Under Western Eyes

Both novels explore revolutionary terrorism and espionage, but The Secret Agent (1907) is set in London while Under Western Eyes (1911) takes place largely in St. Petersburg and Geneva. Under Western Eyes focuses specifically on Russian student informers and the émigré revolutionary community, framed by an English narrator who provides the novel's title perspective.

Yes, Conrad wrote Under Western Eyes partly as a reaction against Dostoevsky, whom he personally disliked. The novel echoes and challenges themes from Crime and Punishment, particularly the psychology of confession, guilt, and moral crisis, with protagonist Razumov serving as a deliberate counterpoint to Dostoevsky's Raskolnikov.

Razumov, a Russian student in St. Petersburg, betrays fellow student Victor Haldin to the authorities after Haldin assassinates a government official. He is then sent to Geneva as an informer to infiltrate the revolutionary circle surrounding Haldin's sister, leading to a tragic unraveling of his identity and allegiances.

The novel features many hallmarks of the espionage genre: informants, double agents, political surveillance, and betrayal operating across international borders between Russia and Switzerland. Its psychological depth in examining what motivates someone to inform on others influenced later spy fiction writers who grappled with the moral ambiguity of intelligence work.