Demons (pre-reform Russian: Бѣсы; post-reform Russian: Бесы, romanized: Bésy, IPA:; sometimes also called The Possessed or The Devils) is a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky, first published in the journal The Russian Messenger in 1871–72.

Devils, also known as Demons or The Possessed, is a novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky, published over the course of 1871-1872. The story portrays the complex psychological drama of a small town that is taken over by political revolutionaries, leading to a string of deaths and a breakdown of the usual social order.

May 1, 2005 · "The Possessed: or, The Devils" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky is a novel written during the late 19th century. The story delves into the tumultuous social and political climate of Russia, reflecting on themes of radicalism, morality, and existential despair.

Inspired by the true story of a political murder that horrified Russians in 1869, Fyodor Dostoevsky conceived of Demons as a "novel-pamphlet" in which he would say everything about the plague of materialist ideology that he saw infecting his native land.

Fyodor Dostoevsky’s *Demons* represents a timeless exploration of the human soul confronted by ideological extremes. The novel reflects on societal decay through the lens of personal conflict, leading to questions about faith, morality, and redemption.

In the Devils, Dostoevsky adapts the idea of a revolutionary group from a case that occurred in 1869. He combines the Nechayev case and his own beliefs in order to create the central plot of the Devils.

Feb 21, 2025 · The book, also known in English as The Devils and The Demons, is a reflection of Dostoyevsky’s belief that revolutionists possessed the soul of Russia and that, unless exorcised by a renewed faith in Orthodox Christianity and a pure nationalism, they would drive his country over the precipice.

Get all the key plot points of Fyodor Dostoevsky's Demons on one page. From the creators of SparkNotes.

“Then went the devils out of the man and entered into the swine; and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake and were choked. “When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country.