Books About Evil

Brainstorming, I asked Open AI what are some books similar to MacBeth or Crime and Punishment.

Some Books #

Here are novels from the last 100 years that seriously engage with the theme of evil and would pair well with Macbeth, Crime and Punishment, and The Trial in a college course on good and evil:

1. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (1940, published posthumously in 1967) #

• Why it fits: The Devil comes to Soviet Moscow, exposing hypocrisy and corruption. It mixes satire, theology, and metaphysics, questioning the nature of good and evil in a godless society.
• Thematic resonance: The Devil is not merely malevolent — he’s a force of moral and metaphysical reckoning.
• Why it’s taught: Deep philosophical themes, subversion of authoritarian regimes, and literary experimentation. Often compared to The Trial and Faust.

2. Blindness by José Saramago (1995) #

• Why it fits: A plague of blindness hits a city, and society collapses into chaos, cruelty, and power struggles. It's an allegory of moral degeneration and human savagery.
• Thematic resonance: Evil isn’t supernatural — it’s what people become when rules disappear.
• Why it’s taught: Frequently appears in modern literature, ethics, and political philosophy courses.

3. Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee (1999) #

• Why it fits: In post-apartheid South Africa, a disgraced professor and his daughter experience violence that challenges their beliefs about justice, guilt, and atonement.
• Thematic resonance: Evil as embedded in social structures and personal actions. Ethical ambiguity is central.
• Why it’s taught: A major work in postcolonial and moral philosophy contexts.

4. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy (1985) #

• Why it fits: A brutal Western epic where violence is elemental and the character of Judge Holden is a chilling, almost mythic embodiment of philosophical evil.
• Thematic resonance: Evil as cosmic, amoral force. Deeply Nietzschean.
• Why it’s taught: Often compared to Macbeth in its treatment of fate, violence, and moral nihilism.

5. The Painted Bird by Jerzy Kosiński (1965) #

• Why it fits: A harrowing story of a boy wandering through Eastern Europe during WWII, encountering cruelty and depravity at every turn.
• Thematic resonance: Evil as dehumanization, often seen in war and trauma literature.
• Why it’s taught: It’s extreme, controversial, and morally unsettling — ideal for courses wrestling with the boundaries of evil.

If you're looking for something both philosophically rigorous and literarily rich, The Master and Margarita or Blood Meridian are top choices.
If you're more interested in societal evil and moral ambiguity, Disgrace and Blindness are compelling modern options.

• Next: Best citizen groups to support here and now
• Previous: How are populism and authoritarianism related