Crime and Punishment

“Accept suffering and achieve atonement through it — that is what you must do.”

We’ll start with Crime and Punishment first. One of the most well-known Dostoevsky books, it immerses you in the psychological turmoil of the anti-hero Rodion Raskolnikov, who faces the consequences of his heinous crime. After imagining himself an extraordinary man capable of committing crimes for a higher purpose, he kills an elderly pawnbroker, “a small, dried-up miserable old woman, about sixty years old, with piercing, malicious little eyes, a small sharp nose, and her bare head” with an ax. He feels guilty and nervous and finally confesses his crime. After the trial, he is sent to penal servitude. The novel is way more than conventional detective fiction because it explores the intricate moral aspects of human behavior. So, are you ready to confront all the complex topics of the book through its characters? It won’t be an easy read. After all, it’s not considered one of Dostoevsky’s most influential and philosophical novels for no reason.

Notes from Underground

“When… in the course of all these thousands of years has man ever acted in accordance with his own interests?”

Next on the list of the best Fyodor Dostoevsky books is Notes from Underground. It’s a story about a lonely, unnamed narrator, generally referred to as the Underground Man. The story is divided into two parts. In the first part, the narrator talks about his thoughts and opinions. In the second part, he tells us some stories about his experiences with other people. The book reflects the narrator’s struggle against the idea that everything in life is predetermined. It’s a criticism of a popular philosophy in Russia at the time, particularly Nikolay Chernyshevsky’s What Is to Be Done? The Underground Man is a complex character who is both criticized for his negative attitude toward life and admired for his intelligence and his insights into human nature. This book is considered a very important work in Russian literature and one of the first works of existentialist literature. It has been translated into English many times, so we recommend giving it a try. 

The Brothers Karamazov

“Above all, avoid falsehood, every kind of falsehood, especially falseness to yourself. Watch over your own deceitfulness and look into it every hour, every minute.”

Next, we’ll move on to a monumental Dostoevsky’s work, The Brothers Karamazov. It’s his final and probably the greatest novel, published just a few months before his death in 1881. The story revolves around the lives of the Karamazov brothers: Dmitri, Ivan, Alyosha, and the illegitimate Smerdyakov. Their father, Fyodor, is murdered, and Dmitri becomes the prime suspect in the crime. We could say that it’s just a gripping family drama; however, there’s way more to The Brothers Karamazov. It’s a philosophical exploration of questions about God, free will, and morality, a book rich in symbolism and psychological depth.

The Idiot

“A fool with a heart and no sense is just as unhappy as a fool with sense and no heart.”

 The Idiot is considered Dostoevsky’s most autobiographical work, with Prince Myshkin (Lev Nikolayevich Myshkin), at the center of the story. He’s childlike and pure-hearted, and his innocence and moral idealism contrast with what he sees in the high society. Prince Myshkin represents Dostoevsky’s vision of the “positively beautiful man,” and through his character, Dostoevsky conveys his core beliefs and ideals. Although he’s the protagonist, the book features many other fascinating characters. After all, Dostoevsky’s character development skills are unmatched. Overall, The Idiot remains relevant even after nearly two centuries since its publication, and we do recommend reading it. Don’t be scared by the number of pages; the book is so worth it.

Demons (or The Possessed)

“It seems, in fact, as though the second half of a man’s life is usually made up of nothing but the habits he has accumulated during the first half.”

The last book of the five we wanted to discuss in this post is Demons. This specific novel explores the chaos caused by revolutionary ideologies and nihilism in pre-revolutionary Russia. It was inspired by a real political murder that occurred in Russia in 1869. Through its characters and their philosophies, Dostoevsky critiques the destructive potential of utopian thinking and positivist ideologies. In the tale, the people of a provincial town turn against one another because they are convinced of the infallibility of their ideas. In Demons, Dostoevsky constructs characters that are separated by their beliefs but, at the same time, united by their outsized self-importance, laziness, and narcissism. From a modern-day perspective, the book is prophetic because Dostoevsky predicted what would happen to Russia almost half a century before it actually happened.