Demons

“One negation, without any grandeur and without any strength,” - states the main character of the novel, Nikolai Stavrogin, and essentially describes the political unrest in Russia of the 1870s. Dostoevsky had already written “The Idiot,” “Crime and Punishment,” and “The Gambler,” and he was preparing to embark on the main book of his life. But at that time, a revolutionary terrorist movement was rapidly developing in St. Petersburg, resulting in the murder of a student, organized by the leader of the “People's Retribution” party, Sergey Nechaev. The reflection on the absurdity and cruelty of such forms of struggle forced Dostoevsky to put aside his initial work and take on “Demons.” Today, when the novel is as relevant as it was 150 years ago, one cannot doubt that Dostoevsky wrote a great book.

The artist Yuri Gershkovich is in harmony with Dostoevsky. In his illustrations, the darkness, ugliness, and anguish of human existence are refracted into evil caricatured types, juggling meaning, truth, and the lives of others.