10 Great Fyodor Dostoevsky Novels
by Sughnen Yongo · ForbesFyodor Dostoevsky was anything but a serene figure. He wrestled with faith, doubt and his own flawed humanity, translating those struggles into novels that described the chaos and contradictions of life, and his writing became a mirror for readers who felt adrift in their thoughts—rich, turbulent and very human. After a near-execution that changed his life, Dostoevsky began his writing career in the 1840s, creating some of the most influential novels in the literary canon.
Top Dostoevsky Books
During his career, Dostoevsky wrote 11 complete novels, three novellas, 17 short stories, and numerous other works. Here are 10 that stand out, not simply for their philosophical weight but for their raw emotionality. Dostoevsky’s work compels readers to ask uncomfortable questions, challenging them to engage with the discomforts of their own imperfections.
10. The Adolescent (1875)
Dostoevsky’s The Adolescent is often overlooked, yet it is probably one of his most philosophically rich works. The plot follows the coming-of-age story of Arkady Dolgoruky, a young man based in 1860s Russia searching for his identity in the shadow of his illegitimate birth. While it may lack the polish of Dostoevsky’s major works, it covers many of the classic themes that define most coming-of-age stories, such as the exploration of youth, ambition and moral uncertainty. It also portrays the existential angst of growing up and all the confusion, rebellion and idealism that comes with it. Through Arkady’s eyes, Dostoevsky probes the restless energy of youth and the incessant yearning for a sense of purpose.
Who should read this? Readers who enjoy coming-of-age stories with philosophical undercurrents.
Where to read it? Penguin Random House.
9. Poor Folk (1846)
Dostoevsky’s epistolary debut novel, Poor Folk, is a series of letters between two of his impoverished protagonists, Makar Devushkin and Varvara Dobroselova, who find comfort in their shared hardship. Dostoevsky uses their pen-pal conversations to portray the impact of living a hard, poverty-stricken life and the quiet dignity of those who suffer under its spell. Poor Folk is a novel that goes beyond telling the stories of two financially challenged people but also explains poor people's relationship with the rich and the dynamics between affluence and destitution. The novel lacks the philosophical complexity of his later works, but its raw emotional power and empathy hint at the themes Dostoevsky would actively explore later in his career.
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Who should read this? Readers who enjoy an intimate, personal glimpse into Dostoevsky’s early development as a novelist.
Where to read it? Penguin Random House.
8. The House of the Dead (1862)
Dostoevsky’s The House of the Dead is a semi-fictionalized, autobiographical account of his experiences in a Siberian labor camp inspired by the four years he was jailed in western Siberia for being a part of the Petrashevsky Circle. After his release and six years of exile, Dostoevsky wrote this vivid, non-glamorized account of the brutal reality of convicts in a way that mirrored his own experiences. Through the perspective of its protagonist, Goryanchikov, the novel looks at the harshness of prison life but also celebrates the flickers of humanity that survive even under the harshest conditions. It serves both as an indictment of the Russian penal system and a meditation on resilience.
Who should read this? Readers interested in stories about resilience, survival and the human capacity to live through and endure suffering.
Where to read it? Penguin Random House.
7. The Eternal Husband (1870)
The Eternal Husband is a tragicomedy novella about guilt, jealousy and manipulation. The story centers around the complicated dynamic between the nobleman Alexei Ivanovich Velchaninov and his acquaintance Pavel Pavlovich Trusotsky, whose deceased wife Velchaninov previously had an affair with before her death. After her death, her cuckolded husband, Pavel, reappears in Velchaninov’s life, apparently to torment him, and the previous affair is obviously a major source of tension between the two men. As the psychological cat-and-mouse plot of the story continues, it becomes clear to readers that the dead woman’s memory haunts both men in different ways, and Dostoevsky's intelligent approach to this story feels claustrophobic but is also charged with barely contained emotion.
Who should read this? Readers who are fascinated by salacious themes and cat-and-mouse undercurrents in a story.
Where to read it? Penguin Random House.
6. The Gambler (1866)
Dostoevsky’s The Gambler is a novella that mirrored his financial circumstances at the time and was written in less than a month to fulfill a contractual obligation. The story follows the life of Alexei Ivanovich, a young tutor who sacrificed his love for Polina Alexandrovna and ultimately ruins his chances with her, as she loses trust and respect for him because of his uncontrollable gambling. The story draws heavily from Dostoevsky’s own experience with gambling addiction, and through Alexei’s first-person perspective Dostoevsky shows the exciting highs and depressing lows of obsession and the consequences that come with the slavery of impulsivity.
Who should read this? Those interested in the psychology of addiction and self-destruction.
Where to read it? Penguin Random House.
5. Notes from Underground (1864)
In Notes from Underground, Dostoevsky gives voice to a man who has rejected society—and himself. The nameless narrator, often called the Underground Man, is bitter, self-loathing and completely cut off from the world around him. The novel is a precursor to existentialism and looks at the relationship—and tension—between free will and determinism, as well as the agony of self-consciousness. The Underground Man’s confession is both an indictment of society and a personal manifesto of suffering, a reflection of a man at war with the world and with his own existence. The book is split into two parts, with the first depicting the narrator’s philosophical ramblings and the second showing him reminiscing about specific incidents from his past, including his interactions with others. Both parts work together to portray his disconnection from society and the futility he feels in his existence.
Who should read this? Readers who enjoy introspective, philosophical stories that analyze the contradictions of human experiences.
Where to read it? Penguin Random House.
4. Demons (1872)
Demons, also translated as The Devils or The Possessed, is Dostoevsky’s searing critique of political radicalism and is considered one of the top books he wrote following his return from Siberian exile. The plot is set in a small provincial town; it tells the story of a group of nihilists who create chaos and confusion, all in the name of revolution. What begins as a political plot quickly devolves into an investigation of moral collapse, with each character representing a part of the ideological disorder that was becoming prevalent in Russia in the 1860s. Demons is far from a simple political novel; instead, it is a book that questions what happens when society strips away morality in favor of ideology—and asks what becomes of a soul when it belongs only to a cause.
Who should read this? Anyone fascinated by the idea of ideology and the cost of political extremism.
Where to read it? Penguin Random House.
3. The Idiot (1869)
Prince Lev Nikolayevich Myshkin, the protagonist of The Idiot, is a man of pure goodness whom society cannot accept. After returning to Russia after spending years in Switzerland to be treated for epilepsy, he enters a cynical and dishonest world, bringing with him only his innocence and moral clarity, but his morally upright nature inevitably leads to his downfall. The ironic title of the book reflects how the other characters view Lev—as naive and foolish. In this story, Dostoevsky engages readers with an important question: Is it possible for goodness to triumph in a world where power, greed and lust are rewarded? Lev’s fate suggests not.
Who should read this? Idealists and those who believe in the inherent goodness of humanity—but are brave enough to see it tested.
Where to read it? Penguin Random House.
2. The Brothers Karamazov (1880)
It is not surprising that Dostoevsky spent two years writing The Brothers Karamazov because its plot is so rich in philosophical debate, psychological tension and family drama—and trauma— that it feels like the culmination of his life’s work. In Dostoevsky’s final novel, three brothers struggle with the murder of their debauched father and, in doing so, come to terms with faith, doubt and morality. The characters—Alyosha, the spiritual son; Ivan, the intellectual skeptic; and Dmitri, the passionate, impulsive soul—represent the fragmented aspects of Dostoevsky himself. At the heart of the novel is an argument: Can human beings find meaning without belief in God? Is faith a crutch, or is it the path to transcendence? With the famous Grand Inquisitor chapter, Dostoevsky delivers one of literature’s most compelling examinations of free will.
1. Crime and Punishment (1866)
Dostoevsky’s most iconic novel, Crime and Punishment, dives into the feverish mind of Rodion Raskolnikov, a former student who believes his superior intelligence entitles him to commit murder for what he perceives to be a moral calling. Regardless, after killing a pawnbroker, Raskolnikov is consumed by psychological and moral unraveling that drives him to madness. The novel doesn’t merely ask whether crime can ever be justified; it compels readers to sit with the weight of their actions, moral hypocrisy and the ways guilt can eat away at our very core. With this book, every page is a battle between conscience and rationalization, with Raskolnikov’s sickly psyche as the battlefield.
Bottom Line
Dostoevsky’s writing was born from personal struggles and philosophical quests, and those are the two things that have made his works a landmark in literature. His ability to engage in prose that defined faith, human promise suffering and ultimate morality showed a keen awareness about the human existence. Whether through the existentialism of The Brothers Karamazov or the impulsive tension of The Gambler, Dostoevsky has continued to provoke readers to sit with hard questions and understand their underlying answers.