Demons also known as The Possessed or The Devils is a dark masterpiece that evokes a world
where the lines between and good and evil long ago became blurred. This Penguin Classics
edition of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Demons is translated by Robert A. Maguire and edited by Ronald
Meyer with an introduction by Robert L. Belknap. Pyotr Verkhovensky and Nikolai Stavrogin are
the leaders of a Russian revolutionary cell. Their aim is to overthrow the Tsar destroy
society and seize power for themselves. Together they train terrorists who are willing to go to
any lengths to achieve their goals - even if the mission means suicide. But when it seems their
motley group is about to be discovered will their recruits be willing to kill one of their own
circle in order to cover their tracks? As the ensuing investigation and trial reveal the true
identity of the murderer Dostoyevsky's and everyone's faith in humanity is tested. Partly
based on the real-life case of a student murdered by his fellow revolutionaries Dostoyevsky's
sprawling novel is a powerful and prophetic yet lively and often comic depiction of
nineteenth-century Russia and a savage indictment of the madness and nihilism of those who use
violence to serve their beliefs. Robert A. Maguire's superb translation captures
Dostoyevsky's vigorous prose. In his introduction Robert L. Belknap discusses Dostoyevsky's
own revolutionary activities his narrative technique and use of different genres and the
background of Radicalism in Imperial Russia. Edited by Ronald Meyer this volume also includes
a chronology further reading notes and a glossary. Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky
(1821-1881) was born in Moscow. From 1849-54 he lived in a convict prison and in later years
his passion for gambling led him deeply into debt. His other works available in Penguin
Classics include Crime & Punishment The Idiot and Demons . If you enjoyed Demons you might
like Joris-Karl Huysmans' The Damned (Là-Bas) also available in Penguin Classics.
