The Humiliated and Insulted

The first publication of "The Humiliated and Insulted" took place in 1861. The narrative in the work is presented from the perspective of Ivan Petrovich, a ward of a minor landowner. Full of hope to strengthen his budding literary fame, the young man inadvertently becomes a witness to others' hardships, conflicts, and moral dilemmas as events unfold. On the cold streets of restless Petersburg, Dostoevsky depicts polished representatives of high society and desperate sufferers forced to beg for alms. The author exposes the full depth of social inequality, analyzes human nature, and addresses the theme of religion.

The motives touched upon in "The Humiliated and Insulted" were revisited by Fyodor Mikhailovich in his subsequent works of his "pentateuch." During Dostoevsky's lifetime, critics perceived the novel ambiguously, but today, "The Humiliated and Insulted" is rightly valued highly by readers all over the world. In this edition, the text of the novel is adorned with the remarkable illustrations of Maxim Gennadievich Sharaev (1963).