The Possessed

The Possessed is a novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, published in Russian in 1872 as Besy. 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. It has become a classic of Russian literature for its searing examination of human evil.