Home » Reading & Literature » Classic Literature » Classic Authors: Fyodor Dostoevsky

Classic Authors: Fyodor Dostoevsky

© Susan Jensen

One of the greatest Russian novelists of all time, Fyodor Dostoevsky began his life in complete obscurity. He was born on October 30, 1821, in Moscow’s Hospital for the Poor, the second of seven children. His father, a former Army surgeon, ran a strict household, tempered only by the kind and cultured influence of his mother. Both of his parents passed away before Fyodor reached 19 years of age. In 1839, Fyodor’s father died, presumably by the hands of his own serfs, who poured vodka down his throat until he could no longer breathe. Fyodor remained close to at least one of his siblings, his beloved brother Mikhail.

Fyodor received his early education at home and at private boarding schools. In 1838, he entered the Academy of Military Engineers in St. Petersburg, from whence he graduated in 1843. Although he finished as a lieutenant, Fyodor left the military to begin a writing career. In 1844, he completed a translation of Balzac’s Eugenie Grandet. Two years later, he published a short novel, Poor Folks(1846), to much acclaim. The work he published over the next few years did not receive as much attention, much to Fyodor’s dismay.

Lamenting his shaky beginnings as an author, Fyodor turned to political circles and radical philosophies. Under the influence of critic Vissarion Belinsky, he aligned himself with a group of material atheists. In 1847, he left Belinsky’s set and joined with the socialist Petrashevsky group, a society of liberal atheists who met in secret. On April 23, 1849, Fyodor and other members of the group were arrested and sentenced to death. Fyodor found himself in solitary confinement at Petropavlovsky Fortress for eight months. During that period, Tsar Nikolai I changed the sentence, but demanded that no one be told until the last possible moment. Thus, on December 22, the men were taken through all of the steps of execution, only to be spared in the end. Fyodor’s new sentence demanded that he complete eight years of hard labor in a prison at Omsk, Siberia. The term was eventually reduced to four years hard labor, followed by four more years of mandatory military service. This difficult period took its toll on Fyodor’s health; he suffered his first epileptic seizure while incarcerated. The prison time also had a profound effect on Fyodor Dostoevsky’s spirituality. Since the New Testament was the only reading material allowed in the jail, he pored over the scriptures. When he finished serving his time, Fyodor had become a deeply spiritual man, dedicated to Russian Orthodox values.

The copyright of the article Classic Authors: Fyodor Dostoevsky in Classic Literature is owned by Susan Jensen. Permission to republish Classic Authors: Fyodor Dostoevsky in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.