
Zločin i kazna
Crime and Punishment (1866), a masterpiece by F. M. Dostoevsky, a Russian genius of profound soul, exploring the limits of evil and redemption. With an afterword by Alexander Flaker.
Rodion Raskolnikov, a poor former student in hot and stuffy St. Petersburg, develops a theory that "exceptional" people are allowed to violate moral laws for the greater good. In his misery, he kills the old moneylender Alena Ivanovna with an axe and robs her, but must also kill her innocent sister Lizaveta as a witness. With the stolen money, he suffers from fever and paranoia, hiding the evidence in a wood hole.
He meets the alcoholic Marmeladov, and sees his daughter Sonya - who supports the family through prostitution - as a symbol of suffering. When her father dies, Raskolnikov helps the poor family. His sister Dunya intends to marry the madman Luzhin for money, which infuriates him. Porfiry Petrovich, a cunning investigator, suspects him and plays a psychological game. Raskolnikov approaches Sonya, reveals his crime to her, and seeks advice - she encourages him to confess.
Svidrigailov, a wealthy madman obsessed with Dunya, learns Raskolnikov's secret and shoots himself after a failed rape attempt. Under pressure, Raskolnikov surrenders, sentenced to eight years of hard labor in Siberia. Sonya accompanies him, reading the Bible to him. In prison, remorse crushes him, but his love for Sonya brings healing - a symbol of the resurrection of the soul.
One copy is available
- Damaged book cover