The Adolescent is a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky, begun in February 1874 and completed in November 1875. Contemporary critics criticized the novel for its “formlessness” and “chaotic” structure, which led it to be regarded for a long time as an artistic failure. However, many modern critics and scholars consider it one of Dostoevsky’s greatest novels and one of his most underrated works.

The novel’s protagonist, the 19-year-old Arkady Dolgoruky, moves to St. Petersburg after graduating from gymnasium (secondary school). He immediately becomes entangled in a series of intrigues and complex relationships involving his biological father, Andrei Petrovich Versilov.