Existential Guilt in Camus, Dostoevsky, and Columbo

An article explores the shared theme of existential guilt in Albert Camus's novel 'A Happy Death', Fyodor Dostoevsky's 'Crime & Punishment', and the TV series 'Columbo'. The connection stems from a common inspiration: Dostoevsky's novel. 'Columbo' creators Richard Levinson and William Link based their detective on Porfiry Petrovich from 'Crime & Punishment'. The show aired from 1971 to 1978, with 69 episodes winning 22 awards including four Emmys and a Golden Globe. Peter Falk's portrayal made him an international star, with a statue in Budapest. In 'A Happy Death', protagonist Patrice Mersault murders Roland Zagreus for money, staging it as suicide, similar to Columbo's murderers. Unlike Raskolnikov, who is plagued by guilt, Mersault overcomes guilt and finds innocence. The article argues that all these works address existential guilt arising from the realization of human freedom and responsibility.