Showing results by author "Fyodor Dostoevsky" in All Categories

The Brothers Karamazov Redux presents Dostoevsky’s towering masterpiece in a newly ignited form, amplifying the emotional, philosophical, and spiritual power of the original while sharpening its raw immediacy for a modern listener.

Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novella, White Nights, was originally published in 1848. The tender narrative is an appealing blend of realism and romanticism. A daydreamer, the hero is a lonely young man in Saint Petersburg who lives in a fantasy world. After a chance encounter, he falls in love with a young woman, Nastenka, whom he meets in the same place over four nights. Sharing a sense of alienation, they exchange information on their respective backgrounds and grow fond of one another in a short time.

A century after it first appeared, Crime and Punishment remains one of the most gripping psychological thrillers. A poverty stricken young man, seeing his family making sacrifices for him, is faced with an opportunity to solve his financial problems with one simple but horrifying act: the murder of a pawnbroker. She is, he feels, just a parasite on society. But does the end justify the means?

Published in 1862 by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky, The House of the Dead tells the story of life in a 19th century Russian prison. Narrated by the fictional character, Alexander Goryanchikov, this audiobook provides the listener with a firsthand account of life in a Russian prison. The author portrays his fellow inmates with sympathy and, at times, even admiration. By the time Fyodor Dostoevsky was released, he concluded that Russia's prison system was tragic beyond reason.

A desperate young man plans the perfect crime - the murder of a despicable pawnbroker, an old woman no one loves and no one will mourn. Is it not just, he reasons, for a man of genius to commit such a crime - to transgress moral law - if it will ultimately benefit humanity? So begins one of the greatest novels ever written: a powerful psychological study, a terrifying murder mystery, and a fascinating detective thriller infused with philosophical, religious, and social commentary.

Dostoevsky studied human nature with passion and precision. He plumbed the depths and never winced at what he found, even when it was beyond his understanding. This extraordinary novel is a recital of his findings, told in the story of four brothers: Dimitri, pleasure-seeking, impatient, unruly; Ivan, brilliant and morose; Alyosha, gentle, loving, honest; and the illegitimate Smerdyakov, sly, silent, cruel. What give this story its dramatic grip is the part these brothers play in their father's murder.

Notes from the Underground is an 1864 existentialist novella written by the Russian author, Fyodor Dostoyevsky. The speaker, an unknown yet common type of man, writes in first person about his views on Western philosophy, as well as his stark analysis of his own life. The work is written as the ramblings of this retired government employee who seems to have a very pessimistic yet honest opinion on his own life, as well as the world as seen through his eyes.

Fyodor Dostoevsky’s "A Faint Heart" (1848) is a short story about two close friends, Arkady Ivanovitch Nefedevitch and Vasya Shumkov. After a lengthy rumination on their names, Dostoevsky recounts the tale of how one of them is so overwhelmed by his good fortunate and happiness that he becomes consumed by it. The prospect of marrying his sweetheart brings him such euphoric joy that he experiences a masochistic transformation because the world wasn’t equally happy. So he ends up in an institution and his bride-to-be marries another.

Raskolnikov, a destitute and desperate former student, wanders through the slums of St Petersburg and commits a random murder without remorse or regret. He imagines himself to be a great man, a Napoleon: acting for a higher purpose beyond conventional moral law. But as he embarks on a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a suspicious police investigator, Raskolnikov is pursued by the growing voice of his conscience and finds the noose of his own guilt tightening around his neck.

A poignant tale of love and loneliness takes place during the 'White Nights' of St. Petersburg: a time in the summer months when the nights do not darken beyond twilight due to the city's northern location. The story is told by an unnamed narrator, a young man of 26, a self-professed dreamer and introvert, who lives alone in St. Petersburg. Wandering the streets at night he meets a young lady, lonely like himself, and they strike up a friendship. Meeting on successive nights the friendship develops and begins to show signs of love.

Inside this delightful collection, you'll uncover seven tales from literary legends whose work shaped the world of writing. From gothic horror to existentialist reflections on life and society, inside you'll also find your fair share of adventures, fantastical places, compelling characters, and moral lessons.

Raskolnikov, a student in St. Petersburg, murders an old woman, a money-lender, to prove his theory that violence purifies the strong. But no sooner is the deed done than Raskolnikov begins to feel remorse. What follows is one of the greatest psychological studies in world literature.

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky is considered one of the greatest Russian writers. His works have had a profound and lasting effect on 20th-century literature. His psychological penetration into the human soul had, in novels like Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov, a profound influence on the 20th century novel. He also wrote a number of brilliant short stories along these same lines. "The Wedding" is one of his best.

White Nights is a short story by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, published in 1848, early in the writer’s career. The story tells about unfortunate young man who is lonely and shy. He strolls the streets of 1840s Saint Petersburg contemplating his solitude when he happens upon a young woman in tears.

Devils, by Fyodor Dostoevsky, is a classic political satire exploring the effects of imported European ideologies such as atheism and nihilism on Christian Russia. Based on the true-life political murder of Ivan Ivanov by the revolutionary Sergey Nechayev, Dostoevsky wrote this tale of society scandals, doomed marriages and fatally misguided idealism after returning from exile in Siberia.

A predecessor to such monumental works as Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov, Notes from the Underground represents a turning point in Fyodor Dostoevsky's writing toward the more political side. In this work, we follow the unnamed narrator of the story, who, disillusioned by the oppression and corruption of the society in which he lives, withdraws from that society into the underground.

This is the story of Yakov Petrovich Golyadkin, a government clerk who believes that a fellow clerk has taken over his identity and is determined to bring about his ruin. Considered the most Gogolesque of Dostoevsky's works, the novella brilliantly depicts Golyadkin's descent into madness in a way that is hauntingly poetic. The Double illustrates Dostoevsky's uncanny ability at capturing the complexity of human emotion, especially the darker side of the human psyche.

Young Prince Mishkin is that rare thing - a "completely beautiful human being". He is honest, humble, generous, and selfless, but unfortunately these traits mean he is often mistaken for an idiot. Upon his return to St. Petersburg, after being away at a Swiss sanatorium for the treatment of epilepsy, Prince Mishkin is taken under the wing of the wife of General Yepanchin, who arranges for him to live with the family of her money-obsessed friend Ganya.

Crime and Punishment is a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky that was first published in 1866. By closely examining the internal conflicts of his protagonist, Raskolnikov, Dostoevsky explores themes of guilt and redemption. The novel suggests that redemption is possible only through confession of guilt and an acceptance of personal responsibility for one’s thoughts and actions alike.

Главный герой романа, девятнадцатилетний подросток Аркадий Макарович Долгорукий, переезжает в Петербург после окончания гимназии. Он сразу же оказывается вовлечён в череду интриг и сложных взаимоотношений с родным отцом Андреем Петровичем Версиловым, связанных с положением незаконнорожденного Долгорукого.