The novel Crime and Punishmentis written by Fyodor Dostoevsky, who was a realist writer. Alongside Leo Tolstoy and Ivan Turgenev, he was one of the three towering figures of nineteenth-century Russian literature. Crime and Punishment is one of his most celebrated works and is widely acknowledged as a masterpiece.

The novel explores social psychology as well as telling the story of crime and detection. It takes place in Saint Petersburg around the middle of the nineteenth century. The narrative concerns Raskolnikov, a university law student. After committing a murder, he is wracked by inner torment. Finally, he experiences a spiritual rebirth, but not until he has been inspired to turn himself in by Sonia, a kindly Christian soul. In the book, Dostoevsky masterfully details the psychological changes that occur after the murderer commits their crime.