Arguably, Fyodor Dosto-yevsky wrote three of the greatest novels that will ever be written: Crime and Punishment, The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov.

Murder and guilt, sin and redemption, hysteria and comic buffoonery, poverty and psychological distortion are mixed together in expressionistic claustrophobia in all three epics.

Apartment rooms are too small and over-crowded, the streets of St Petersburg are rutted and muddy, people go from one extreme to another. Hopelessness and depravity rub shoulders with ambition and criminal scheming.

The most ambitious of the novels is The Brothers Karamazov, written during a period of grief following the death from epilepsy of the writer's three-year-old son Alyosha.

In part, it tells the story of a dissolute father, Fyodor Karamazov and his three sons: Dmitri, the eldest and a sensualist; Ivan, an atheist with a poetic imagination; and Alexei, a devout Christian.

The heart of the book is a magnificent chapter called The Grand Inquisitor in which Ivan recounts a dream of Christ returning to earth at the time of the Spanish Inquisition and being told that his presence is not wanted. The vision of a tyrannical theocracy anticipates the murderous inquisitorial Bolshevik regime of the Russian Revolution.

Now the novel has been adapted for the stage by Theatre O and the writer Enda Walsh. Renamed Delirium, it receives its premiere at West Yorkshire Playhouse.

Joseph Alford, joint artistic director of Theatre O, said: "The Brothers Karamazov is a haunting and epic story that deals with the human condition in the most profound way.

"This is a view shared by many, including Sigmund Freud, who considered it to be the most important work of literature and the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, who we met recently to discuss Delirium.

"The Brothers Karamazov is a classic text, but the story deals with things that are absolutely relevant today. Working with Enda Walsh we have created a powerful and energetic adaptation for a modern audience."

Similar to the novel, Delirium explores a world without morals, depicting the human condition in a harsh and uncompromising way. The three brothers and their father - at least until he is murdered - are driven by a mixture of passion, intelligence, faith and frustration.

Feuds over money and women ensure bad blood runs deep as beliefs and spitefulness ignite a frenzy of emotion so strong it is impossible to overcome. The play opens with a fight and doesn't look back.

Irish playwright Walsh's previous pieces include Disco Pigs and Chatroom. He recently won rave reviews and a Fringe First at the 2007 Edinburgh Festival for The Walworth Farce.

This is the first production to come out of the collaboration between Walsh and Theatre O.

Theatre O producer Simon Zimmerman said: "Delirium marks the start of a long-term relationship with Leeds and Yorkshire. We are growing rapidly as a company and the administrative move North means that we can develop stronger relationships with an artistic centre of excellence such as the Playhouse."

  • Delirium is on at West Yorkshire Playhouse runs from next Wednesday to Saturday, starting at 7.45pm, with a 2.30pm matinee on Saturday. The box office number is (0113) 2137700.