A thrilling study of guilt & power the Penguin Classics" edition of Fyodor Dostoyevskys " Crime & Punishment" is translated with an introduction & notes by David Mc Duff. Raskolnikov a destitute & desperate former student wanders through the slums of St Petersburg & 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 & mouse with Porfiry a suspicious detective Raskolnikov is pursued by the growing voice of his conscience & finds the noose of his own guilt tightening around his neck. Only Sonya a downtrodden prostitute can offer the chance of redemption. As the ensuing investigation & trial reveal the true identity of the murderer Dostoyevskys dark masterpiece evokes a world where the lines between innocence & corruption good & evil blur & everyones faith in humanity is tested. This vivid translation by David Mc Duff has been acclaimed as the most accessible version of Dostoyevskys great novel rendering its dialogue with a unique force & naturalism. This edition also contains a new chronology of Dostoyevskys life & work. Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky (1821-1881) was born in Moscow. From 1849-54 he lived in a convict prison & in later years his passion for gambling led him deeply into debt. His other works available in " Penguin Classics" include " The Brothers Karamazov" " The Idiot" & " Demons". If you enjoyed " Crime & Punishment" you might like Leo Tolstoys " Anna Karenina" also available in " Penguin Classics". " Mc Duffs language is rich & alive". (" The New York Times Book Review")."