The Brothers Karamazov is a murder mystery, courtroom drama, and exploration of erotic rivalry centred on the "wicked and sentimental" Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov and his three sons—the impulsive and sensual Dmitri, the coldly logical Ivan, and the healthy, red-cheeked young novice Alyosha. Dostoevsky captures the entirety of Russian life—its social and spiritual striving—at what was at once the country's golden age and a sad turning point in its history—through the engrossing events of their story. Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky's prize-winning translation, which keeps the original's numerous voices, humour, and startling modernity, stays true to the verbal ingenuity of Dostoevsky's prose. It is a feat deserving of Dostoevsky's final and greatest work.