Fyodor Dostoevsky

Fyodor Dostoevsky was a Russian novelist, short story writer, and essayist. His novels explore the psychology of the human mind and the moral and religious questions of his time, and they influenced the development of modern literature and philosophy.

Early Life and Education

Dostoevsky was born in 1821 in Moscow, the son of a doctor. He studied at the Military Engineering Academy in Saint Petersburg.

He worked as an engineer and translated foreign literature. He became involved with the Petrashevsky Circle, a group of radical intellectuals.

He was arrested in 1849 and sentenced to death. The sentence was commuted at the last moment, and he was sent to a prison camp in Siberia.

The Years of Exile

Dostoevsky spent four years in a prison camp at Omsk and then served in the army as a private. He was released in 1859 and returned to Saint Petersburg.

The experience of the prison camp transformed his outlook and provided the material for The House of the Dead. He became a devout Orthodox Christian and a critic of the radical intelligentsia.

He founded the journals Vremya and Epokha and travelled in Europe. He suffered from epilepsy and from a gambling addiction.

The Major Novels

Notes from Underground, published in 1864, is a novella that presents the monologue of a bitter and alienated man. It is regarded as one of the first existentialist works.

Crime and Punishment, published in 1866, describes the murder of a pawnbroker by a poor student and his subsequent psychological torment. The novel explores the idea of the extraordinary individual who is beyond the moral law.

The Idiot, published in 1869, presents a Christ-like figure who is destroyed by the world. Demons, published in 1872, is a political novel about revolutionary nihilism.

The Brothers Karamazov

The Brothers Karamazov, published in 1880, is his final novel and his masterpiece. It treats the murder of a father and the moral and spiritual conflicts of his sons.

The chapter on the Grand Inquisitor is one of the most famous passages in world literature. It presents a dialogue about freedom, faith, and the problem of evil.

The novel explores the themes of faith and doubt, of free will, and of the existence of God. It influenced the development of existentialism and of modern theology.

Philosophical Themes

Dostoevsky was concerned with the problem of human freedom and with the consequences of the denial of God. His characters often commit crimes in order to test the limits of their freedom.

He is regarded as a forerunner of existentialism and of psychoanalysis. His analysis of the divided self and of the irrational elements in human behaviour anticipated the discoveries of Freud.

He was a Slavophile and a critic of Western rationalism. He believed that the Russian people had a special mission to renew the world.

Later Life and Death

Dostoevsky married his second wife Anna Snitkina in 1867, and she managed his affairs and stabilised his life. They had four children.

He was a celebrated public figure and gave readings of his work. He died in 1881 in Saint Petersburg.

He was buried in the Alexander Nevsky Monastery. His funeral was attended by thousands of people.

Legacy

Dostoevsky is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in world literature. His influence on philosophy, on psychology, and on literature has been profound.

His novels have been adapted for the stage, for film, and for television. The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment are among the most widely read works of Russian literature.

He is remembered for his psychological insight and for his treatment of religious questions. His work remains central to the study of the novel.

The Petrashevsky Circle

Dostoevsky became involved with the Petrashevsky Circle, a group of intellectuals who discussed radical ideas and read banned literature. He was arrested in 1849.

He was imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress and sentenced to death. The sentence was commuted to exile at the last moment, in a staged ceremony.

The experience of the mock execution affected him deeply. He was sent to a prison camp in Siberia and served four years at hard labour.

The Prison Camp

Dostoevsky's experience of the prison camp is described in The House of the Dead. He was the only educated man among the prisoners and was treated with suspicion.

He was released in 1854 and served in the army as a private. He was allowed to publish again in 1859.

The years in Siberia transformed his religious and political views. He rejected the radical ideas of his youth and turned to the Orthodox faith.

The Journalist

Dostoevsky edited the journals Vremya and Epokha with his brother Mikhail. The journals published his own work and that of other writers.

He wrote articles on politics, on literature, and on the condition of Russia. He was a Slavophile and a critic of Westernisation.

The Diary of a Writer, published in the 1870s, is a collection of his journalism and of his stories. The work was widely read and influential.

The Family and the Gambling

Dostoevsky married his first wife Maria in 1857, and she died in 1864. He had an affair with Apollinaria Suslova and was involved with other women.

He was addicted to gambling and lost large sums at the tables in Europe. The addiction is described in The Gambler.

He married Anna Snitkina in 1867, and she managed his affairs and protected him from his creditors. The marriage was stable and productive.

The Major Works of the 1860s

Crime and Punishment was published in 1866 and was followed by The Gambler. The Idiot was published in 1869.

The Possessed, also known as Demons, was published in 1872 and is a political novel about the revolutionary movement. It is based in part on the Nechayev affair.

The Brothers Karamazov was published in 1880 and is his final novel. It was written in the last years of his life and was the culmination of his art.

See also

• Russian literature
• Existentialism