Fyodor Dostoevsky

First published in Russian in 1866, "The Gambler", by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, is a gripping narrative of the dangers of gambling. As was common with Dostoyevsky's other writings, he draws upon his own life in a semi-autobiographical way. Dostoyevksy himself suffered from a compulsion to gambling and had to complete "The Gambler" under a strict deadline to pay off his own debts. These first-hand experiences bring a depth of realism to the novel and to...

Notes from the Underground is Fyodor Dostoevsky's ninth novel, and considered to be one of the first examples of the existential novel. In this radically inventive work, an alienated former minor administrator in nineteenth-century Russia has broken away from society and withdrawn into an underground identity. With its piercing insight into political, social, and moral issues, this classic is one of the most provocative work of literature ever written. In...

"¿Por qué hay que leer Crimen y castigo ? Pues porque Crimen y castigo es el producto de un genio cuyo mundo gira entre la muerte y la locura, porque Dostoievski era un tío que retornaba vivo de aquellos tenebrosos mundos (sus ataques) directamente para escribir historias que también puedan ser devoradas por la juventud del siglo XXI. Y porque Fiódor Mijáilovich Dostoievski ha sido el escritor que ha compuesto los análisis psicológicos más...

First published in 1862 after Dostoyevsky's imprisonment in a Siberian labor camp, "The House of the Dead" is a collection of memoirs, related by themes, that portrays the horrific life of convicts. The author drew on his own experiences in prison to depict the squalor, destitution, and severity of a Siberian camp with remorseless detail. Dostoyevsky reveals the characters of many of the other convicts, which includes the depravity many have come...

"The Idiot: Illustrated" is a classic novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky that delves into the complexities of human nature and societal norms. The story follows Prince Lev Nikolayevich Myshkin, a young nobleman known for his innocence, honesty, and compassion, who returns to Russia after spending several years in a Swiss sanatorium for treatment of his epilepsy. As Prince Myshkin navigates the treacherous waters of St. Petersburg society, he encounters...

The Possessed is a novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, first published in the journal The Russian Messenger in 1871—2. It is considered one of the four masterworks written by Dostoyevsky 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 "Dostoyevsky's...

No hay nada de glamour en las salas de juego de la inquietante ciudad-balneario de Ruletenburgo, ni elegantes caballeros de modales refinados, ni vaporosas damas de belleza sin igual. Ni siquiera el brillo del oro apilado. Sólo hay chusma continental: haraganes y golfillas, representantes de la sinvergonzonería europea de alta alcurnia de la época. El ansia por conseguir dinero fácil se disfraza de noble desdén... hasta que la turbación generada...

A collection of short fiction from one of nineteenth-century Russia's greatest novelists, the author of Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov. These short stories offer a dazzling glimpse of life in the Russian Empire and penetrating portraits of unforgettable characters. In the titular story, a lonely man has a chance meeting with a sad young woman. Learning that she is in love with another, the man vows to help them reunite, while...

The story "Uncle's Dream" was written by Dostoyevsky after a five-year exile in Siberia and covers the tale of a provincial family desperate to better itself through a marriage of their daughter to a senile prince. The old man is hoodwinked and almost forced into a wedding that is expected to last for a short period before he dies and leaves his fortune to the young girl. There are complications however with the young girl Zina already in love with...

"The Adolescent" is Fyodor Dostoyevsky's 1875 novel which tells the story of the life of a 19-year-old intellectual, Arkady Dolgoruky, and his conflict with his father. Arkady is the illegitimate child of the controversial and womanizing landowner Versilov and was raised by one of Versilov's serf, the pious Makar Dolgoruky. The novel's primary tension arises between Arkady and Versilov, when Arkady becomes an adult and joins Versilov's family in St....