"e;Demons"e; is a 1872 novel by Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky. It is considered one of his four masterpieces written after his return from Siberian exile, together with "e;Crime and Punishment"e; (1866), "e;The Brothers Karamazov"e; (1880), and "e;The Idiot"e; (1869). A work of a political and social satire, this psychological drama represents a warning of the potentially devastating results of the nihilism that was becoming prevalent in Russian politics and morality during the 1860s. In the story, a fictional town is reduced to anarchy when it becomes the centre of an attempted revolution, masterminded by one Pyotr Verkhovensky. Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (1821 - 1881) was a Russian novelist, essayist, short story writer, journalist, and philosopher. His literature examines human psychology during the turbulent social, spiritual and political atmosphere of 19th-century Russia, and he is considered one of the greatest psychologists in world literature. A prolific writer, Dostoevsky produced 11 novels, three novellas, 17 short stories and numerous other works. His novella "e;Notes from Underground"e; (1864) was among the first existentialist works of literature.