The Brothers Karamazov

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1880)

Dostoyevsky's final and greatest novel. Three brothers — the passionate Dmitri, the intellectual Ivan, and the saintly Alyosha — are drawn into the murder of their despicable father. A murder mystery that becomes the deepest exploration of faith, doubt, morality, and free will in all of literature.

Historical Significance:
Serialized in The Russian Messenger from 1879 to 1880, The Brothers Karamazov was completed just months before Dostoyevsky's death in January 1881. He had planned a sequel that was never written. The novel contains "The Grand Inquisitor," a parable within the story that is considered one of the most powerful pieces of philosophical writing ever composed.

Freud called it "the most magnificent novel ever written." Einstein said it taught him more about the world than any scientific paper. The novel asks the question that has haunted philosophy for millennia: if God does not exist, is everything permitted? Dostoyevsky's answer is complex, devastating, and ultimately hopeful.

This public domain classic was originally published in 1880. Free to read and share.