In connection with the release of a serial film about Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky this Sunday on the Rossiya TV channel, I wanted to make for you a selection of interesting and little known facts about this genius of Russian literature. These facts are different, they relate to both Dostoevsky’s personal life and his work, but I think they will all be of interest to you.
15 Facts about Dostoevsky!
1. In F. Dostoevsky’s novel “Demons,” the cynical and arrogant image of Stavrogin will become more understandable to you if you know one nuance. The handwritten original of the novel contains Stavrogin’s confession about the rape of a nine-year-old girl, who then hanged herself. This fact was removed from the printed publication.
2. Dostoevsky, who was in the past a member of the revolutionary organization of Petrashevsky’s lawless men, in the novel “Demons” describes the members of this organization. Meaning revolutionaries by demons, Fyodor Mikhailovich directly writes about his former accomplices - it was “... an unnatural and anti-state society of about thirteen people,” he speaks of them as “... a bestial voluptuous society” and that they are “... not socialists, but swindlers ... " For his truthful frankness about revolutionaries, V.I. Lenin called F.M. Dostoevsky “the most nasty Dostoevsky.”
3. In 1859, Dostoevsky retired from the army “due to illness” and received permission to live in Tver. At the end of the year, he moved to St. Petersburg and, together with his brother Mikhail, began publishing the magazines “Time”, then “Epoch”, combining enormous editorial work with authorship: he wrote journalistic and literary critical articles, polemical notes, and works of art. After my brother's death, what remained of the magazines was huge amount debts that Fyodor Mikhailovich had to pay almost until the end of his life.
4. Fans of the work of F.M. Dostoevsky know that the sin of parricide in The Brothers Karamazov lies with Ivan, but the reason for the crime is not clear. The handwritten original of The Brothers Karamazov indicates the real reason crimes. It turns out that son Ivan killed father F.P. Karamazov because his father raped young Ivan with the sin of sodomy, in general, for pedophilia. IN printed publications this fact was not included.
5. Dostoevsky made extensive use of the real topography of St. Petersburg in describing the places in his novel Crime and Punishment. As the writer admitted, he compiled a description of the yard in which Raskolnikov hides the things he stole from the pawnbroker’s apartment from personal experience— when one day, while walking around the city, Dostoevsky turned into a deserted courtyard to relieve himself.
6. His impressionability clearly went beyond the norm. When some street beauty told him “no,” he would faint. And if she said yes, the result was often exactly the same.
7. To say that Fyodor Mikhailovich had increased sexuality means to say almost nothing. This physiological property was so developed in him that, despite all efforts to hide it, it involuntarily broke out - in words, looks, actions. This, of course, was noticed by those around him and ridiculed him. Turgenev called him “the Russian Marquis de Sade.” Unable to control his sensual fire, he resorted to the services of prostitutes. But many of them, having once tasted Dostoevsky’s love, then refused his proposals: his love was too unusual, and, most importantly, painful.
8. Only one thing could save him from the abyss of debauchery: his beloved woman. And when such a person appeared in his life, Dostoevsky was transformed. It was she, Anna, who appeared for him as an angel-savior, and a helper, and that very sexual toy with which he could do everything, without guilt or remorse. She was 20, he was 45. Anna was young and inexperienced, and did not see anything strange in the intimate relationship that her husband offered her. She took violence and pain for granted. Even if she didn't approve or didn't like what he wanted, she didn't tell him no or show her displeasure in any way. She once wrote: “I am ready to spend the rest of my life kneeling before him.” She put his pleasure above all else. He was God to her...
9. He met his future wife Anna Snitkina during a very difficult period in the writer’s life. He pawned literally everything he could to the moneylenders for pennies, even his cotton coat, and yet he still had urgent debts of several thousand rubles. At that moment, Dostoevsky signed a fantastically enslaving contract with the publisher Strelovsky, according to which he had to, firstly, sell him all his already written works, and secondly, write a new one by a certain deadline. The main point in the contract was an article according to which, if a new novel was not submitted on time, Strelovsky would publish whatever Dostoevsky wrote at his discretion for nine years, without remuneration.
Despite the servitude, the contract gave Dostoevsky the opportunity to pay off the most aggressive creditors and escape from the rest abroad. But after returning, it turned out that there was a month left before the delivery of a new novel of one and a half hundred pages, and Fyodor Mikhailovich had not written a single line. Friends suggested that he use the services of " literary blacks", but he refused. Then they advised him to invite at least a stenographer, who was young Anna Grigorievna Snitkina. The novel “The Gambler” was written (or rather, dictated by Snitkina) in 26 days and delivered on time! Moreover, under extraordinary circumstances - Strelovsky specifically left the city, and Dostoevsky had to leave the manuscript against the receipt of the police officer of the unit where the publisher lived.
Dostoevsky proposed to the young girl (she was 20 years old at the time, he was 45) and received consent.
10. The mother of Anna Grigorievna Snitkina (second wife) was a respectable house owner and gave her daughter a dowry of many thousands in the form of money, utensils and an apartment building.
11. Anna Snitkina, already at a young age, led the life of a capitalist homeowner and after her wedding to Fyodor Mikhailovich, she immediately took up his financial affairs.
First of all, she pacified the numerous creditors of the late brother Mikhail, explaining to them that it is better to receive for a long time and little by little than not to receive at all.
Then she turned her business eye to the publication of her husband’s books and discovered, again, completely wild things. Thus, for the right to publish the most popular novel “Demons,” Dostoevsky was offered 500 “author’s” rubles, with payment in installments over two years. At the same time, as it turned out, printing houses, provided the writer's name was well-known, willingly printed books with a deferred payment for six months. Printing paper could also be purchased in the same way.
It would seem that under such conditions it would be very profitable to publish your books yourself. However, the daredevils soon burned out, since monopolistic bookseller publishers, naturally, quickly cut off their oxygen. But the 26-year-old young lady turned out to be too tough for them.
As a result, “Demons” published by Anna Grigorievna, instead of the “author’s” 500 rubles offered by the publishers, brought the Dostoevsky family 4,000 rubles of net income. Subsequently, she not only independently published and sold her husband’s books, but also worked, as they would say now, wholesale trade books by other authors aimed at regions.
To say that Fedor Mikhailovich got one of the best managers of his time for free means telling half the truth. After all, this manager also selflessly loved him, gave birth to children and patiently led him for pennies (giving thousands of hard-earned rubles to creditors) household. In addition, for 14 years, married Anna Grigorievna also worked for free as a stenographer for her husband.
12. In his letters to Anna, Fyodor Mikhailovich was often unrestrained and filled them with many erotic allusions: “I kiss you every minute in my dreams, all the time, passionately. I especially love what it says: And he is delighted and intoxicated by this delightful object. I kiss this object every minute in all forms and intend to kiss it all my life. Oh, how I kiss you, how I kiss you! Anka, don’t say that this is rude, but what should I do, that’s who I am, you can’t judge me... I kiss your toes, then your lips, then what “I am delighted and intoxicated with.” These words were written by him at the age of 57.
13. Anna Grigorievna remained faithful to her husband until her death. The year of his death she was only 35 years old, but she considered her woman's life finished and devoted herself to serving his name. She published full meeting his works, collected his letters and notes, forced friends to write his biography, founded the Dostoevsky school in Staraya Russa, and wrote memoirs herself. In 1918, in the last year of her life, the then aspiring composer Sergei Prokofiev came to Anna Grigorievna and asked her to make some kind of recording for his album “dedicated to the sun.” She wrote: “The sun of my life is Fyodor Dostoevsky. Anna Dostoevskaya..."
14. Dostoevsky was incredibly jealous. Attacks of jealousy seized him suddenly, sometimes arising out of the blue. He could suddenly return home an hour later - and start rummaging through the closets and looking under all the beds! Or, for no apparent reason, he will become jealous of his neighbor - a frail old man.
Any trifle could serve as a reason for an outburst of jealousy. For example: if the wife looked at so-and-so for too long, or smiled too broadly at so-and-so!
Dostoevsky will develop a number of rules for his second wife Anna Snitkina, which she, at his request, will adhere to in the future: do not wear tight dresses, do not smile at men, do not laugh in conversation with them, do not paint your lips, do not apply eyeliner... And indeed , from now on Anna Grigorievna will behave with men with extreme restraint and dryness.
15. In 1873, Dostoevsky began editing the newspaper-magazine “Citizen,” where he did not limit himself to editorial work, deciding to publish his own journalistic, memoir, literary-critical essays, feuilletons, and stories. This diversity was “redeemed” by the unity of intonation and views of the author, conducting a constant dialogue with the reader. This is how the “Diary of a Writer” began to be created, to which Dostoevsky dedicated recent years a lot of effort, turning it into a report on impressions of the most important phenomena public and political life and setting out on its pages their political, religious, aesthetic convictions.
"A Writer's Diary" was a huge success and prompted many people to enter into correspondence with its author. In fact, it was the first live magazine.
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky was born in 1821. He became the second child in large family(there were six of them in total).
Classes with teachers, moving to St. Petersburg
Since 1832, Dostoevsky began to study together with his brother Mikhail. Teachers came to their home. But in 1833 the children were sent to the Sushara boarding school. However, they did not study there for long. Soon they moved to the Chermaka boarding house. Dostoevsky fell in love with reading from an early age. In 1837, Fyodor’s mother died, and after some time, his father took him and Mikhail to the northern capital so that they could receive a good education there.
1838-1843: Engineering school
Admission to this educational institution Dostoevsky considered it a tragic mistake. Military orders were alien to him, in addition, it was difficult for Fedor to fulfill the requirements placed on him. Nothing aroused his interest, and he did not find any friends at the school. This is how F. M. Dostoevsky suffered in this institution, whose biography is full of similar painful periods.
The beginning of a creative journey
It is no secret that Dostoevsky was very fond of Balzac’s works, so it is not surprising that he decided to translate his story entitled “Eugenia Grande” into Russian. This was the beginning of his creative path. At the same time, Dostoevsky worked on translations of works by Eugene Sue, but they were not published.
A huge success
In 1844, the writer began to have ideas about “Poor People,” and then one day he sat down at the table and began to write enthusiastically. So, the novel completely took over his thoughts, and Dostoevsky did not calm down until he. When the work was ready, the writer gave the handwritten version to Grigorovich (the man with whom he then lived in the same apartment), who took it to Nekrasov, and they spent the whole night reading “Poor People.” At dawn they came to Dostoevsky. Both expressed genuine delight at him. How happy F. M. Dostoevsky was to hear this praise! His biography also contains joyful moments, as we see.
Among writers
Soon the writer was accepted into Belinsky's circle, where he was cordially greeted by Panaev, Odoevsky, and Turgenev. Some time later, Dostoevsky admitted that at that time he was delighted with the critic and unconditionally accepted all his views, including socialist ideas. Dostoevsky's biography indicates that he highly valued Belinsky's opinion about his novels. At a meeting with him in 1845, the writer read several chapters of the work “The Double,” which dealt with split consciousness. This theme would soon be reflected in his major novels.
Arrest and exile
At dawn on April 23, 1849, the writer, along with other members of Petrashevsky’s circle, was captured and placed in the Peter and Paul Fortress. The biography of Dostoevsky is sometimes striking in its tragedy...
The writer spent 8 months there. He tried and even composed a story “ Little hero"(it was published in 1857). Soon Dostoevsky was accused of planning a coup d'etat and was to be executed. Long minutes, right up to his execution, the writer suffered from the painful expectation of death, but suddenly another punishment was imposed: four years of exile and deprivation of absolutely all rights. After serving his sentence, he was supposed to become a soldier. The writer was exiled to Omsk, where he was imprisoned in a fortress. There he was forced to live among criminals. The mental suffering suffered, sadness and rejection, remorse, revaluation of values, a complex palette of feelings from despondency to hope for the speedy fulfillment of one’s life destiny - all this baggage accumulated in prison was used as the basis for the novel “Notes from House of the Dead" The biography of F. Dostoevsky is a real drama that is impossible to read without empathizing with him.
Resumption of writing activity
Since the winter of 1854, the writer served in Semipalatinsk, where he was an ordinary soldier. However, after just 12 months he became a non-commissioned officer. A year later he was appointed ensign. Soon Dostoevsky was returned to the title of nobleman and the opportunity to publish his works. In 1857, the writer married Maria Isaeva, who had previously supported him and did not allow him to lose heart. While in hard labor, Dostoevsky wrote the works “The Village of Stepanchikovo and Its Inhabitants”, as well as “Uncle’s Dream”. They were published in 1859. The stories received many admiring reviews. The biography of Dostoevsky motivates us to be strong.
"Humiliated and Offended"
The writer wanted his magazine “Time” to be perceived by people as a serious publication, and therefore he decided to publish his successful work in it. It was called “Humiliated and Insulted.” Critics of the XIX centuries considered it symbolic for the writer, and many perceived it as the personification of the humanistic pathos of Russian literature.
Family turmoil and wedding
In 1863, the writer traveled abroad, where he met Apollinaria Suslova, with whom he passionately fell in love. The biography of Dostoevsky, whose interesting facts amaze the ignorant reader, would be incomplete without mentioning this woman. Their difficult relationship and passion for roulette in the German city of Baden-Baden inspired the writer to create the work “The Gambler.”
In 1864, Dostoevsky's wife died, and, despite the fact that they often experienced drama and conflict, for him it became a serious blow. Soon after this, brother Mikhail died. The writer once again traveled abroad, and in the summer of 1866 he was in the capital and at a dacha located not far from the city. During this period he worked on the work “Crime and Punishment”. At the same time, work was underway on “The Gambler,” which Dostoevsky read to stenographer Anna Snitkina. When the work was ready (in the winter of 1867), the writer took her as his wife, and as N.N. Strakhov later said, this union was truly harmonious and happy. Thus Dostoevsky’s dream of a good family came true. His wife was a wonderful woman who loved her husband very much. The biography of Dostoevsky reads like a fascinating book, where main character- he’s a writer himself, isn’t it?
"Crime and Punishment"
The writer had the idea for this work a long time ago, while still in exile. Although Dostoevsky was in a difficult financial situation, work on the novel was quite active, and he was passionate about writing. The piece was complete social motives and philosophy. They harmoniously wove into the plot and complemented Raskolnikov’s emotional experiences. He could be called a philosophizing murderer, a modern Bonaparte, whose story ends with him deciding to confess to his crime in order to reconcile with his conscience, at least in exile. The great master of words was Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, whose biography makes us admire his talent.
Great works
In 1867, The Idiot was completed, the purpose of which the writer considered to be an impeccable image wonderful person. This ideal character, who can be compared to Jesus, cannot come to terms with manifestations of bitterness, neglect, sin and goes crazy. This was followed by the work “Demons”, the creation of which was motivated by the activities of Nechaev and the society he created called “People’s Retribution”. In 1875, the novel “The Teenager” was written, which is the confession of a guy who grew up in a thoroughly rotten world, in an atmosphere of widespread degradation. Then work began on the writer’s main work, “The Brothers Karamazov,” which tells the story of the tragedy of one family. Dostoevsky wanted to portray the Russian intelligentsia in it. The writer also wanted to make it a kind of life of the main character - Alexei Karamazov. Dostoevsky's biography is replete with literary successes. By dates you can trace how his talent developed, what thoughts took possession of him in a given period.
Death
At the end of his life, the writer gained undeniable authority; many considered him a mentor and prophet. At that time, Dostoevsky had numerous plans for future works and wanted to begin work on the next part of the novel “The Brothers Karamazov,” but in the winter of 1881 he died unexpectedly.
Biography of Dostoevsky: interesting facts
Did you know that in Crime and Punishment Dostoevsky depicted real houses, courtyards and landscapes located in the northern capital? Quite an interesting fact, isn't it? The writer said that he drew up a description of the place where the killer hid the objects he had taken from the old woman’s apartment based on memories of a courtyard he once turned into while walking around St. Petersburg.
Did you know that the writer was a real jealous person? He suspected his wife of dubious connections, although she gave absolutely no reason for this. Dostoevsky could suddenly return home and begin to examine the closets and inspect the space behind the furniture. Or he could suddenly become jealous of the decrepit old man whose apartment was next door.
So we looked at general outline how Dostoevsky lived. The biography is short but informative.
The life of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky was full of events. A special trait of his character was dedication. This was reflected in all areas of his life. Pronounced Political Views(changed several times), love stories, gambling, and most importantly - literature - this is a list of the main passions of the great writer. His high popularity during his lifetime and conditions of severe poverty, fame as a preacher of the brightest human principles and awareness of his own imperfection, unique writing talent and the need to conclude inhumane contracts with publishers - all this arouses readers’ interest in the fate of Dostoevsky.
On January 14, 1820, Mikhail Andreevich Dostoevsky and Maria Fedorovna Nechaeva got married. He was the son of a priest, she was the daughter of a merchant of the III guild. Both received a good education in their youth.
Mikhail Andreevich, Dostoevsky’s father, graduated from the Moscow department of the Medical-Surgical Academy and became a doctor, despite the fact that several previous generations chose the path of clergy. Still, the young man paid tribute family tradition, having previously studied at a theological seminary, and although he chose a different professional path, Mikhail Andreevich remained a deeply church-going person throughout his life. It was he who instilled high religiosity in his children. He started out as a military medic, but in January 1821 he left the service and opened a practice at the Mariinsky Hospital for the low-income population. A young family settled here, in an outbuilding on the territory of the hospital. And on October 30 (November 11), 1821, the second child of this couple, Fedor, was born here. Dostoevsky's birth took place in a very symbolic place, where he spotted many interesting types for his works.
Childhood
Little Dostoevsky loved most of all the company of his brother Mikhail. Andrei Mikhailovich (younger brother) wrote in his memoirs about how from the very early years The older brothers were friendly. They carried this relationship through all the trials and tribulations of adult life. The boys grew up and were raised side by side with each other. Their first mentor was their father. Keeping them in the necessary severity, Mikhail Andreevich never applied them to children corporal punishment and did not hide his strong fatherly love. It was he who taught the older children the basics of Latin and medicine. Later, their education was headed by Nikolai Ivanovich Drashusov, who worked at the Catherine and Alexander schools. They studied French, mathematics and literature. In 1834, the eldest sons left home to study at the Moscow boarding school. Chermak.
In 1837, the mother of the family, Maria Feodorovna, became seriously ill and died of consumption. The death of this wonderful woman, whose love and tenderness was enough for all her offspring, was very difficult for her relatives. Just before her death, having come to her senses, she wished to bless her children and husband. This sad but deeply touching scene was remembered by everyone who came to say goodbye to Maria Fedorovna.
Almost immediately after this, the father equipped his eldest sons for the journey. Dostoevsky's education was technical and required absence from home. They went to the St. Petersburg boarding house of Koronat Filippovich Kostomarov, where they were supposed to prepare for entrance tests at the Main Engineering School. By this time, both Mikhail and Fedor had already decided that their calling was to work in the literary field, so this prospect upset them a lot, but Mikhail Andreevich considered it the most reasonable. The young people submitted to the will of their parents.
Youth
Having entered engineering school, Dostoevsky did not give up his dreams of writing. Free time he devoted himself entirely to getting to know the Russian and foreign literature, and also made his first attempts at writing. In 1838, thanks to the interest in this field of art kindled among his comrades, a literary circle was created.
The year 1839 brought a new shock to the young man’s life: his father died. According to the official version, he was struck down by apoplexy, but the news reached his sons that he had fallen victim to the massacre of peasants who were taking revenge for “cruel treatment.” This deeply affected Fedor; he will never forget this grief mixed with shame.
Dostoevsky completed his studies in 1843 and immediately received the position of field engineer-second lieutenant. However, the dream of devoting himself to art did not leave the young man, so he did not serve more than a year. After his resignation, Fyodor Mikhailovich decided to try to arrange his debut works in print.
Dostoevsky tried to dilute student everyday life with work on plays and stories own composition, as well as translations of foreign authors. The first experiments were lost, the second were often unfinished. So his debut was “Poor People” (1845). The work was so significant in his life that we recommend that you read it. The manuscript was highly appreciated even by seasoned writers Nekrasov and Belinsky. The famous and venerable critic saw in the author a “new Gogol.” The novel was published in Nekrasov’s “Petersburg Collection” of 1846.
Further creative path The author was not understood by his contemporaries at one time. The next novel, “The Double” (1845-1846), was considered by many to be a very weak work. The type discovered by Dostoevsky underground man“It was not immediately recognized. Belinsky was disappointed in talent young writer. The newfound fame temporarily faded, and was even secretly ridiculed by some.
Arrest and hard labor
In the salon of Nikolai Apollonovich Maykov, where Dostoevsky was received very warmly, the writer met Alexei Nikolaevich Pleshcheev. It was he who brought the writer together with Mikhail Vasilyevich Petrashevsky. From January 1847, the young man began to attend meetings of the circle that had gathered around this thinker. The secret society was actively thinking about the future of Russia, about the possibility and necessity of carrying out a revolution. Various forbidden literature was in circulation here. At that time, the famous “Letter of Belinsky to Gogol” caused a special resonance in society. Reading it in this circle was partly the reason for further sad events. In 1849, the Petrashevites became victims of the government’s repressive struggle against dissent and were imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress, and then, after considering their case, they were sentenced to civil (deprivation of the rank of nobility) and death (by shooting) punishment. It was subsequently decided to change the sentence due to mitigating circumstances. On December 22, 1849 (January 3, 1850), the convicts were taken to the Semenovsky parade ground and the verdict was read to them. Then they announced the replacement of drastic measures with compromise ones - exile and hard labor. Dostoevsky spoke about the horror and shock experienced during this procedure through the lips of his hero, Prince Myshkin, in the novel “The Idiot” (1867-1869).
On December 24, 1849, the convicts were sent from St. Petersburg. In mid-January they carried out the transfer in Tobolsk. Some Decembrists served their sentences there. Their noble and wealthy spouses were able to get a meeting with the new martyrs for freedom of belief and give them bibles with hidden money. Dostoevsky kept the book all his life in memory of his experiences.
Dostoevsky arrived in Omsk to serve hard labor on January 23, 1850. Aggressive and rough relationships between prisoners and inhumane conditions of detention were reflected in the young man’s worldview. “I count those 4 years as the time during which I was buried alive and buried in a coffin,” Fyodor frankly told his brother Andrei.
In 1854, the writer left the Omsk prison and headed to Semipalatinsk, where he settled in the military field. Here he met his future first wife, Maria Dmitrievna Isaeva. She saved Dostoevsky from unbearable loneliness. Fedor sought to return to his past life and writing. On August 26, 1856, on the day of his coronation, Alexander II announced a pardon for the Petrashevites. But, as usual, secret police surveillance was established over each person involved in the case in order to ensure their reliability (it was removed only in 1875). In 1857, Dostoevsky returned his title of nobility and received the right to publish. He was able to obtain these and other freedoms largely thanks to the help of friends.
Maturity
Dostoevsky began his “new” life in the summer of 1859 in Tver. This city is an intermediate point before returning to St. Petersburg, where the family was able to move in December. In 1860, Fyodor Mikhailovich published a collection of his works, consisting of 2 volumes, and the “re-debut” and return to the forefront of the literary capital was “Notes from the House of the Dead” (1861), published in 1861-1862 in the magazine “Time”, belonged to Dostoevsky's brother. The description of the life and soul of hard labor caused a wide resonance among readers.
In 1861, Fedor began helping Mikhail in the publishing craft. The literary and critical departments were under his leadership. The magazine adhered to Slavophile and pochvennichesk (the term appeared later) views. They were promoted to the masses and developed by the most zealous employees Apollo Grigoriev and Nikolai Strakhov. The publication actively polemicized with Sovremennik. In 1863, Strakhov’s article “The Fatal Question” (regarding the Polish uprising) appeared on the pages of the media, causing loud criticism. The magazine was closed.
At the beginning of 1864, the Dostoevsky brothers managed to obtain permission to publish a new magazine. This is how “Epoch” appeared. The first chapters of Notes from Underground appeared on its pages. Contrary to expectations, the magazine was not as popular as Vremya, and the death of Mikhail, Apollo Grigoriev and financial difficulties served as reasons for closure.
In the summer of 1862, Dostoevsky went on a trip to Europe to improve his failing health. It was not possible to fully implement his plans; in Baden-Baden, he was overcome by a painful inclination - playing roulette, which clearly did not help improve his condition. The luck that smiled on him quickly gave way to a series of constant losses, which led to a serious need for money. Dostoevsky was tormented by a passion for cards for nine years. Last time he sat down to play in Wiesbaden in the spring of 1871, and after another defeat, he was finally able to overcome his passion for gambling.
Mikhail died in July 1864. This was the second blow for the writer this year, because he also buried his beloved wife. Fedor really wanted to support his brother’s family. He took upon himself the responsibility of sorting out his debts, and became even closer to the widow and orphans, comforting them in every possible way during this difficult period.
Soon Dostoevsky met and began a relationship with Anna Snitkina, which culminated in marriage. She was a stenographer and typed the novel “The Gambler” (1866): within just one month, he came up with the entire novel, and she typed the dictated text.
The last and most significant works in the writer’s work, not just works, but practically projects, were “The Writer’s Diary” and the “Great Pentateuch.” The Diary was essentially a monthly journal of philosophical and literary journalism. It was published in 1876-1877 and 1880-1881. It was distinguished by its versatility and multi-genre nature, as well as the wide variety of topics covered. “The Pentateuch” is 5 large-scale works by the author:
- "Crime and Punishment" (1866),
- "The Idiot" (1868),
- "Demons" (1871-1872),
- "Teenager" (1875),
- "The Brothers Karamazov" (1879-1880).
They are characterized by ideological-thematic and poetic-structural unity, therefore these novels are combined into a kind of cycle. The choice of title echoes the “Pentateuch of Moses” (the first five books of the Bible for Jews and Christians: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). It is known that the author was jealous of the success of Tolstoy’s epic, so he decided to write something that would exceed the count’s large-scale plan, but the strict framework of the contract and the need for money forced him to release the novels separately, and not as one.
Characteristic
Contemporaries noted the inconsistency of the writer’s character; he had an extraordinary psychotype. Gentleness and kindness were mixed with hot temper and self-criticism. It is noteworthy that the first impression of a meeting with Dostoevsky almost always became disappointing: his discreet appearance ensured that all the interesting qualities and personality traits of this creator began to appear later, with the appearance of a certain degree of trust in the interlocutor. On the inconsistency of the appearance and soul of the writer Vsevolod Sergeevich Solovyov:
In front of me was a man with ugly and at first glance simple face. But this was only the first and instant impression - this face was immediately and forever imprinted in memory, it bore the imprint of an exceptional, spiritual life.
Our hero gave himself a unique description, speaking of him as a person “with a tender heart, but unable to express his feelings.” All his life he judged himself harshly for his shortcomings and complained about his hot temper. He was best able to express his feelings on paper, namely in his works.
Dostoevsky’s friend Dr. Riesenkampf said this about the writer: “Fyodor Mikhailovich belonged to those individuals around whom everyone lives well, but who themselves are constantly in need.” Incredible kindness, as well as inability to handle money, constantly pushed the writer to unforeseen expenses as a result of the desire to help all the poor people he met, petitioners, provide best conditions servants.
Dostoevsky's gentleness and loving heart were most evident in his attitude towards children, whom he adored. Before the appearance of his own offspring in the family, all the writer’s attention was paid to his nephews. Anna Grigorievna talked about unique ability the husband can instantly calm the child down, the ability to communicate with them, gain trust, and share interests. The birth of Sophia (the first daughter from her second marriage) had a beneficial effect on the atmosphere in the Dostoevsky family. Fyodor Mikhailovich always arrived at best location spirit, being next to the girl, and was in highest degree ready to bestow care and affection on everyone around him, which is generally difficult to attribute to his permanent state. His relationships with women were not always smooth sailing. His passions noted periodic changes in mood and frequent criticism of them.
The writer’s friends also noted his quarrelsomeness and high demands on people from his social circle. This pushed him all his life to seek relationships close to ideal, in order to create a family with his chosen one, which would become the stronghold of their harmonious existence.
Relationship
As a rule, biographers claim that there are three women of Dostoevsky: Maria Isaeva, Apollinaria Suslova and Anna Snitkina.
In Omsk, yesterday's convict met the beautiful Maria Isaeva. A feeling flared up between them, but she was married to a drunkard and weak-willed man A.I. Isaev. Their couple served as the prototype for the Marmeladov spouses from Crime and Punishment. In May 1855, the official got a job in Kuznetsk, where he moved with his family. He died in August of the same year. Dostoevsky immediately proposed to his beloved, but she hesitated, the reason for this was the disastrous state of affairs of the groom and the lack of hope for their speedy recovery. Hastily trying to improve his situation, the man in love was able to convince the woman of his worth. On February 6, 1857, Fyodor and Maria got married in Kuznetsk.
This union did not bring happiness to either him or her. The spouses had almost no agreement on anything and lived separately almost all the time. Maria refused to accompany her husband on his first trip abroad. Upon returning home in September 1862, he found his wife in a very sick condition: the woman fell ill with consumption.
And in the same summer of 1863 (during his second trip to Europe) in Baden-Baden, Dostoevsky met Appolionaria Prokofievna Suslova and fell passionately in love with her. It is difficult to imagine people with less similar views than this couple: she is a feminist, a nihilist, he is a believing conservative who adheres to patriarchal views. However, they became attracted to each other. He published several of her works in Time and Epoch. They dreamed of a new trip to Europe, but some difficulties with the magazine, and most importantly - serious condition Maria Dmitrievna forced them to abandon their original plans. Polina went to Paris alone, Fyodor returned to St. Petersburg in need. They wrote letters to him and invited him to come over, but quite unexpectedly for the writer, news from Polina stopped coming. Excited, he hurried to Paris, where he learned that she had met a Spanish student, Salvador, and became a victim of unrequited love. This is how their romance ended, and the story of this complex relationship received a literary interpretation in “The Player.” At the same time, his wife’s consumption progressed. In the fall of 1863, the Dostoevskys moved to Moscow, where it was more convenient to create acceptable conditions for the patient and care for her. On April 14, 1864, Maria Dmitrievna had a seizure. She died on the 15th.
Although their seven-year union could not be called successful, the widower continued to love his wife and experienced her death very painfully. He remembered the deceased with exceptionally kind and kind words, at least some evil tongues they claimed that Maria had been mentally ill all her life, so she could not make her husbands happy. The only thing that Dostoevsky endlessly regretted was that his marriage with Isaeva turned out to be childless. The writer captured his love for this woman in his works; his wife served as a prototype for many of his heroines.
The death of his wife and the subsequent death of his brother fell heavily on Dostoevsky’s shoulders. He could only forget himself in his work, and besides, the writer was in dire need of money. At this time, the publisher Fyodor Timofeevich Stellovsky offered the writer a financially lucrative contract to publish the complete collection of his works at that time. Despite the oppressive conditions, namely: extremely strict time frames and requirements for short term The writer agreed to provide a new, previously unpublished novel. During the same period, work began on Crime and Punishment. Dostoevsky suggested publishing this novel to the editor of the Russian Messenger, Mikhail Nikiforovich Katkov. In connection with everything that was happening, by the beginning of October 1866, the material promised to Stellovsky was not ready, and only a month remained. The writer would not have been able to cope with the operational work if it were not for the stenographer Anna Grigorievna Snitkina. Collaboration brought Dostoevsky very close to this girl. In February 1867 they got married.
Fyodor Mikhailovich finally found the long-awaited happiness and serene existence in the bosom of the family. For Anna, this period of life did not begin so wonderfully; she experienced strong hostility from her husband’s stepson, Pyotr Isaev, who had long lived at the expense of his stepfather. To change the oppressive situation, Snitkina persuaded her husband to go abroad, where they subsequently spent four years. It was then that the second period of passion for roulette began (it ended with a refusal to gamble). The family was in need again. Things were improved by his arrival in St. Petersburg in 1897, because the writer again actively took up writing.
This marriage produced four children. Two survived: Lyubov and Fedor. Eldest daughter Sophia died when she was only a few months old, youngest son Alexey lived less than three years.
He dedicated his exceptional work “The Brothers Karamazov” to Anna, and she, already a widow, published her memoirs about Fyodor Mikhailovich. Dostoevsky's wives appear in all of his works, except perhaps his early ones. The fatal passion, fate and difficult character of Maria formed the basis for the image of Katerina Ivanovna, Grushenka, Nastasya Filippovna, and Anna Grigorievna is the spitting image of Sonechka Marmeladova, Evdokia Raskolnikova, Dashenka Shatova - the angel of salvation and martyrdom.
Philosophy
Dostoevsky's worldview underwent serious changes throughout the writer's life. For example, political orientation was subject to revision and was formed gradually. Only the religiosity nurtured in the writer as a child grew stronger and developed; he never doubted his faith. We can say that Dostoevsky's philosophy is based on Orthodoxy.
Socialist illusions were debunked by Dostoevsky himself in the 60s; he developed a critical attitude towards them, perhaps because they were the reason for his arrest. Traveling around Europe inspired him to think about bourgeois revolution. He saw that it did not help the common people in any way, and as a result, he developed an irreconcilable hostility towards the possibility of its accomplishment in Russia. Soil ideas, which he picked up during his work with Apollo Grigoriev in magazines, partly served as the basis late worldview Dostoevsky. Awareness of the need to merge the elite with common people, attributing to the latter a mission to save the world from harmful ideas, returning to the bosom of nature and religion - all these ideas appealed to the writer. He felt his era as a turning point. The country was preparing for shocks and a reshaping of reality. The writer sincerely hoped that people would follow the path of self-improvement, and the new time would be marked by the degeneration of society.
There was a process to isolate the very essence, the quintessence of Russian national consciousness, the “Russian idea” - a name proposed by the author himself. For Dostoevsky, it is closely connected with religious philosophy. Arseny Vladimirovich Gulyga (Soviet philosopher, historian of philosophy and literary critic) explained Dostoevsky’s pochvenism this way: this is a call for a return to the national, this is patriotism based on moral values.
For Dostoevsky, this idea of free will, inseparably linked with an unshakable moral law, became fundamental in his work, especially in later works. The writer considered man a mystery; he tried to penetrate into his spiritual nature, throughout his life he strove to find the path of his moral development.
June 8, 1880 at a meeting of the Society of Amateurs Russian literature the author read “Pushkin’s Speech,” which reveals to the reader his true views and judgments, as well as the essence of life, according to Dostoevsky. It was this poet that the author considered true national character. In the poetry of Alexander Sergeevich, the writer saw the path of the fatherland and the Russian people prophetically outlined. Then he brought out his main idea: transformation should be accomplished not through changing external factors and conditions, but through internal self-improvement.
Of course, according to Dostoevsky, the main help on this path is religion. Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin said that the “noise” created by the polyphony of characters in the writer’s novels is covered by one voice - that of God, whose word comes from the author’s soul. At the end of “Pushkin’s Speech” it is said that to be Russian means...
To strive to bring reconciliation to European contradictions completely, to indicate the outcome of European melancholy in our Russian soul, all-human and reuniting, to accommodate all our brothers with brotherly love, and in the end, perhaps, to utter the final word of great, common harmony, brotherly final agreement of all tribes according to Christ's gospel law!
Interesting facts from the life of the writer
- In 1837, Pushkin, Dostoevsky’s favorite author, tragically passed away. Fyodor Mikhailovich perceived the death of the poet as a personal tragedy. He later recalled that, if not for the death of his mother, he would have asked his family to mourn the writer.
- It should be noted that the dreams of the eldest sons about a literary career were not at all perceived by their parents as a whim, but in the situation of need into which the family gradually descended, it forced Mikhail Andreevich to insist on the boys receiving an engineering education that could provide them with a financially reliable and sustainable future.
- The writer's first completed work in the field of translation was Balzac's Eugenie Grande. He was inspired by the author of this work's visit to Russia. The work was published in the publication “Repertoire and Pantheon” in 1844, but the name of the translator was not indicated there.
- In 1869 he became a father. Interesting things from the writer’s personal life are described by his wife in her memoirs: “Fyodor Mikhailovich was unusually gentle towards his daughter, fussed with her, bathed her, carried her in his arms, rocked her to sleep and felt so happy that he wrote criticism to Strakhov: “Oh, why are you not married, and why don’t you have a child, dear Nikolai Nikolaevich. I swear to you that this is 3/4 of life’s happiness, but the rest is only one quarter.”
Death
The author was first diagnosed with epilepsy while still in prison. The disease tormented the writer, but the irregularity and relatively low frequency of seizures had little effect on his mental abilities(only some memory deterioration was observed), allowing him to create until the end of his days.
Over time, Dostoevsky developed a lung disease - emphysema. There is an assumption that he owed its aggravation to an explanation with his sister V.M. Ivanova on January 26 (February 7), 1881. The woman persistently persuaded him to give up the share of the Ryazan estate inherited from his aunt Alexandra Fedorovna Kumanina to his sisters. The nervous situation, the conversation with his sister in a raised voice, the complexity of the situation - all this had a detrimental effect on the physical condition of the writer. He had a seizure: blood came down his throat.
Even on the morning of January 28 (February 9), the hemorrhages did not go away. Dostoevsky spent the whole day in bed. He said goodbye to his loved ones several times, feeling the approach of death. By evening the writer died. He was 59 years old.
Many wished to say goodbye to Dostoevsky. Relatives and friends arrived, but there was much more strangers- those who even then immensely revered Fyodor Mikhailovich’s amazing talent, who admired his gift. Among those who came was the artist V. G. Perov, he painted the famous posthumous portrait of the author.
Dostoevsky, and later his second wife, were buried at the Tikhvin cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg.
Dostoevsky places
The Dostoevsky estate was located in the Kashira district of the Tula province. The village of Darovoye and the village of Cheremoshna, which made up the estate, were bought by Fyodor’s father back in 1831. Here, as a rule, the family spent the summer. A year after the purchase, there was a fire that destroyed the house, after which a wooden outbuilding was rebuilt, where the family lived. The younger brother Andrei inherited the estate.
The house in Staraya Russa was Dostoevsky's only real estate. The writer and his family first came here in 1882. The most halcyon days of his life are associated with this place. The atmosphere of this corner was most favorable for the coexistence of the entire family in harmony and for the work of the writer. “The Brothers Karamazov”, “Demons” and many other works were written here.
Meaning
Dostoevsky did not study philosophy and did not consider his works to be vehicles of corresponding ideas. But decades after its end creative activity researchers began to talk about the formulation of general questions and the complexity of the issues raised in the texts issued by the writer. The writer really gained the reputation of a preacher, an expert human soul. Therefore, his novels are still on the lists of the most popular and sought-after works around the world. For modern writer It is considered a great merit to earn comparison with this Russian genius. Reading similar literature is part of belonging to intellectual circles, because Dostoevsky has become to a certain extent a brand, signifying the exclusivity of the taste of those who give him preference. The Japanese especially like the work of Fyodor Mikhailovich: Kobo Abe, Yukio Mishima, and Haruki Murakami recognized him as their favorite writer.
The famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud noted the phenomenal depth of the works of the Russian author and their value for science. He also sought to look deeply into the consciousness of an individual, to study the patterns and features of his work. They both opened and dissected inner world a person as a whole: with all his noble thoughts and base desires.
Interesting? Save it on your wall!Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky is rightfully one of the most brilliant writers of his time, whose works are considered classics of world literature, one of which is “The Brothers Karamazov”, takes pride of place in the list of the 100 greatest novels ever written. We invite you to learn the most interesting facts from the life of the unbearable, gambling, but extremely talented Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky.
The biography of Dostoevsky contains many interesting facts unknown to a wide circle people. For example, Fyodor Mikhailovich grew up in a fairly wealthy family, his father was a wealthy man and worked as a doctor. Since his father’s work brought in substantial profits, the Dostoevsky family subsequently acquired a whole village.
After studying at the Main Engineering School, Fyodor Dostoevsky went into service with the rank of engineer-second lieutenant. Even then, the future writer was passionate about literature and attended a circle where he had the opportunity to communicate with writers.
After retiring, Dostoevsky writes his first serious novel. "Poor people", which was received positively by critics. Another interesting fact is that, having been arrested on charges of conspiracy against the government, Fyodor Mikhailovich was not shot, but exiled to 4 years of hard labor in Siberia. The sentence was commuted at the suggestion of Emperor Nicholas I, who spoke positively about the writer’s work.
Very rare photo —
Dostoevsky visiting Erich and Maria Remarkov. Spain, Madrid, 1903
Joke! Photoshop!
An interesting fact, but Dostoevsky’s brother was also a writer and had his own magazine, in which Fyodor Mikhailovich’s first novels were published. Some time after the death of his brother, Dostoevsky opened his own publication, which published many of his essays and stories.
Interesting fact about Dostoevsky:
“Should the light fail, or should I not drink tea? I’ll say that the world is gone, but that I always drink tea.”
The writer loved tea so much! He valued a hot samovar and strong tea as highly as ink and a pen.
The most fruitful years in Dostoevsky’s work were the last 10 years of his life. During this time he wrote his most famous novels, which brought him a well-deserved popularity. However, it is worth noting, as often happens, that the peak of the writer’s fame came only after his death.
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Fyodor Mikhailovich suddenly passed away from an exacerbation of the disease. Until the last minutes, his wife was next to him, who loved her husband more than life itself.
I held my husband in my hand and felt that his pulse was beating weaker and weaker. At eight o'clock twenty-eight minutes in the evening Fyodor Mikhailovich passed away into eternity.
However, our interesting facts about Dostoevsky do not end there, read on.
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky lived a life full of ups and downs. At the age of 16, the future writer was left without a mother, who died of tuberculosis. A couple of years later, his father passes away, killed by serfs.
As a result, a difficult childhood left a huge imprint on the character of Fyodor Mikhailovich. Dostoevsky was a completely unbearable, very irritable, vulnerable and extremely jealous person. An interesting fact from Dostoevsky's life is his sexual obsession. Every word, every gesture and every glance of his oozed lust. Giving vent to his desires, Dostoevsky regularly visited prostitutes, but subsequently they did not want to know him, since Fyodor Mikhailovich’s whims were very peculiar.
The desire to have a submissive next to you mistress prevented the writer from building normal relationships. Having married for the first time at the age of 36, Dostoevsky never found the happiness and relationships he expected. His wife failed to get along with a jealous man, who himself constantly cheated on her. However, this marriage resolved on its own - after 7 years life together The writer's first wife died of tuberculosis.
The turning point in Dostoevsky's life is his acquaintance with Anna Snitkina. A nineteen-year-old girl was hired by the writer as a stenographer. Soon Fyodor Mikhailovich proposed marriage to Anna, to which the girl agreed. Anna was not at all bothered by the 25-year age difference with her husband, since she loved him with all her heart.
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If Anna had not been in the writer’s life, most likely we would now know a completely different Dostoevsky.
An interesting fact from the life of Dostoevsky
The novel “The Gambler” was written by Fyodor Mikhailovich in just 26 days. A key role in the creation of this work was played by the writer’s future wife, who typed the text under the dictation of Fyodor Mikhailovich.
Tell me, do you intend to quit the game?
- Oh, to hell with her! I'll quit right away, if only...
- Just to get even now? That's what I thought
Quote from the novel "The Gambler"
Few people know, but Dostoevsky was a man gambling, capable of losing his last pants at roulette. His wife, the same Annushka, helped Fyodor Mikhailovich overcome his gambling passion.
An interesting fact, but the German thinker Friedrich Nietzsche recognized Dostoevsky as the only psychologist from whom he could learn something. 
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Dostoevsky is one of the most famous writers not only in Russia, but throughout the world. His works are popular, they are republished and translated, plays and films are based on them, but at the same time his biography remains full of unknown but interesting facts. 
Influence on world figures
Thinkers greatly appreciated Dostoevsky's work. Nietzsche considered Fyodor Mikhailovich a psychologist from whom he could learn. Einstein admitted that our thinker told him more than any scientist. Freud also appreciated his work, who put him on a par with Shakespeare himself. Lenin constantly criticized the work of the great writer for obvious reasons. In the sensational novel, it is the revolutionaries who are presented by the writer as “demons” who lead the people astray. Many laureates, e.g. Nobel Prize in literature they still call Dostoevsky one of their teachers.
The second wife is twenty-five years younger!
Dostoevsky himself was influenced by his nineteen year old wife. Initially, as a stenographer, she helped the writer create a novel. After the wedding, the young wife Anna was with the writer until his last minutes. By the way, the first wife died of tuberculosis, as did Fyodor Mikhailovich’s mother.
A novel in twenty-one days...
Why such a rush in writing novels? Such volume, such philosophical topics many are only able to “master” it in a few years... Dostoevsky wrote on credit! After his first novel, which was enthusiastically received by the public, publishers paid the writer for his texts in advance, but they only set short deadlines. So I had to create “bingely”, seek help from the stenographer Anna and not always check my works.
Has the “player” character been written off?
That’s right, Fyodor Mikhailovich was carried away gambling, especially with roulette. He practically could not live without this passion. Naturally, he didn’t always win. That is why the feelings of the protagonist of his novel “The Player” are familiar to him firsthand. Just like this novel was created in record time.
Desperate tea lover
Dostoevsky treated many things with passion, even fanaticism. Even an ordinary tea drink here is no exception. The writer claimed that he would prefer a glass of tea to the whole world. When the novelist was writing, there was always a mug of tea on his table, and a hot samovar was waiting in another room.
St. Petersburg singer
Fyodor Mikhailovich treated the northern capital with the same fanaticism, praising it again and again in his work. This attitude was most like an obsession, because the writer testified that this city “crushes” a person, and the bad climate, and social discord, poverty, and dirt. However, Dostoevsky saw the splendor of the city, the beauty of its nature, and the monumentality of its architecture... Saint Petersburg, according to many critics, appears in novels not just as a background, but as another hero. Moscow did not have the same influence on the writer, although he was born there and studied in a boarding house. Young Dostoevsky arrived in St. Petersburg, enrolling in an engineering school.
Creative brothers
It’s interesting that Fyodor studied there together with his older brother Mikhail. Both of them felt that they had a humanitarian talent and a talent for writing, but their father did not believe in seriousness “ creative career" He insisted that his sons get a “normal” engineering profession. But according to the recollections of both, they dreamed of writing, and also devoted their time to reading classical works– Russian and foreign literature. 
Fedor even took up the task of translating and publishing works French writer Balzac. The Dostoevsky brothers are organizing a literary circle at the school!
Subsequently, Mikhail Fedorovich Dostoevsky, like his younger brother, devoted himself to literature, but in a slightly different way. He published his own magazine. Fyodor’s first works were even published there.
The image of the head of the clan
It was Dostoevsky’s father, Fyodor Andreevich, who greatly influenced the character and worldview of the future writer. Their family was quite large - eight children, although not poor. His father, a doctor by profession, came from an ancient family of nobles who became Russian citizens. Dostoevsky's grandfather was the archpriest of an entire city. It is interesting that Dostoevsky never learned about the beginning of his family from the time of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Their family tree his wife took over after his death. Returning to the image of the father, we need to add a sad fact - he was killed by serfs.
Father Tsar?
Many who have read the novel “The Idiot” should know that Dostoevskaya also drew the image of the hero from herself. There is a well-known moment before the execution when Fyodor Mikhailovich’s entire short life flashed before his eyes. But few people know that in last moment Tsar Nicholas I replaced the execution with a long exile, thanks positive assessment the monarch of the creativity of a young freethinker. 
The Divine Role of the Gospel
In exile, namely, Fonvizin’s wife, gave young man this holy book. Due to censorship, Dostoevsky was no longer allowed to read or write anything. They didn't even give me a pencil! And for two years he re-read only this book, making thousands of notes in the margins with his fingernail.
Moreover, he did not part with this Book until the very end.
It is interesting that after this “second chance” Dostoevsky reconsidered his life. As if he had not one, but two... Perhaps this explains the combination of love and hatred, energy and apathy, visits to gambling and even brothels and knowledge of the Holy Gospel by heart.
The very image of Dostoevsky is a complete contradiction, and his books also do not have an unambiguous interpretation.