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Fyodor Dostoyevsky
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Crime and Punishment Paperback – May 25, 2010

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 14,350 ratings
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Crime and Punishment (Russian: Преступление и наказание Prestuplenie i nakazanie) is a novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky that was first published in the literary journal The Russian Messenger in twelve monthly installments. It was later published in a single volume. It is the second of Dostoevsky's full-length novels after he returned from his exile in Siberia, and the first great novel of his mature period. Crime and Punishment focuses on the mental anguish and moral dilemmas of Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, an impoverished St. Petersburg ex-student who formulates and executes a plan to kill a hated, unscrupulous pawnbroker for her money, thereby solving his financial problems and at the same time, he argues, ridding the world of an evil, worthless parasite. Several times throughout the novel, Raskolnikov justifies his actions by relating himself to Napoleon, believing that murder is permissible in pursuit of a higher purpose.
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  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    May 25, 2010
  4. Dimensions
    7 x 0.64 x 10 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1604442271
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1604442274
  7. Lexile measure
    790L
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Indoeuropeanpublishing.com (May 25, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1604442271
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1604442274
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 790L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.17 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 0.64 x 10 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 14,350 ratings

About the author

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Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky (/ˌdɒstəˈjɛfski, ˌdʌs-/; Russian: Фёдор Миха́йлович Достое́вский; IPA: [ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪtɕ dəstɐˈjɛfskʲɪj]; 11 November 1821 – 9 February 1881), sometimes transliterated Dostoevsky, was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist, journalist and philosopher. Dostoyevsky's literary works explore human psychology in the troubled political, social, and spiritual atmosphere of 19th-century Russia. Many of his works are marked by a preoccupation with Christianity, explored through the prism of the individual confronted with life's hardships and beauty.

He began writing in his 20s, and his first novel, Poor Folk, was published in 1846 when he was 25. His major works include Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1869), Demons (1872) and The Brothers Karamazov (1880). His output consists of 11 novels, three novellas, 17 short novels and numerous other works. Many literary critics rate him as one of the greatest psychologists in world literature. His 1864 novella Notes from Underground is considered to be one of the first works of existentialist literature.

Born in Moscow in 1821, Dostoyevsky was introduced to literature at an early age through fairy tales and legends, and through books by Russian and foreign authors. His mother died in 1837, when he was 15, and around the same time he left school to enter the Nikolayev Military Engineering Institute. After graduating, he worked as an engineer and briefly enjoyed a lavish lifestyle, translating books to earn extra money. In the mid-1840s he wrote his first novel, Poor Folk, which gained him entry into St. Petersburg's literary circles.

In the following years, Dostoyevsky worked as a journalist, publishing and editing several magazines of his own and later A Writer's Diary, a collection of his writings. He began to travel around western Europe and developed a gambling addiction, which led to financial hardship. For a time, he had to beg for money, but he eventually became one of the most widely read and highly regarded Russian writers. His books have been translated into more than 170 languages. Dostoyevsky influenced a multitude of writers and philosophers, from Anton Chekhov and Ernest Hemingway to Friedrich Nietzsche and Jean-Paul Sartre.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
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Not the advertised edition
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Not the advertised edition
The book itself is fine, but I did not receive the black copy that I ordered which is displayed. Instead received a red copy.
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Top reviews from the United States

Dan Harlow
5.0 out of 5 stars My love/hate relationship with this novel
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2014
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Never have I had such a love / hate relationship with a novel.

To be fair, there wasn't anything I necessarily hated about Crime and Punishment, rather, there were just so many times I was frustrated with it. In an earlier update I made as I was reading this I compared the book to jazz and as a precursor to novels such as 'Manhattan Transfer' and the modern art movement. I still stand by that statement but I feel Dostoyevsky's novel was more of a fitful start to the 'modern' movement and that it would take a much more conscience effort by later writers to really improve this style of novel writing.

Of course, Dostoyevsky didn't set out to write the first 'modern' novel, but he was reacting to modern life and the freedoms that come with it. And that's the odd thing about this book - the freedom that suffocates our characters. True, most everyone in the book is wretchedly poor and thus shackled by poverty or alcoholism or pride or some other wicked vice, but they're free to decide how to behave in such a setting. Everyone is bothered by regrets; except Sofia (the hooker we never see turn a trick and who has the now over-done 'heart of gold' trope) but they're all regrets that were of their own conscience making. They chose to kill, or be lecherous, or terrible in some other way and they knew it and they all regretted it. There was no one to guide them - everyone in authority was either non existent or corrupt in some way - and so this 'modern' world has to be navigated blind.

And that's the problem. All this freedom is stifling. Nobody knows what to do. Nobody knows if they even have free-will. Nobody has an identity - except, of course, Sofia. Raskolnikov kills two people just to feel something, anything, to see what he's 'made of', what his place in society is and when he gets to Siberia he finally feels free because he now knows his place. And he resents it, which is pretty funny and probably this joked is missed because the rest of the book is so damn depressing, but it's funny that he hates it all but at least he knows what to hate. It's a wonderful joke Dostoyevsky tells here and makes the rest of the book worth it.

So I'm not sure the book could have been written any different, but the claustrophobia of it all, the long soliloquy's that, while fascinating, really go on and on and on and never really resolve anything - which is why it's funny when Razumikhin says we'll talk our way to the truth.

The fact Dostoyevsky was able to pull this novel off is a feat and makes the book earn its place as a true masterpiece. I personally don't think I ever want to revisit it and I'm wary of reading more Dostoyevsky, but I loved that the book challenged me so much and it did have some wonderful moments that are truly unforgettable - the horse beating, the murders, anything concerning Svidrigailov.

As a student of human behavior (and I use the term cautiously after reading this book), Crime and Punishment is a must read for its psychology and for its art. I can't give it 5 stars (so arbitrary, but here we are) because of my own personal tastes, but it is a '5 star' novel in every regard.

I loved it and I hated it; which is why it was almost perfect.
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Tom Dolan
5.0 out of 5 stars Reading so exciting it knocks you out of your armchair!
Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2022
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"Out of Shakespeare, there is no more exciting reading than Dostoevsky" -- Virginia Woolf. I agree. I would like to add that, in all of Dostoevsky, there is no more exciting reading than "Crime and Punishment." Let me take that a step further. In "Crime and Punishment," there is no more exciting reading than Constance Garnett's translation of THE climactic exchange between murderer Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov and detective Porfiry Petrovitch:

" 'Then...who then...is the murderer?' he (Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov) asked in a breathless voice, unable to restrain himself.

" Porfiry Petrovitch sank back in his chair, as though he were amazed at the question. 'Who is the murderer?' he repeated, as though unable to believe his ears. 'Why, you, Rodion Romanovitch! You are the murderer,' he added, almost in a whisper, in a voice of genuine conviction. "

Wow! It just doesn't get any better, any more exciting, any more dramatic than that. Better than any other translator, Constance Garnett knocks the reader out of the armchair!! See for yourself. Compare. I could prove my point by quoting from another translation or two. But that would only bore you. And where's the fun in that? Not there. But here. Here in Chapter Two of Part Six of Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" AS TRANSLATED BY CONSTANCE GARNETT.

I don't care whether a translation is true to the original or not. Truth has no place in the world of dramatic fiction. If a translation improves upon the original, so much the better. Shakespeare improved upon Plutarch, did he not? For those who insist on literal translation, I would advocate for interlinear translation, which would allow us Engloids to "read between the lines" of the Russian original.

I first read Constance Garnett's translation of Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" when I was a student at Boston Latin School, fifty years ago. That translation seems to have gotten better with age. I would like to say the same about my self. But I won't. I can't. Why not? I'll tell you why not! I do not live "in the world of dramatic fiction." That's why not.

Cheers! Happy reading!!

P.S. For more on Dostoevsky and "Crime and Punishment," please see Joseph Frank's "Dostoevsky: the Miraculous Years, 1865-71," and Mikhail Bakhtin's "Problems of Dostoevsky's Poetics."

P.P.S. Eureka! I have found it!! By "it," I mean the "little fact" that Porfiry tells Raskolnikov he (Porfiry) has, but won't reveal. Part Six, Chapter Two. OK. So. Porfiry refuses to tell Raskolnikov what his "little fact" is. Very well. Be that way. I, by contrast, am not so coy. I will tell my fellow Amazonians what Porfiry's "little fact" is. Porfiry's "little fact" is Raskolnikov's phony "pledge" item: a tightly wrapped-and-tied piece of metal-and-wood that Raskolnikov had made at home. Part One, Chapter Six. Raskolnikov told the pawnbroker it was "a silver cigarette case," handed it to her, and then murdered her. Part One, Chapter Seven. It was found in her hand after the murder. Epilogue. So. There you have it. Porfiry's "little fact" you can "get your hands on." Part Six, Chapter Two. How about that! Bingo!! "Never mind all this psychology stuff," as Porfiry might put it. Raskolnikov's phony "pledge" item in the murdered pawnbroker's hand was physical evidence that placed Raskolnikov right there, right then: at the murder scene, at the time of the murder. Got 'im.

SECOND THOUGHTS FROM A DOUBTING THOMAS: We readers of Part One, Chapters Six and Seven, know all about the connection between Raskolnikov and the phony "pledge" item that was found in the pawnbroker's hand after the murder. Epilogue. My guess is that said "pledge" item was the "little fact" that Porfiry mentioned in Part Six, Chapter Two. Be that as it may, I ask myself whether Porfiry would have been able to link that "pledge" item to Raskolnikov -- without the benefit of Raskolnikov's confession!? We readers know that the "pledge" item found in the pawnbroker's hand after the murder was Raskolnikov's homemade decoy. Part One, Chapter Six. It was designed to -- and it did -- absorb all the attention of the pawnbroker. Part One, Chapter Seven. Diverted and pre-occupied with untying and unwrapping the "pledge" item, the pawnbroker became unaware of Raskolnikov as he opened his coat, pulled out his axe, and raised it over her head. Id. After the murder, the "pledge" item was found in the pawnbroker's hand. Epilogue. OK. So. There you have it. The "little fact." Part Six, Chapter Two. The thing "you can get your hands on." Id. That raises this question: Was there anything in, on, or about the "pledge" item that could connect it to Raskolnikov? I don't know the answer to that question. I think I'm so smart. And yet, I'm stumped. I really am. Assuming the "pledge" item found in the hand of the murdered pawnbroker came from the murderer, such a murderer must have known that the pawnbroker made loans secured by "pledge" items. Such knowledge, however, was common knowledge. Everybody knew. But not everybody would be allowed in by the pawnbroker. There were no signs of entry having been forced. So, the pawnbroker must have let the murderer in. Whom would she let in? Someone she knew. A known customer, quite likely. A known customer bearing a "pledge" item. Raskolnikov was the last customer to come forward and claim valuables pawned before the murder. So, in a narrow field of promising suspects (i.e., customers of the pawnbroker), Raskolnikov was the one who stood out. But still! Raskolnikov's delay in coming forward is psychological or behavioral evidence, not physical evidence, not a "thing" that you can "get your hands on." Part Six, Chapter Two. By contrast, the "pledge" item found in the hand of the murdered pawnbroker IS physical evidence. Epilogue. How could Porfiry connect Raskolnikov to that "pledge" item? That is the question. The easy answer is that Raskolnikov's confession made the connection. Epilogue. The more difficult question is this: What if Raskolnikov had not confessed? How could Porfiry have connected Raskolnikov to the "pledge" item found in the murdered pawnbroker's hand? By other physical evidence? By psychological and/or behavioral evidence? By something else? By some other way? I wonder.

I also wonder whether Porfiry's "little fact" might be the stone under which Raskolnikov hid what he had stolen from the pawnbroker. Raskolnikov told Zametov about the stone; Zametov told Porfiry; and Porfiry asked Raskolnikov to leave a note about the stone if he decided to commit suicide. Such a note would give Porfiry a "thing he could get his hands on," together with Raskolnikov's own handwriting connecting him to it.

Oy! All this writing, all this thinking, all this reading, all this . . . What, in the end, what does all this come down to? I am left guessing, wondering, thinking, writing. What if Porfiry's "little fact" was something other than the "pledge"? something other than the stone? something else entirely? something I did not write down? something that did not even occur to me? What then? Who knows? Who can say? I, for one, cannot say. For, I do not know. I want to know. But I do not know. I am left wondering. To this day, this hour, this moment, that is all I can do. I can only wonder. And THAT, to my way of thinking, is not a bad state of mind to be in. Not bad at all. Good, actually. Even wonderful. Yes. Of course. Now I see it clear and say it plain: It is wonderful to wonder!

PENULTIMATE PARAGRAPH: By continually referring to Alyona Ivanova not by her name, but as "the pawnbroker," I took away her identity, her personality, her life. I did not intend to do so. Nor would I want to do so. And yet, I did do so -- unintentionally, inadvertently, not knowing what I did. Unfortunately, this is one of those contexts in which a person is identified not by who they are (Alyona Ivanova) but by what they do (pawnbroker). So, please. Help me out here. Do me a favor. When you read "pawnbroker," think "Alyona Ivanova."

ULTIMATE PARAGRAPH: Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov deserved the death penalty. Alyona Ivanova and her step-sister Lizaveta did not. Their lives were infinitely more valuable and virtuous than his. They did not coldly and calculatedly butcher two innocent defenseless old ladies. He did. They did not deserve to die. He did.
45 people found this helpful
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James T. Barringer
4.0 out of 5 stars Well it's called one of the greatest books of all time.
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2019
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So I had gotten through my life without reading Crime and Punishment or anything else by Dostoevsky, but I always wondered what I was missing. And in college my girlfriend - who was brilliant - loved Dostoevsky, so I figured I should read Crime and Punishment. Well, I set out to finish what I started, and though I'm not a bad reader, I did find it very hard to get through this. I am happy to have read it - I understand what Dostoevsky is about - but I'm not motivated to read others. There are many long, insane internal rants - did I forget to mention these rants are long - really long? - which, you know, I get - that's how people are. That's what actually goes through people's heads, and Dostoevsky captures that. But from cover to cover it seemed just filled with unrelenting and unreasonable unpleasantness, and required determination to get through, instead of depending on a driving curiosity to find out what comes next. But Dostoevsky is highly regarded by so many, you really should read at least one book by Dostoevsky - and it probably should be this one. Though I love the idea of reading The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov - I'm just not sure I can muster up the same determination again. Because, you know, I have other things to get done in this life.
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Cecil Lebbi
5.0 out of 5 stars A very good read
Reviewed in Canada on September 20, 2021
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One of the best stories out there about the human condition . A must read for those who enjoy like good literature .
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RAJESH VYAS
5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary writing skill expresses human hearts
Reviewed in India on March 10, 2024
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A great novel
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Augustin
5.0 out of 5 stars Only read 50pgs of it and I fell in love
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 19, 2023
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Very complex storyline, however beautiful. Very well written and tragic, it really keeps the reader on the edge.
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Stella Stokkou
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Read!
Reviewed in Germany on December 13, 2021
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This was a book for my daughter as she loves crime and murder mysteries, she says that she's enjoying the book.
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Théo Araújo Magalhães
5.0 out of 5 stars Uma das mais profundas análises psicológicas já escritas.
Reviewed in Brazil on September 8, 2020
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O ápice da carreira literária de Dostoievski, esta obra trás um dos personagens mais bem desenvolvidos da literatura, Raskolnikov. Um estudante falido que busca uma justificativa positivista para apossar-se dos bens de uma velha que comprava seus velhos itens de ouro e, após cometer o crime indicado no título do livro, passa por uma série de experiências que o fazem refletir, e, no final, o levam a uma certa forma de castigo. Não é um livro para ser lido só uma vez, cada releitura revela um insight a mais sobre cada um dos personagens tão bem construídos e cada um com seu desfecho próprio. Esta não é uma obra meramente literária, ela é uma crítica de Dostoievski a conceitos tão vigentes no século XIX, em especial o positivismo. A edição em questão traz uma tradução para o inglês sem erros aparentes. Esse é um do marcos da literatura mundial e, deveria, com total certeza, ser lido por todos.
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