Dostoyevsky on the other hand, was for the majority of his life a frail epileptic. He came from a poor and humble background and would struggle to survive his entire life. When Dostoyevsky had the opportunity to write it was often in haste and under immense pressure with very little time to revise and polish it. Unlike Tolstoy who enjoyed freedom to write what he wanted, Dostoyevsky was sent to Siberia and banished for a minor infraction of the censorship laws. Consequently he would remain under the watchful eye of the authorities. During his stay in Siberia he served as a common solider among the convicts in Siberia. Out of a necessity Dostoyevsky lived a life among the slum dwellers and shared his experience. He was charitable out of feeling and necessity.
Dostoyevsky used his writings to introduce the slums and middle class into the Russian Literature. His characters have a great level of complexity. The issues that are prevalent in his writings are usually crime, disease, insanity, and abnormalities. When Dostoyevsky wrote and presented his works, he had the appearance of a humble man. Dostoyevsky is considered a literary genius. He constantly underestimated the greatness of his works. In his writings, Dostoyevsky rarely resorted to autobiographical passages except in his Memoirs from a Dead House. He revealed his Slavophile view in his character Shatov, and his epileptic condition and experiences in the Prince Myshkin. Dostoyevsky was considered a prophet and a teacher. His writings and life created people who imitated him. In philosophy, he was considered a disciple of Christ and a psychologist; however in societal he was classified an idiot and an epileptic.
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