Buy new:
$11.95
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Friday, May 3 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 33 mins
In Stock
$$11.95 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$11.95
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Devils (Oxford World's Classics) Paperback – July 15, 2008

by Fyodor Dostoevsky (Author), Michael R. Katz (Translator)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 177 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$11.95","priceAmount":11.95,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"11","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"95","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"D0bl1VjrBKd6RcOFxHIcLvbk0xwx9DxzuuzRFgWLMzdu0Uz1FFBT7ccPbvDfSu7Gz10aB1PWOBBnLYfOnPHmnxekpf5kLm3%2Bag%2B76KAmFFzHZIVzRFsui5NOWndovzfXBDkLe2PzK9U%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

The third of Dostoevsky's five major novels, Devils (1871-2), also known as The Possessed, is at once a powerful political tract and a profound study of atheism, depicting the disarray that follows the appearance of a band of modish radicals in a small provincial town. This new translation includes the chapter "Stavrogin's confession," initially censored by Dostoevsky's publisher.

About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    800 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  4. Publication date
    July 15, 2008
  5. Dimensions
    7.5 x 1.5 x 5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0199540497
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0199540495
  8. See all details
Next page
Amazon First Reads | Editors' picks at exclusive prices

Frequently bought together

Devils (Oxford World's Classics)
$11.95
Get it as soon as Friday, May 3
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
The Idiot (Oxford World's Classics)
$11.95
Get it as soon as Thursday, May 2
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
The Karamazov Brothers (Oxford World's Classics)
$13.37
Get it as soon as Thursday, May 2
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Choose items to buy together.

From the Publisher

oxford world's classics, literature, novels, myths, celebrated writing
oxford world's classics, OWC, features, leading scholars, literature

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael R. Katz, Professor of Slavic Languages, the University of Texas at Austin.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; 1st edition (July 15, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 800 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0199540497
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0199540495
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 1.5 x 5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 177 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky (/ˌdɒstəˈjɛfski, ˌdʌs-/; Russian: Фёдор Миха́йлович Достое́вский; IPA: [ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪtɕ dəstɐˈjɛfskʲɪj]; 11 November 1821 – 9 February 1881), sometimes transliterated Dostoevsky, was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist, journalist and philosopher. Dostoyevsky's literary works explore human psychology in the troubled political, social, and spiritual atmosphere of 19th-century Russia. Many of his works are marked by a preoccupation with Christianity, explored through the prism of the individual confronted with life's hardships and beauty.

He began writing in his 20s, and his first novel, Poor Folk, was published in 1846 when he was 25. His major works include Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1869), Demons (1872) and The Brothers Karamazov (1880). His output consists of 11 novels, three novellas, 17 short novels and numerous other works. Many literary critics rate him as one of the greatest psychologists in world literature. His 1864 novella Notes from Underground is considered to be one of the first works of existentialist literature.

Born in Moscow in 1821, Dostoyevsky was introduced to literature at an early age through fairy tales and legends, and through books by Russian and foreign authors. His mother died in 1837, when he was 15, and around the same time he left school to enter the Nikolayev Military Engineering Institute. After graduating, he worked as an engineer and briefly enjoyed a lavish lifestyle, translating books to earn extra money. In the mid-1840s he wrote his first novel, Poor Folk, which gained him entry into St. Petersburg's literary circles.

In the following years, Dostoyevsky worked as a journalist, publishing and editing several magazines of his own and later A Writer's Diary, a collection of his writings. He began to travel around western Europe and developed a gambling addiction, which led to financial hardship. For a time, he had to beg for money, but he eventually became one of the most widely read and highly regarded Russian writers. His books have been translated into more than 170 languages. Dostoyevsky influenced a multitude of writers and philosophers, from Anton Chekhov and Ernest Hemingway to Friedrich Nietzsche and Jean-Paul Sartre.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
177 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Vicki Thayer
5.0 out of 5 stars How to "Get a clue."
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2021
Verified Purchase
It amazes me how directly 19thC Russian and French literature speaks to America, as well as the western world, in 2021. Here are two examples from Dostoevsky’s, “Devils”:

From page 524: “I’m not talking about the so-called “progressive” people, always in a rush (that’s their main concern), often with an absurd, but more or less defined aim. No, I’m talking only about the scum. This scum, which exists in every society and rises to the surface during any transitional period, lacking not only a purpose but any sign of rational activity, merely expresses unrest and impatience with all its might. Meanwhile, without even knowing it, this scum almost always falls under the control of a small group of “progressives” acting with definite aims; this group directs the scum wherever it likes, so long as the group isn’t composed of complete idiots, which, however, is sometimes the case.”

From page 564: “They should have restrained those scoundrels and sluggards—because that’s what they were, scoundrels and sluggards, nothing more serious. There’s no kind of society anywhere where the police alone can maintain order. Everyone here demands a special policeman assigned to protect him wherever he goes. People don’t understand that society must protect itself. What do our heads of families do in comparable circumstances, our venerable elders, wives, and daughters? They keep silent and sulk. There’s not even enough social initiative to restrain the pranksters.”
27 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Richard Weems
5.0 out of 5 stars The best and worst of humanity
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2018
Verified Purchase
Reading Dostoevsky, you get a sense of what the allure of reality TV might be--he puts characters on display with all their extremity and horror and hypocrisy intact. The events of this novel are filled with the horrors on man--psychological scheming to twist loyalties, love/hate relationships, building up to murder and rape, but at the same time with a level of humor that reality TV sorely misses (the ability to make us laugh WITH of course, not AT), for Dostoevsky makes his characters utterly recognizable rather than unsympathetic freakshow and persists in holding up that mirror as his characters act stupidly, or courageously, or horrifically. The tale begins with the twisted relationship between Varvara Petrovna, a widowed woman of means who has been housing Stepan Trofimovich, an out-of-touch academic. The two hate each other but stand to be apart, and their sons concoct a scheme in the name of revolution that will throw the community into turmoil. As opposed to Brothers K or Crime & Punishment, Devils looks at community as a character, and the stupidity of crowds, and does so in a way that is educational and soulful, showing us what he can't get from reality TV.

Also, my strongest recommendation is of this particular translation, the Michael R. Katz. While I have much preferred Pevear and Volokhonsky for most of the other Dostoevsky novels, I found their translations (Demons) a little too think and much less pleasurable to read. And less funny. For as horrific as the events of the novel are, Dostoevsky nicely lampoons his characters, exposing them for all their failings is recognizable ways.
23 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Brad Hoevel
5.0 out of 5 stars 'Oxford World Classics' delivers again with Devils.
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2008
Verified Purchase
If it were up to me there wouldn't be so many translations and so many publications of the old Russian classics. That's partially why I'm writing this review: to help you decide which version you want to purchase. Really, I think it can be narrowed down to two choices.

If you want hardcover I suggest the luxurious  Demons (Everyman's Library, 182) . It's the Pevear/Volokhonsky translation, which has been highly praised by critics. I find that the P/V translations are able to better articulate ideas. In terms of style they be more accurate, but the prose seem awkward and quite ugly. I also think that according to the contemporary American vernacular that Demons is the best possible title for this book.

It's the Katz's translation you'll be getting if you purchase  Devils: The Possessed (Oxford World's Classics) . Here is a fine quality paperback. Paper, Ink, Binding are all satisfactory; they seem to last longer than most paperbacks do. Endnotes, Character list, Dostoevsky/Historical timelines are included--all that extra good stuff; perhaps even more of it (certainly no less) than the Hardcover Everyman's edition. Katz, unlike Pevear is a professor; it is for this reason that I attach more value to his introduction than I do that of Pevear. Of course, it's half the price.

As a novel, I highly recommend Devils. Set in provincial Russia, the story is eerily prophetic of the Russian revolution that would take place some fifty years later. The story begins with a lengthy biographical sketch of two characters. Then, the focus shifts to those character's sons, who happen to be at the head of a group of pseudo-revolutionaries. Multiple scandals ensue.

In Devils, Dostoevsky addresses his own concerns about the existence of god. He questions the merits of wholesale social/political reform and the Revolutionary groups who propose said reform. As always, Dostoevsky impressively displays the realistic psychological nuances of his characters. As an added bonus, there's also a parody of the Russian writer Turgenev.

If you haven't read any Dostoevsky before this is a good a place as any to start, though you might try Crime and Punishment first.
32 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

L'aiglon
5.0 out of 5 stars Apposit.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 22, 2023
Verified Purchase
In Devils Dostoevsky mercilessly and adroitly "... depict[s] those diverse and multifarious motives by which even the purest of hearts and the most innocent of people can be drawn in to committing such a monstrous offence." This fierce allegorical tale is prophetic of the present bout of nihilism which also threatens a "... triumph [that] will stand very far from the Kingdom of Heaven".

In the words of another writer –

A fool's dream oft is a wise man's nightmare,
Yet visions render saints and madmen joy;
As wak'd all at accord desire the fair,
Though some to tender, others to destroy.

To reiterate some often trite advice, this book is essential reading for our times.
Report
Robert Gerrish
5.0 out of 5 stars Worth Reading
Reviewed in Canada on June 9, 2019
Verified Purchase
Very good novel by one of the greatest novelists
Report
C. L. Muralidharan
5.0 out of 5 stars UNIQUE PHILOSOPHICAL NOVEL
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 25, 2009
Verified Purchase
KUDOS TO OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS FOR BRINGING OUT SCHOLARLY TRANSLATION OF FYODOR'S NOVELS; THE ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF FYODORS'S NOVELS BY OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS ARE REALLY EXCELLENT, THEY BEING SUPPLEMENTED BY COPIOUS EXPLANATORY NOTES AND MASTERLY INTRODUCTIONS BY TALENTED SCHOLARS; NOW COMING TO THE NOVEL I WOULD LIKE TO MENTION THE FOLLOWING :

THE NOVELIST IS A GENIUS WHO IS CAPABLE OF DEVELOPING EVEN SMALL AND INSIGNIFICANT EVENTS INTO HIGHLY INTERESTING MATTER FOR THE AVERAGE READER; AN EXAMPLE WILL SUFFICE; WHEN THE READER IS EXPECTING EAGERLY THE FATE OF SHATOV, SUDDENLY THERE EMERGES THE FEMALE TRAVELLER ,SHSATOV'S WIFE; THIS PARTICULAR CHAPTER CONSUMES AT LEAST TWENTY PAGES OF NORMAL EVENTS WHICH DO NOT PRODUCE ANY SUSPENSE OR INTEREST IN THE READER; HOWEVER AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER THE UTTERANCE MADE BY SHATVOIA'S WIFE THAT MR.STROVIGN IS A WORST CRIMINAL INDICATES A SUSPENSE WHICH IS REVEALED ONLY IN THE NEXT CHAPTER ; I PARTICULRLY ENJOYED THIS LEVEL OF SUSPENSE STUFFED IN BETWEEN THE TWO CHAPTERS; THE CHAPTER RELATING TO FULL NIGHT'S WORK IS ALSO THRILLING TO READ AND I FOUND IT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO PUT DOWN THE BOOK TILL I COMPLETED THE CHAPTER; THE BOOK IS WORTH THE MONEY PAID BY ME

WITH REGARDS

MURALIDHARAN MADRAS
8 people found this helpful
 Report
SC
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Story, Beautiful Edition.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 28, 2022
Verified Purchase
Just finished the book.

The introduction, translation, notes, layout is perfect. Oxford did a great job this time.
Report
eyeinthesky
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent translation and additional notes
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 24, 2021
Verified Purchase
Attracted to this edition by the ease of the translation, additional notes and character listing.
Report