Through the story of the brilliant but conflicted young Raskolnikov and the murder he commits, Fyodor Dostoevsky explores the theme of redemption through suffering. Crime and Punishment put Dostoevsky at the forefront of Russian writers when it appeared in 1866.

Raskolnikov, a destitute and desperate former student, wanders through the slums of St Petersburg and commits a random murder without remorse or regret. He imagines himself to be a great man, a Napoleon: acting for a higher purpose beyond conventional moral law. But as he embarks on a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a suspicious police investigator, Raskolnikov is pursued by the growing voice of his conscience and finds the noose of his own guilt...

Four short stories by Leo Tolstoy.

Third of Dostoyevsky's five major novels. It is a powerful political tract and a profound study of a theism, depicting disarray which follows the appearence of a band of modish radicals in a small provincial town. The novel is full of buffoonery and grotesque comedy.

Presents profiles of six modern Russian authors including extensive interviews with each subject; commentary from their literary critics, publishers, and peers; and dramatic readings of English translations of their works, accompanied by specially-created animation sequences.