The Debut of "Crime and Punishment"

1.

The Debut of "Crime and Punishment"
The novel was first published in 1866 in the "Russian Messenger"
journal, creating a literary sensation. This immediately caused
controversy and attracted about 500 new subscribers to the
magazine. This was significant considering that successful
publications had around 3500 -4500 subscribers at that time.

2.

Dostoevsky Creative Journey
The idea for the work about the so-called "strong personality"
not afraid of conscience or societal judgment began to take shape
during Dostoevsky's time in a Siberian penal colony. He shared this
plan with his brother in 1859 and started working on the novel
around six years later. In 1864, Dostoevsky contemplated creating
this novel. Though the manuscript was not accepted by the
publisher, elements of it laid the foundation for the plot of "Crime
and Punishment", especially related to the drama of the
Marmeladov family.

3.

Creating "Crimes and Punishments"
In the first half of 1865, Dostoevsky began the initial drafts of the
new work, drawing inspiration from various sources, including a
French criminal named Lassalle and a Moscow murderer named
Gerasim Chistov. In July 1865, while facing financial difficulties,
Dostoevsky started working on "Crime and Punishment" in
Wiesbaden, Germany. It was initially conceived as a novella. In
September of the same year, Dostoevsky proposed publishing his
work in the "Russian Messenger," describing it as a "psychological
account of a crime."

4.

Dostoevsky Drafts and Raskolnikov's Journey
Dostoevsky went through four drafts while working on "Crime and
Punishment." Initially, the story was envisioned as a monologue of
the murderer but evolved to incorporate fragments from an
unfinished novel called "Tipsy". The author's exploration of why
Raskolnikov committed the murder was a lengthy creative journey,
culminating in the articulation of Raskolnikov's "Napoleonic idea"
and the division of humanity into "ordinary" and "extraordinary"
beings.

5.

The Final of "Crime and Punishment"
After the publication of "Crime and Punishment" in the "Russian
Messenger," Dostoevsky decided to release it as a separate edition
with some structural modifications and stylistic edits, aligning it
with his initial plan of six parts and an epilogue. The two-volume
revised edition of "Crime and Punishment" was released in Saint
Petersburg in the summer of 1867, maintaining the format of six
parts and an epilogue.