An exciting, fresh and accessible adaptation of Dostoyevsky's masterful novel.

Starving, destitute student Raskolnikov is surrounded by the harsh injustices of the world: the grime of poverty and prostitution, unscrupulous pawnbrokers chasing debts, and a sister about to marry someone she doesn't love to keep her family alive. His guilt is unbearable. Only Sonya, a downtrodden prostitute, can offer any chance of redemption.

As Raskolnikov enters a dangerous cat and mouse game with the examining magistrate, a psychological thriller unfolds that probes how far humanity might go when driven by disillusionment and whether any crime can be justified by a higher purpose.

Chris Hannan's adaptation of Crime and Punishment was first performed at the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, in 2013, followed by a UK tour.

About the Author

Fyodor Dostoyevsky was an 18th century Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist and philosopher. His best-known works include Notes from Underground, Crime and Punishment, The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov.

Chris Hannan is a Scottish playwright and novelist. His plays include The Evil Doers (Bush Theatre), Shining Souls (Traverse Theatre) and The God of Soho (Shakespeare's Globe).

Reviews

'Both a classic come to life and an urgent new work which develops its own style and language rather than slavishly imitating the text and it's all the better for it'

* Independent *

'Powerful... To find a theatrical structure, adaptor Chris Hannan roams freely through the novel. He turns interior monologue into direct address, thins out subplots and reconfigures the sequence of events to fashion a fluid route through the story'

* Guardian *

'Magnificent... a fluent, beautiful, profoundly theatrical account of one of the great stories of world literature'

* Scotsman *



Book Information
ISBN 9781848423657
Author Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Format Paperback
Page Count 112
Imprint Nick Hern Books
Publisher Nick Hern Books