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.' ĭemons is an allegory of the potentially catastrophic consequences of the political and moral nihilism that were becoming prevalent in Russia in the 1860s. Demons is a social and political satire, a psychological drama, and large-scale tragedy. 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). Bésy, 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. Edited by Ronald Meyer, this volume also includes a chronology, further reading, notes and a glossary.Demons ( pre-reform Russian: Бѣсы post-reform Russian: Бесы, tr.

Belknap discusses Dostoyevsky's own revolutionary activities, his narrative technique and use of different genres, and the background of Radicalism in Imperial Russia. Maguire's superb translation captures Dostoyevsky's vigorous prose. Partly based on the real-life case of a student murdered by his fellow revolutionaries, Dostoyevsky's sprawling novel is a powerful and prophetic, yet lively and often comic depiction of nineteenth-century Russia, and a savage indictment of the madness and nihilism of those who use violence to serve their beliefs. But when it seems their motley group is about to be discovered, will their recruits be willing to kill one of their own circle in order to cover their tracks? As the ensuing investigation and trial reveal the true identity of the murderer, Dostoyevsky's and everyone's faith in humanity is tested. Together they train terrorists who are willing to go to any lengths to achieve their goals - even if the mission means suicide.

Their aim is to overthrow the Tsar, destroy society and seize power for themselves. Pyotr Verkhovensky and Nikolai Stavrogin are the leaders of a Russian revolutionary cell.

Demons by Fyodor Dostoevsky