Dostoevsky: A Very Short Introduction

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring

Fyodor Dostoevsky became the writer best known for his treatment of the big questions of ethics, religion, and philosophy.

In this Very Short Introduction, Deborah Martinsen explores Dostoevsky’s tumultuous life story: his political imprisonment and narrow escape from execution, his Siberian exile, his gambling addiction, his romantic marriage, and his literary success. Martinsen also delves into his major works - Notes from Underground, Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, Demons, The Brothers Karamazov, The Diary of a Writer, and more. Each chapter analyzes a key theme or aspect of Dostoevsky’s writing that showcases his profound insights into human nature and society: doubling, freedom, shame, social justice, scandal, aesthetics, ethics, faith, and the eternal questions. Martinsen also demonstrates how Dostoevsky’s novels remain relevant today as they address pressing questions about freedom, morality, and meaning in a complex world.

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Deborah Martinsen, Associate Dean of Alumni Education, Columbia College, and Adjunct Associate Professor of Russian and Comparative Literature, Columbia University

Deborah Martinsen, a distinguished scholar and teacher of Slavic literature at Columbia University, specialized in Dostoevsky. She wrote and edited groundbreaking books and articles on narrative theory and on Dostoevsky’s works, including Dostoevsky in Context, Surprised by Shame, Literary Journals in Imperial Russia, and Dostoevsky’s ＂Crime and Punishment＂ A Reader’s Guide. She served as President of the International Dostoevsky Society.