The translation by Pevear and Volokhonsky is the only one that counts. They are the only translators who manage to make Dostoevsky accessible to a 21st-century audience, thanks to their strict attention to detail at the expense of distortions that can dilute Dostoevsky's unique and flowing writing style. The great appealing character of this book is preserved even today, partly thanks to Pevear and Volokhonsky, as well as to Dostoevsky himself. Furthermore, Richard Pevear's significant introduction is a must-read. It explains the book's purpose and the historical significance of its ideas. Dostoevsky wrote at a time when Russia had reasons to be optimistic, but the warning signs in his fiction might give us clues as to why Russia still has social problems today—and why, less than 40 years after Dostoevsky's death, Russia embraced Communism and destroyed the society in which he had lived.