Преступление и наказание

F. M. Dostoevsky’s novel follows Raskolnikov, Sonya, and others. They move from thoughts of crime toward repentance. They seek to turn away from wrong. The book asks what makes us human. It asks what human life is for.

The tale blends history with ideas about life and thought. It looks at the mind and draws on faith. It also blends drama with tales of crime and detection.

Dostoevsky gives each person a distinct voice. This form is called the polyphonic novel. He does not condemn them. He shares their painful search.

This edition has art by Mikhail Shemyakin. The art draws on his quest to know himself. It also helps explain the novel’s metaphysical meaning: its ideas about what lies beyond the physical world.