قصة الكتاب :
Demons is a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky, first published in Russian in the journal The Russian Messenger in 1871-72. It is considered to be one among the four masterpieces written by Dosteovsky after his return from Siberian exile. The book has even been referred to as The Possessed or The Devils. The story is set in Russia in the mid-nineteenth century and examines the effect of a charismatic but devious self-styled revolutionary leader on his followers. The plot is inspired by the true story of a political murder that shook Russia in 1869. The murder was committed by the Russian anarchist and nihilist Sergei Nichaev. The book was first published under the title Besy. Dostoevsky believed that Russia’s soul belonged to the revolutionists during this time. Deliverance for his country, in Dostoevsky’s eyes, lay in the renewal of faith in Orthodox Christianity and pure nationalism.

\r\nThe book is fundamentally political and social in nature. The dominant character in the story is Nikolai Vsevolodovich Stavrogin, whose enigmatic personality influences those around him. Several characters in the story are fascinated by him and a few disillusioned. Stavrogin influences his tutor, the liberal intellectual Stepan Verkhovensky, his son Pyotr along with several other radicals. He is portrayed as a handsome and strong man capable of goodness and nobility but lacking a sense of direction. Stavrogin loses his faith in God and gets seized by brutal desires that he cannot completely comprehend or make sense of. He ends his own life in the end in what he sees as an act of generosity and Stepan Verkhovensky is received into the church on his deathbed. Demons is a representation of the catastrophic consequences of the political and moral ideologies that were driving Russian society in the 1860s. A fictional town is shown descending into absolute chaos as it becomes the focal point of a staged revolution, orchestrated by Pyotr Verkhovensky. Dostoevsky combines the real-life Nichaev case along with his own beliefs to create the central plot in Demons. He depicts how a revolutionary group desires to overthrow the government and undermine the church. The extremists seek to replace those currently in power and place themselves at the helm. The group’s primary strengths are depicted as their ability to remain clandestine, their intelligence and their ability to commit horrific crimes with no remorse. The entire group is shown as disintegrating at the peak of their actions.

\r\n\r\nDemons has been adapted into several plays, mini-series and films over the years. Despite being a novel set in a different time, it continues to be touted for its modern-day relevance. The book is regarded as one of the finest classics of Russian literature for its detailed examination of human evil. \r\n