Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoyevsky (11 November [O.S. 30 October] 1821 – 9 February [O.S. 29 January] 1881) was a Russian writer and essayist, known for his novels Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov. Dostoyevsky's literary output explores human psychology in the troubled political, social and spiritual context of 19th-century Russian society.