Demons

Dostoevsky caught fire for “The Possessed” after Ivan Snitkin, his wife’s brother, arrived in Dresden. As a result of the turmoil at Moscow University and the activism of the student movement, Snitkin and Dostoevsky talked a lot about students’ lives, their morals, and their moods—this inspired the author to write the novel. In one letter to the poet Apollon Maykov, Dostoevsky wrote:

“I have sat down for a rich idea; I’m not talking about execution, but about the idea. One of those ideas that has an undeniable effect on the public. Like ‘Crime and Punishment,’ but even closer, even more urgent to reality, and it directly concerns the most important modern question. <…> Such a hot topic. I have never worked with such pleasure and such ease.”

The plot of “The Possessed,” full of political intrigue, religious drama, and existential tragedy, breaks beyond genre boundaries and becomes a literary catharsis on eternally relevant themes. To mark the 150th anniversary of the novel’s first publication, we present you with its audio version, virtuously performed by actor Maksim Sukhanov. Here is what Maksim told us about his desire to voice “The Possessed”:

“As an actor, I’m drawn to characters—there are so many of them there. And they all deviate from the norm to one degree or another. I’d even say that all these stories happening among these people are akin to a huge hysteria or a madhouse. And since it’s described both seriously and with a great sense of humor—reading it is a great pleasure.”