Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky “Crime and Punishment” is the greatest of Dostoevsky’s novels, and those who have not read it can have only an incomplete idea of the author’s genius. A great critic of Russian literature, whose affection for Turgenev never allowed him to do more than strict justice to a rival’s work, once declared that this book was the most perfect study in criminal psychology since Shakespeare wrote “Macbeth.” The story is quite simple. A certain student named Raskolnikov is living in miserable poverty. His head is as full of ambitions as his pockets are empty of roubles, and he is constantly chafed by the thought of an old hag who keeps a pawnshop where he has now and then raised a little money. Patron Membership Required You must be a Patron member to access this content.Already a member? Log in here