Inspired by the true story of a political murder that horried Russians in 1869, Fyodor Dostoevsky conceived of Demons as a "novel-pamphlet" in which he would say everything about the plague of materialist ideology that he saw infecting his native land. What emerged was a prophetic and ferociously funny masterpiece of ideology and murder in pre-revolutionary Russia.
Demons: A Novel in Three Parts
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'Volokhonsky's and Pevear's translation brings to the surface all of Dostoevsky's subtle linguistic and nationalist humour, and the copious notes are indispensable for making one's way through the thicket of 19th-century Russian politics' (Kirkus Reviews )
'An outstanding achievement' John Bayley
'As close to Dostoevsky's Russian as is possible in English' (Chicago Tribune )
Required reading for anyone who wants to understand the mind of the terrorist (Sunday Times )
Marvellous...fluid and well-paced translation (Observer ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
'An outstanding achievement' John Bayley
'As close to Dostoevsky's Russian as is possible in English' (Chicago Tribune )
Required reading for anyone who wants to understand the mind of the terrorist (Sunday Times )
Marvellous...fluid and well-paced translation (Observer ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Book Description
'An outstanding achievement' John Bayley
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By Jonathan Birch
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
Demons is intensely depressing and intensely bloody, though its dialogue-driven plotline also contains some of Dostoevsky's cleverest and funniest scenes. The novel (based on a true story) portrays Nihilist terrorists with harrowing realism, and as a result is as relevant as ever today.
This often-forgotten classic is commonly translated as "The Possessed" or the "The Devils". "Demons" makes more sense, and this is just one of the strengths of the magnificent Pevear and Volokhonsky translation. The notes and introduction are excellent, and Pevear and Volokhonsky's attention to detail renders the novel in idiosyncratic, flowing, fantastically readable prose that really shows you the best of Dostoevsky.
This often-forgotten classic is commonly translated as "The Possessed" or the "The Devils". "Demons" makes more sense, and this is just one of the strengths of the magnificent Pevear and Volokhonsky translation. The notes and introduction are excellent, and Pevear and Volokhonsky's attention to detail renders the novel in idiosyncratic, flowing, fantastically readable prose that really shows you the best of Dostoevsky.
33 of 34 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This is the fourth long novel by Dostoevsky that I have read, and for my money by far the best. It concerns the rise of nihilism in the Russian soul in the 1820s and is partially based on a factual murder. Far from being a dull subject the plot is fabulously exciting, and Dostoevsky weaves into it a multilayered examination of how powerful ideas can ensnare peoples will. As ever in Dosteoevsky heavy Christian themes pervade the novel- how can a man do good deeds in a world filled with evil? His narrative artistry - allowing the characters to drive the novel with their dialogue, so that complex ideas gradually flower in the readers mind - works beautifully in this flawless translation. It took me about 6 weeks to read this book and I really felt like it lived with me and grew inside me over that time - not just a read, but a genuine experience. Take a deep breath, and let Dostoevsky into your life!
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By dogme
Format:Paperback
This is Dostoyevsky at his bipolar best - the most hysterically funny and shockingly tragic book ever written, with a twitching, leaping cast of characters all hellishly lit by the brilliant halloween lantern Stavrogin. There is no more original or powerful characterization than this in literature - he appears as a kind of blank slate or ghost who can only be read by reference to the contradictory ways he has influenced, almost 'created' the other amazing characters in the book, as if they were acting out his potential while he remains untouched and spiritually dead. This is the great existentialist figure, eclipsing everything before and since. Not that I'd recommend this book to anyone, if you are worth anything it will haunt you and your dreams forever.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dostoyevsky's Demons Clarified
When I read previous translations of Demons, the titles always were The Possessed, so in each case the translators obscured the novel's meaning. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Ken Brimhall
1.0 out of 5 stars
My Eyes Hurt
I have read many Dostoevsky novels and have come to the conclusion that he is an overrated writer. Demons was the straw that broke the camel's back. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Apotheosisz
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