the time he wrote it. Possibly he was simply convincing himself that Sonya was the saint, and Raskolnikov had come to heel……
This is an extract from a Monthly Book Group review at: https://monthlybookgroup.wordpress.com/ Our reviews are also to be found at http://monthlybookgroup.blogspot.co.uk/
December 14, 2021
Dostoevsky spoiled god by becoming one!
January 5, 2022
The best!
March 6, 2023
A very well written book. Dostoevsky has an incredible ability to create believable characters. Their stories were intriguing, fun and engaging. I would highly recommend this book.
October 28, 2023
I don't believe in God
But there would be no civilization at all if God had not been invented, cognac also would not have been invented
But there would be no civilization at all if God had not been invented, cognac also would not have been invented
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2024
This took me way longer than usual to finish, although I'm happy I've read this classic and important piece of fiction. Really enjoyed The Brothers of Karamazov, Crime and Punishment and The Idiot.
October 24, 2024
Amazing, read the brothers karamazov first tho its better
Read
December 29, 2024Good book
June 28, 2020
As it is about a millennium since I last read Dostoevsky I started with The Landlady, thinking to read other stuff between stories. It was so good I have leapt straight into Crime and Punishment.
December 1, 2011
I admit, I read this because it was a 'Classic'.
And I only give it 3 stars because...WHERE WAS THE EDITOR?
If this novel went to a publisher today, without the aura of 'classic' I guarantee it would have been cut by a third, and been better for it.
I didn't see the protagonist progress: he was self-absorbed, alienated with a severe case of adolescent angst before he committed the murder, and afterwards he carried on with a mixture of wanting to retire to his bed with not wanting to wash too much or communicate with his relatives.
Typical university student. How many pages of this reiteration did I have to read - I got it, he wasn't a happy bunny. (And ok yes, in the afterword he surprisingly decided to grow up and see beyond himself).
I just think this relentlessness was a shame, because it got in the way of the wonderful characterisations, the depiction of horrific poverty, especially where it concerned dependent women and children (the later revolution began to make sense in this context). The idea of the novel was fascinating - to carry out murders being acceptable if you are a winning 'Napoleon'.
Just sometimes, less is more.
And I only give it 3 stars because...WHERE WAS THE EDITOR?
If this novel went to a publisher today, without the aura of 'classic' I guarantee it would have been cut by a third, and been better for it.
I didn't see the protagonist progress: he was self-absorbed, alienated with a severe case of adolescent angst before he committed the murder, and afterwards he carried on with a mixture of wanting to retire to his bed with not wanting to wash too much or communicate with his relatives.
Typical university student. How many pages of this reiteration did I have to read - I got it, he wasn't a happy bunny. (And ok yes, in the afterword he surprisingly decided to grow up and see beyond himself).
I just think this relentlessness was a shame, because it got in the way of the wonderful characterisations, the depiction of horrific poverty, especially where it concerned dependent women and children (the later revolution began to make sense in this context). The idea of the novel was fascinating - to carry out murders being acceptable if you are a winning 'Napoleon'.
Just sometimes, less is more.
August 15, 2012
No doubt, Dostoevsky is the best author ever! among all things that I've learnt from him, I should refer to that huge impression which reading Brothers Karamazov made upon me. after reading this novel, all aspects of my life changed! I became homesick and then, being so depressed, decided to kill myself, and I tried once, but... .
Ivan made me sick. but, after two years, I read the book once again. this time I really enjoyed it. I'm happy now, perhaps due to the reading of his other novels, especially The Devils. The Poor Folk, Dostoevsky's first novel, is recommended. everytime I read this, I cry and cry for days.
Ivan made me sick. but, after two years, I read the book once again. this time I really enjoyed it. I'm happy now, perhaps due to the reading of his other novels, especially The Devils. The Poor Folk, Dostoevsky's first novel, is recommended. everytime I read this, I cry and cry for days.
August 8, 2013
The Idiot, the Brothers Karamazov, Bobok the Gambler, a nasty story and the classic Crime and Punishment and other amazing tales. Dostoyevsky was the best of the best and a capable writer able to transmit the sense of Russian pathos, with a flourish.
Crime and Punishment s man murders his landlady. Skilfully developed so that one is allowed to see into the mind of the killer in order to understand, somewhat and even sympathize (to an extent) with his motivations. Many ranged of human depravity are encompassed. An excellent work.
Crime and Punishment s man murders his landlady. Skilfully developed so that one is allowed to see into the mind of the killer in order to understand, somewhat and even sympathize (to an extent) with his motivations. Many ranged of human depravity are encompassed. An excellent work.
June 9, 2011
Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky (Don't ever read the Constance Garrett translation) is a book that will thrill you, irritate you, and entertain you. The murder scene is the best one I have every read, and I love murder stories. I actually was hoping he could escape the murder room. Every time I read this book, I get sweaty palms as he waiting to leave the murder.
August 8, 2011
Rereading The Brothers Karamazov. I wasn't awake enough while I read the second half of the book. ;)
Thoroughly enjoyed his short stories.
Great to have on my kindle so that I always have something to read.
Thoroughly enjoyed his short stories.
Great to have on my kindle so that I always have something to read.
November 11, 2008
"I am a sick man... I am a spiteful man"
And with these first words, the novel itself is summed up!
And with these first words, the novel itself is summed up!
Read
December 4, 2008Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky (1984)
January 28, 2011
One of my favourite authors, all of these are amazing
July 26, 2011
Only read The Gambler. Enjoyed it
Want to read
September 10, 2011I will probably never get around to this. However, I can think about reading it.
January 18, 2013
Read Crime and Punishment 3 times over the years. And will probable read again soon. Never read any of his other works. But maybe one day.
multiple-works
October 24, 2015Reviews and ratings under individual titles.
For Crime and Punishment, see my review here: Crime and Punishment
For Crime and Punishment, see my review here: Crime and Punishment
March 7, 2013
Great book! After I read it I watched the Peter Lorre version of the movie. He nailed it!
June 27, 2017
My 5th time reading this book.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews