Who Wrote the Novel Crime and Punishment?

The novel Crime and Punishment was written by Russian Fyodor Dostoevsky.  It was first published in segments in the literary journal The Russian Messenger.  Read on to learn more about Crime and Punishment and Fyodor Dostoevsky, the author.

We know now that the man who wrote the novel Crime and Punishment was named Fyodor Dostoevsky. In fact, two novels written by Fyodor Dostoevsky are considered his masterpieces Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov. 

Dostoevsky wrote many novels, novellas, and short stories.  He is also considered by some to be a founder of existentialism, which is shown in his work "Notes from Underground." 

Dostoevsky wrote novels that showed a strong understanding of human psychology, like Crime and Punishment, and some say that he is one of the greatest psychologists in literature.

Who Was Dostoevsky?

Now that you know who wrote the novel Crime and Punishment, you might like to learn more about the man.

• Dostoevsky was born in Moscow on November 11th, 1821 to a middle class family. 
• He was sent to an engineering school in St. Petersburg, the Army Engineering College. 
• When he was in his 20s, Dostoevsky attended and joined a group called the Petrashevsky Circle. This group was deemed illegal and some of its members, including Dostoevsky, were arrested. 
• After a mock execution, he was sentenced to four years of hard labor at a prison camp in Siberia. 
• After that, he had to spend four years in the Siberian Regiment.
• These experiences led to the writing of The House of the Dead.          

Dostoevsky's Writings

• After his release in 1858, Dostoevsky wrote heavily for 14 years. 
• During this time he wrote the novels: House of the Dead, Notes from the Underground, Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, and Devils.  Right before he died, Dostoevsky had finished one of his best novels, The Brothers Karamazov.
• A bit of his wisdom was shown when Dostoevsky wrote in a letter to his brother, “Life is in ourselves and not in the external.” 
• Another insight was provided in this quote from The Brothers Karamazov: “To be a human being among human beings, and remain one forever, no matter what misfortunes befall, not to become depressed, and not to falter--this is what life is, herein lies its task." 
• One final quote about life is “If you were to destroy the belief in immortality in mankind, not only love but every living force on which the continuation of all life in the world depended, would dry up at once.”

Crime and Punishment

Of course, if you are curious about who wrote the novel Crime and Punishment, you probably also want to know a little bit about the novel itself. 

• The structure of Crime and Punishment is interesting.
• It is divided into two parts. 
• The first part presents the main character, Raskolnikov, as a fairly rational and proud person and the second part shows him as irrational and learning humility. 
• His character has a major shift from what it was to what it became and this shift happens in the middle of the book.  
• The book is not as much an exposition of crime and punishment in society but rather a story of the protagonist’s internal struggle. 
• The action of the book focuses on Raskolnikov's perspective.  The reader comes to see that punishment came from Raskolnikov's conscience rather than the law and formal punishment.   
• Raskolnikov was guilty of murder and he committed murder thinking he could deal with all the consequences of the action.  He thought he was smart enough and solid enough emotionally to deal with it. 
• Eventually, the guilt inside him was too much to bear and he became overwhelmed. 
• In the epilogue, Raskolnikov had not repented for his crimes, even though he had confessed to them.  He felt that his crimes were errors and he did not need to repent. 
• Upon repenting, he begins to read the Bible and his religious faith grows.  This not meant to be a religious commentary but the way that he began to connect with people around him again and began a process so he could be integrated into society again.