Los demonios

To write this masterpiece of Russian literature, Dostoevsky took a real-life crime as his starting point: in 1869, the revolutionary Sergey Nechaev and several members of his group murdered a former associate. His name was Ivan Ivanov; he was a student in Moscow who had begun to distance himself from the group. Nechaev branded him a traitor to the others and convinced them to take part in the killing. The crime was also intended to cement their loyalty: by committing it together, they would all be bound by the secret of the blood that had been shed. Dostoevsky transformed this story into *Demons*—a novel about the power of ideas and the danger of surrendering oneself to someone who claims to hold all the answers. With fierce lucidity and unforgettable characters, *Demons* stands as one of the greatest novels of all time. The question that runs through its pages continues to challenge readers today: how far would you go for someone who promises a better world?