In a provincial Russian town, a group of radicals led by Nikolai Stavrogin and Pyotr Verkhovensky plots a revolutionary conspiracy. They plan to commit murder to bind their members together, targeting the former member Shatov. The novel presents a society disturbed by new ideas: atheism, nihilism and political fanaticism. Stavrogin, a charismatic aristocrat, haunts the story, while characters such as Kirillov, who intends suicide to prove his freedom, show the consequences of ideas pursued to extremes. Dostoevsky based it partly on a real murder case.
A challenging classic for readers interested in the psychology of extremism and the roots of political violence. It suits those prepared to spend time on a long, dense novel with philosophical questions at its center.
Deep, inward-looking, contemplative, open-ended and thought-provoking; a demanding read.
Best for readers like The Wisdom Collector. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2012
- Publisher
- Polirom
- ISBN
- 9789734627875
- Language
- RO
