Crime and Punishment (Full Version)

Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment follows Rodion Raskolnikov, an impoverished ex-student in St. Petersburg who, driven by desperation and a corrosive theory of “extraordinary” men, edges toward an act he believes he can rationalize. What begins as a private experiment in logic and will becomes a spiritual and psychological ordeal, as chance encounters, grinding poverty, and the city’s suffocating atmosphere press in on his already fractured sense of self.

Part thriller, part philosophical tragedy, the novel probes guilt, pride, compassion, and the yearning for redemption. Dostoevsky examines how ideas can intoxicate, how suffering can deepen moral vision, and how human connection—however fragile—can become a lifeline. A landmark of world literature, it remains timeless for its psychological precision and its fierce, unsettling questions about justice, freedom, and what it costs to live with one’s own choices.

• Listeners drawn to psychologically intense classics that explore guilt, morality, and the hidden motives behind human behavior
• Fans of philosophical fiction who enjoy big ethical questions—justice, conscience, and the temptation to justify wrongdoing with “ideas”
• Anyone seeking a richly atmospheric portrait of urban poverty and compassion, where suspense and spiritual inquiry move side by side

Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821–1881) was a Russian novelist whose work transformed the psychological and moral possibilities of fiction. After early success, he was arrested in 1849, subjected to a mock execution, and exiled to Siberia—experiences that deeply shaped his religious and philosophical outlook. His major novels include Notes from Underground, The Idiot, Demons, and The Brothers Karamazov. Renowned for portraying inner conflict, spiritual crisis, and the collision between ideas and lived reality, Dostoevsky remains one of the most influential writers in world literature.