The Devils (The Possessed)

Fyodor Dostoevsky was a Russian novelist, essayist, and philosopher. He was born in Moscow on November 11, 1821. His father was a doctor, and his mother came from a noble family. Fyodor was the second of seven children and was raised in a religious household, which would have a significant impact on his writing. In 1837, Dostoevsky enrolled in the St. Petersburg Academy of Military Engineering, but his true passion was literature. He began to write and publish his works while still a student. His first novel, Poor Folk, was published in 1846 to critical acclaim. However, his involvement in a political group known as the Petrashevsky Circle would change the course of his life.

The Petrashevsky Circle was a group of liberal-minded intellectuals who met regularly to discuss politics and literature. Dostoevsky joined the group in 1847 and became a vocal member, advocating for reform and criticizing the government’s policies. The group’s activities attracted the attention of the authorities and, in 1849, they were arrested and charged with sedition. Dostoevsky was sentenced to death along with several other members of the group. At the last moment, the sentence was commuted to hard labor in Siberia. He spent four years in a prison camp in Omsk, where he was forced to work in a factory and was subjected to harsh conditions. The experience had a profound impact on him. While in the camp, Dostoevsky became committed to a deeply conservative ideal of the Orthodox faith, turning his back on his former liberal views. His semi-autobiographical novel, The House of the Dead, is based on his experiences in the camp.

In 1854, Dostoevsky’s sentence was commuted, and he was allowed to return to St. Petersburg. However, he was still under surveillance and was not allowed to publish any works without their approval. Despite these restrictions, Dostoevsky continued to write and published a number of works—including Notes from Underground and Crime and Punishment—which are considered classics of Russian literature. Devils is considered one of his four great novels and perhaps most explicitly addresses his experiences with political radicals. As in the Petrashevsky Circle, a small band of revolutionaries attempt to bring about change. One of the novel’s chapters—“At Tikhon’s”—was censored by the authorities for being too bleak but is now included in most modern editions of Devils. This guide incorporates “At Tikhon’s” into the main text.

Dostoevsky’s writings often explored themes of morality, religion, and human psychology. He was deeply influenced by his Christian faith and believed that true happiness could only be achieved through suffering and redemption. He also had a deep empathy for the poor and marginalized, which is reflected in many of his works. In addition to his literary works, Dostoevsky was also involved in politics and social issues; as time went on he became a vocal advocate for the idea of Russian Orthodoxy and Slavic culture as being a spiritually superior civilization to the West, which he regarded as decadent. Many of the polemical essays he wrote appeared in a periodical he founded in the 1870s, which were later collected and published in the 20th century as A Writer’s Diary. His most famous and last major work of fiction, The Brothers Karamazov, appeared in 1880. He died the following year of a pulmonary hemorrhage, after years of ill health. He was buried at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery in St. Petersburg; his funeral was attended by thousands of mourners.

His works have since been translated into numerous languages and have had a lasting impact on world literature. Along with his contemporary Leo Tolstoy, he is considered one of the greatest Russian novelists.