Demons

Demons (also translated as The Possessed or The Devils), published in 1872, is Fyodor Dostoevsky’s fierce critique of political radicalism and nihilism. Inspired by a real-life political assassination, the novel explores the descent of a provincial Russian town into chaos at the hands of a group of ideological revolutionaries. Through characters like the enigmatic Stavrogin and the fanatical Verkhovensky, Dostoevsky examines the psychological, moral, and spiritual consequences of extremism. A complex, provocative work, Demons stands as a powerful warning against the allure of ideological purity and social destruction.