English
AfewwordsaboutDostoevskyhimselfmayhelptheEnglishreadertounderstandhiswork.
Dostoevskywasthesonofadoctor.Hisparentswereveryhard-workinganddeeplyreligiouspeople,butsopoorthattheylivedwiththeirfivechildreninonlytworooms.
Thefatherandmotherspenttheireveningsinreadingaloudtotheirchildren,generallyfrombooksofaseriouscharacter.
ThoughalwayssicklyanddelicateDostoevskycameoutthirdinthefinalexaminationofthePetersburgschoolofEngineering.Therehehadalreadybegunhisfirstwork,“PoorFolk.”
ThisstorywaspublishedbythepoetNekrassovinhisreviewandwasreceivedwithacclamations.
Theshy,unknownyouthfoundhimselfinstantlysomethingofacelebrity.
Abrilliantandsuccessfulcareerseemedtoopenbeforehim,butthosehopesweresoondashed.In1849hewasarrested.
Thoughneitherbytemperamentnorconvictionarevolutionist,DostoevskywasoneofalittlegroupofyoungmenwhomettogethertoreadFourierandProudhon.
Hewasaccusedof“takingpartinconversationsagainstthecensorship,ofreadingaletterfromByelinskytoGogol,andofknowingoftheintentiontosetupaprintingpress.”
UnderNicholasI.(that“sternandjustman,”asMauriceBaringcallshim)thiswasenough,andhewascondemnedtodeath.
Aftereightmonths’imprisonmenthewaswithtwenty-oneotherstakenouttotheSemyonovskySquaretobeshot.
WritingtohisbrotherMihail,Dostoevskysays:“Theysnappedwordsoverourheads,andtheymadeusputonthewhiteshirtswornbypersonscondemnedtodeath.
Thereuponwewereboundinthreestostakes,tosufferexecution.
Beingthethirdintherow,IconcludedIhadonlyafewminutesoflifebeforeme.
IthoughtofyouandyourdearonesandIcontrivedtokissPlestcheievandDourov,whowerenexttome,andtobidthemfarewell.
Suddenlythetroopsbeatatattoo,wewereunbound,broughtbackuponthescaffold,andinformedthathisMajestyhadsparedusourlives.”
Thesentencewascommutedtohardlabour.
Oneoftheprisoners,Grigoryev,wentmadassoonashewasuntied,andneverregainedhissanity.
TheintensesufferingofthisexperienceleftalastingstamponDostoevsky’smind.
Thoughhisreligioustemperledhimintheendtoaccepteverysufferingwithresignationandtoregarditasablessinginhisowncase,heconstantlyrecurstothesubjectinhiswritings.
Hedescribestheawfulagonyofthecondemnedmanandinsistsonthecrueltyofinflictingsuchtorture.
Thenfollowedfouryearsofpenalservitude,spentinthecompanyofcommoncriminalsinSiberia,wherehebeganthe“DeadHouse,”andsomeyearsofserviceinadisciplinarybattalion.
Hehadshownsignsofsomeobscurenervousdiseasebeforehisarrestandthisnowdevelopedintoviolentattacksofepilepsy,fromwhichhesufferedfortherestofhislife.
Thefitsoccurredthreeorfourtimesayearandweremorefrequentinperiodsofgreatstrain.
In1859hewasallowedtoreturntoRussia.
Hestartedajournal—”Vremya,”whichwasforbiddenbytheCensorshipthroughamisunderstanding.
In1864helosthisfirstwifeandhisbrotherMihail.
Hewasinterriblepoverty,yethetookuponhimselfthepaymentofhisbrother’sdebts.
Hestartedanotherjournal—”TheEpoch,”whichwithinafewmonthswasalsoprohibited.
Hewasweigheddownbydebt,hisbrother’sfamilywasdependentonhim,hewasforcedtowriteatheart-breakingspeed,andissaidnevertohavecorrectedhiswork.
Thelateryearsofhislifeweremuchsoftenedbythetendernessanddevotionofhissecondwife.
InJune1880hemadehisfamousspeechattheunveilingofthemonumenttoPushkininMoscowandhewasreceivedwithextraordinarydemonstrationsofloveandhonour.
AfewmonthslaterDostoevskydied.Hewasfollowedtothegravebyavastmultitudeofmourners,who“gavethehaplessmanthefuneralofaking.”
HeisstillprobablythemostwidelyreadwriterinRussia.
InthewordsofaRussiancritic,whoseekstoexplainthefeelinginspiredbyDostoevsky:“Hewasoneofourselves,amanofourbloodandourbone,butonewhohassufferedandhasseensomuchmoredeeplythanwehavehisinsightimpressesusaswisdom…thatwisdomoftheheartwhichweseekthatwemaylearnfromithowtolive.
Allhisothergiftscametohimfromnature,thishewonforhimselfandthroughithebecamegreat.”
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