Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky (1821-1881) was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist, journalist and philosopher best known for his book Crime and Punishment. Dostoyevsky's literary works explore human psychology in the troubled political, social, and spiritual atmosphere of 19th-century Russia. Many of his works are marked by a preoccupation with Christianity, explored through the prism of the individual confronted with life's hardships and beauty.