Fedor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky was born on October 30 (November 11, n.s.) 1821 in Moscow in the family of the head physician of the Mariinsky hospital for the poor. Father, Mikhail Andreevich, nobleman; mother, Maria Feodorovna, from an old Moscow merchant family. He received an excellent education in a private boarding school L. Chermak - one of the best in Moscow. The family loved to read, they subscribed to the Library for Reading magazine, which made it possible to get acquainted with the latest foreign literature. Of the Russian authors, they loved Karamzin, Zhukovsky, Pushkin. Mother, a religious nature, from a young age introduced the children to the Gospel, took them on a pilgrimage to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
Hardly survived the death of his mother (1837), Dostoevsky, by the decision of his father, entered the St. Petersburg Military Engineering School - one of the best educational institutions of that time. A new life was given to him with a great strain of strength, nerves, ambition. But there was another life - inner, secret, unknown to others.
In 1839, his father died unexpectedly. This news shocked Dostoevsky and provoked a severe nervous attack - a harbinger of future epilepsy, to which he had a hereditary predisposition.
He graduated from college in 1843 and was enlisted in the drawing room of the engineering department. A year later he retired, convinced that his vocation was literature.
Dostoevsky's first novel "Poor People" was written in 1845, published by Nekrasov in the Petersburg Collection (1846). Belinsky proclaimed "the appearance ... of an extraordinary talent ...". Tale "Double"(1846) and "Mistress"(1847) Belinsky gave a lower rating, noting the length of the narrative, but Dostoevsky continued to write in his own way, disagreeing with the critic's assessment. Later came out "White Nights"(1848) and "Netochka Nezvanova"(1849), which revealed features of Dostoevsky's realism that distinguished him from among the writers of the "natural school": in-depth psychologism, exceptional characters and situations.
Successfully begun literary activity is tragically interrupted. Dostoevsky was one of the members of the Petrashevsky circle, which united adherents of French utopian socialism (Fourier, Saint-Simon). In 1849, for participating in this circle, the writer was arrested and sentenced to death, which was then replaced by four years of hard labor and a settlement in Siberia.
After the death of Nicholas I and the beginning of the liberal reign of Alexander II, the fate of Dostoevsky, like many political criminals, was mitigated. His noble rights were returned to him, and in 1859 he retired already with the rank of second lieutenant (in 1849, standing at the scaffold, he heard a rescript: “... a retired lieutenant ... to hard labor in fortresses for ... 4 years, and then ordinary").
In 1859 Dostoevsky received permission to live in Tver, then in St. Petersburg. At this time he published stories "Uncle's Dream", "The village of Stepanchikovo and its inhabitants"(1859), novel "Humiliated and Insulted"(1861). Nearly ten years of physical and moral torment sharpened Dostoevsky's susceptibility to human suffering, intensifying his strenuous search for social justice. These years became for him years of spiritual change, the collapse of socialist illusions, the growth of contradictions in his worldview. He actively participated in the public life of Russia, opposed the revolutionary democratic program of Chernyshevsky and Dobrolyubov, rejecting the theory of "art for art's sake", asserting the social value of art.
After hard labor were written "Notes from the House of the Dead". The writer spends the summer months of 1862 and 1863 abroad, visiting Germany, England, France, Italy and other countries. He believed that the historical path that Europe took after the French Revolution of 1789 would be disastrous for Russia, as well as the introduction of new bourgeois relations, the negative features of which shocked him during his trips to Western Europe. A special, original path of Russia to the "earthly paradise" - that's the socio-political program of Dostoevsky in the early 1860s. In 1864 were written "Notes from the Underground", an important work for understanding the changed outlook of the writer. In 1865, while abroad, in the resort of Wiesbaden, to improve his health, the writer began work on the novel "Crime and Punishment"(1866), which reflected the whole complex path of his inner quest.
In 1867, Dostoevsky married Anna Grigorievna Snitkina, his stenographer, who became his close and devoted friend. Soon they went abroad: they lived in Germany, Switzerland, Italy (1867 - 71). During these years, the writer worked on novels "Idiot"(1868) and "Demons"(1870 - 71), who graduated already in Russia. In May 1872, the Dostoevskys left St. Petersburg for the summer for Staraya Rusa, where they subsequently bought a modest dacha and lived here with their two children even in winter. Almost all novels were written in Staraya Rusa "Teenager"(1874 - 75) and "The Brothers Karamazov" (1880).
Since 1873, the writer became the executive editor of the journal Grazhdanin, on the pages of which he began to print "A Writer's Diary", who at that time was a teacher of life for thousands of Russian people.
At the end of May 1880, Dostoevsky arrived in Moscow for the opening of the monument to A. Pushkin (June 6, the birthday of the great poet), where all of Moscow gathered. Turgenev, Maikov, Grigorovich and other Russian writers were there. Dostoevsky's speech was called by Aksakov "a brilliant, historical event."
The writer's health was deteriorating, and on January 28 (February 9, NS), 1881, Dostoevsky died in St. Petersburg. He was buried at the Tikhvin cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.
Fantastic in creativity
In the work of F.M. Dostoevsky quite often there are fantastic motives, first of all, the mystical component in the works.
Dostoevsky twice gave the subtitle "fantastic story" to his works. In The Gentle One, the fantastic device is that the story is told from the point of view of a suicide until the last moment of her life. True, in our time the fantastic nature of this device is no longer felt, but at one time it was on the example of The Meek that Dostoevsky discussed the features of his method as “realism in the highest sense”, “realism reaching the fantastic”.
Another "fantastic story", "The Dream of a Ridiculous Man", describes a fragile alien utopia and its destruction under the corrupting influence of an earthling who got there.
On the basis of a fantastic assumption - the sudden appearance of his complete double in the main character, who gradually takes his place in life - the story "The Double" is built. In The Mistress, the then fashionable ideas of mesmerism and animal magnetism were used to motivate the plot.
Fantastic by its nature is also the story "Bobok", dedicated to the negotiations of the dead in the cemetery. Also, a fantastic assumption underlies one of the most famous humorous stories of the author - "Crocodile" (the inhabitant swallowed by a crocodile feels very well).
Semi-fantastic, mystical motifs are also found in Dostoevsky's serious works, such as the novels The Brothers Karamazov (in particular, the chapter The Grand Inquisitor) and Demons. Dostoevsky also uses science fiction imagery, for example, describing Raskolnikov's dream about intelligent microbes that enslaved mankind, an artificial satellite of the Earth, in Ivan Karamazov's conversation with the devil.
In general, most researchers recognize in the works of F.M. Dostoevsky, the presence of a fantastic element, both underlying the plot and used to describe the scenes of action ("Dostoevsky's Petersburg" is sometimes recognized as a kind of fantastic city, a "ghost town" that does not repeat the real historical Petersburg in everything).
In addition, Dostoevsky was one of the first to introduce Edgar Poe to the Russian public, noting his art of detail, thanks to which even a trip to the moon looks plausible, and because of this, Poe "if there is fantastic, then some kind of material."
The definition of fantasy given by F.M. Dostoevsky in a private letter published in 1906 (“the fantastic in art has limits and rules. The fantastic must come into contact with the real so much that you almost have to believe it”) subsequently became extremely popular and is often cited.
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky is one of the greatest classics of the 19th century, who gave the fatherland far from a dozen books that have become desktop in many families, both in Russia and abroad. Some of the works are included in the school curriculum in the list of required reading. The deepest acquaintance with the work of a prose writer is in higher educational institutions at the philological department and not only. Many of Dostoevsky's books, the list of which is presented below, have been repeatedly filmed and staged in the theater.
- one of the early books of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. In a work of art, the great Russian classic touches on the theme of the fate of a person, which does not fit into the usual psychological and spiritual framework. The novel contains elements of a detective story, which makes the book even more intriguing and predisposing to further reading. According to Dostoevsky, the main cause of all human troubles is pride. The protagonist of the work, a nineteen-year-old young man, equates himself with great sinners, who keeps notes. They are also the main component of the novel.
- one of the greatest works of the Russian writer, which he loved most of all. Fedor Mikhailovich thought about the idea of artistic work during his stay abroad. It took the prose writer about two years to write it. The novel includes four parts. Its main character is Prince Myshkin - a positive hero, exactly the way Dostoevsky himself imagined him. The hero combines the features of a child and Christ. Myshkin is at peace, somewhat careless and immensely sensitive to someone else's grief. In a society mired in commercialism and envy, the protagonist is an idiot. That is what the majority of those around him, drowned in falsehood, consider him to be.
- Dostoevsky's popular novel. The book tells how for the protagonist gambling has become a vital necessity and the only goal and meaning. The action of the work takes place in one of the German resort towns with a fictitious name. The main character's name is Alexei Ivanovich, who travels with the retired general's family and is a teacher of his offspring. Soon, the grandmother of the family should depart to another world, after which a huge inheritance will remain. The protagonist has warm feelings for the step-daughter of the general, who is in no hurry to reciprocate. Soon it turns out that the grandmother is healthy and comes to the very town where she loses a large amount of money at roulette. Polina urgently needs money, and Aleksey gets it by winning at gambling. However, she does not accept money, but it happens that the main character turns into a gambler who now cannot stop and is no longer playing for the sake of money.
Included in the list of the most famous works of Dostoevsky. The book is narrated in the first person. The hero describes the years that he spent in hard labor in prison. He describes all the hardships that befell those who ended up in exile. The work does not have a holistic plot and is presented in the form of small sketches that have a chronological order. The author describes both personal impressions and stories of friends in misfortune who happened to be with him.
Included in the list of the best stories of Fyodor Mikhailovich. The work traces the themes of psychologism and a satirical view of society. The writer, like no one else, managed to reflect the mental changes in a person with a disturbed psyche. The book belongs to such a literary movement as realism. In the story, Dostoevsky again raises the theme of a small person who is humiliated, lowering an insignificant creature. However, his soul glimmers, though crushed by society, but dignity.
It is one of the best novels by Dostoyevsky. The book features a traditional love triangle. The prose writer acts as a subtle psychologist who is able to penetrate into the most hidden corners of the human being. The plot of the book takes place after the death of the heroine between her lover and the husband of the deceased. The husband of the deceased goes to his lover, allegedly under the guise of friendship, but in the course of further narration, details are revealed that reveal the main purpose of the visit of one of the main characters.
Included in the list of the most famous books of Dostoevsky. The novel consists of four parts. This is the last greatest work of the Russian classic, on which he completed a couple of months before his death. The book covers such eternal questions of mankind as freedom, God and morality. Thriller notes intertwined with deep philosophical thought can be traced in the work of art. The work also touches upon the themes of the divine and devilish principles in the human soul.
- one of the most controversial creations of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, in which critics see different genres. The plot is based on real events that took place in the 70s of the 19th century. The revolutionaries of one of the small circles decide to kill their comrade because he decides to retire. The novel involves a huge number of characters, under which the great thinkers of those times are hidden.
Included in the list of early works of F. M. Dostoevsky. The events of the story unfold in the writer's favorite city of St. Petersburg. The protagonist takes a walk through the evening city during which he meets a girl named Nastenka. Friendship develops between young people. They begin to meet in the evenings and take walks together. One day, while talking with the main character, Nastenka shares with him her love story for the guest who was with her grandmother in the apartment. After some time, he left, but promised to return to the main character in a year, when he could get on his feet and provide for his beloved. But it so happened that Nastya's newly-made friend falls madly in love with her, but sacrificing his feelings, he volunteers to find her lover.
Completes the list of the best books of Fedor Mikhailovich. This is the first novel of the great classic written in epistolary form. The work contains correspondence between the elderly titular adviser Devushkin and his distant relative Dobroselova. The main characters regularly experience a shortage of money, and the only consolation for them in gray everyday life is the correspondence that they carry on with each other.
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Fyodor Dostoevsky was born on November 11, 1821 in the family of a noble doctor. His mother, the daughter of a merchant, was an unusually kind and religious woman, and her father was her complete opposite, a suspicious, gloomy and nervous person. Therefore, Dostoevsky, if he remembered his parents, then only about his mother - always with love and gratitude.
Already at the age of 18, Dostoevsky was characterized by deep philosophical thoughts: he believed that a great secret was hidden in a person, and it might take a lifetime to unravel it. Thus, Fyodor Mikhailovich seemed to foresee his vocation: the writer really tried to unravel the greatest secret of the human soul in all his works.
His father placed Dostoevsky in one of the most prestigious educational institutions in St. Petersburg at that time - the Military Engineering School. At the end of his studies, Fedor was enlisted as an employee in the drawing room of the Engineering Department, but he soon resigned, as he saw himself only in literature. And he was not mistaken: already about the first work "Poor people" critics responded favorably. At that time, young Dostoevsky was only 23 years old.
In 1849, fate played a cruel joke on Fyodor Mikhailovich - he was arrested "for freethinking." Dostoevsky, sentenced to death, at the last moment receives a pardon (later Prince Myshkin from The Idiot will tell about this in his famous monologue). Instead of death, the writer was given life ... in hard labor, which Dostoevsky managed to free himself from only five years later.
On the Internet you can find a lot of information regarding the personal life of Fyodor Dostoevsky, but such materials are most likely in the tabloid press, and not in the biography of the writer. Therefore, if we are to focus on the personal life of the writer, then it is worth mentioning Anna Snitkina - the true love of the genius Dostoevsky. Being a stenographer, this young girl (she was only 20, and he was 45 years old) wrote down the novel "The Gambler" in 21 days. Anna became a source of inspiration for the writer, a guardian angel and, at the same time, a personal manager and accountant.
The writer died on January 26, 1881, and, they say, on that day his face was calm and bright. Beloved Anna Grigoryevna, who became a real gift for Dostoevsky during his lifetime, remained faithful to him even after his death. In addition, until the end of her days, she was actively involved in organizing the literary heritage of Fyodor Mikhailovich, published a collection of his works, collected letters and diaries. Anna lived her life in full accordance with her promise "I am ready to spend the rest of my life kneeling before him" ...
Fyodor Dostoevsky, bibliography
Everybody books by Fyodor Dostoevsky:
Novels
1846
"Poor People"
1861
"Humiliated and Insulted"
1866
1866
"Player"
1869
"Idiot"
1872
"Demons"
1875
"Teenager"
1880
Novels and stories
1846
"Double"
1846
"How dangerous it is to indulge in ambitious dreams"
1846
"Mr. Prokharchin"
1847
"A novel in nine letters"
1847
"Mistress"
1848
"Crawlers"
1848
"Weak heart"
1848
"Honest Thief"
1848
"Yolka and wedding"
1848
"Netochka Nezvanova"
1848
"White Nights"
1849
"Little Hero"
1859
"Uncle's Dream"
1859
"The village of Stepanchikovo and its inhabitants"
1860
"Someone else's wife and husband under the bed"
1860
"Notes from the House of the Dead"
1862
"Bad Joke"
1864
"Notes from the Underground"
1865
"Crocodile"
1870
"Eternal Husband"
1873
"Bobok"
1876
"Meek"
1876
"Christ's boy on the Christmas tree"
1877
"Dream of a funny man"
Publicism, criticism, essays
1847
"Petersburg Chronicle"
1861
“Stories of N.V. Uspensky"
1862
"Winter Notes on Summer Impressions"
1880
"Sentence"
1880
"Pushkin"
F.M. Everyone knows Dostoevsky without exception. His novels are read all over the world, but besides this, he wrote many more interesting stories.
The literary portal of Buklya has prepared a complete list of the works of the great Russian writer and thinker Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky.
Novels
The novels of the writer have always been distinguished by the accuracy of descriptions, revealed the human soul and are always close to the common people. On the pages you can always find something close to your heart and a reflection of your own thoughts. And the accuracy of descriptions of nature, cities, time - allows you to get to know the past more closely.
Tale
- "Mistress" appeared in 1847 in the journal Otechestvennye Zapiski, while it was published in parts, in 10 and 20 issues. In this story, the author moves away from the theme and images of bureaucracy, and creates a new hero - a hero-dreamer. The story is rich and full of dreams, visions, interweaving of the real and the mystical, the hero's delirium and symbols. The plot of the story is tied to the main character Vasily Ordynov, who writes a work on the history of the church in a secluded place. On the old believer Murin, whom Vasily considers a sorcerer and on the girl Katerina, who is in the power of Murin. Vasily, by the power of his love and faith, wants to snatch the beautiful Katerina from the clutches of the dishonest and evil Murin.
- "Weak heart" published in 1848. In the center of the story is a poor young official Vasya Shumkov, who is about to get married. He is a responsible worker who is instructed by the boss to rewrite documents. Because of the upcoming wedding, Vasya was often distracted from work, and at night he did not spare himself. Nervous tension and the desire to do everything on time played a cruel joke on the young man.
- Tale "Netochka Nezvanova" tells about the life of the main character from 8 to 17 years. A story about a child who went through poverty, suffering, betrayal and slander. But at the same time she believes in people, love and knows how to dream.
- "White Nights" one of the most famous stories of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. She first appeared in the journal Otechestvennye Zapiski in 1848. The protagonist of the story is a dreamer, a very timid and lonely person. One day he meets a beautiful girl who tells him her sad story. Although she does not love the dreamer, she decides to return his feelings. But women are insidious and when Nastena meets her love, she leaves the dreamer, leaving him alone.
- After a long pause in his work, Fyodor Mikhailovich wrote a story in 1859 "Uncle's Dream". The action takes place in a small town where a respectable lady dreams of giving her daughter a successful marriage. But in a small town there are no worthy candidates, except for Pavel. The girl rejects his offer. One day, an old prince comes to their city, who suffers from senile dementia. And now the lady has a plan to marry her little blood to the prince. The women almost manage to bring the plan to life, but Pavel intervenes and convinces the prince that he dreamed of a future family life. Soon the prince dies, and fate separates the main characters for a long time.
- Tale "The village of Stepanchikovo and its inhabitants" published in 1859 in the journal Domestic Notes. In a short story, there are quite a few characters who play an important role in the fate of the poor girl Nastenka and Colonel Rostanev. Some are trying to crash the wedding, while others are trying to help connect their lives.
- Work "Notes from the House of the Dead" consists of a story in two parts and several short stories. F.M. Dostoevsky wrote this story after being imprisoned in the Omsk jail and is of a documentary nature. This story acquaints readers with the life of imprisoned criminals exiled to Siberia. With the help of the artistic word, the author was able to convey all his experiences and experiences during his four years of hard labor.
- "Notes from the Underground" one of the most famous stories of the author, published in 1864. The story is told from the perspective of a former official. He talks about his life, at first very sparingly, but then everything is more detailed. He especially highlights two episodes that became the main ones in his life.
- In 1870, the story was published "Eternal Husband". This piece is based on a true story. The novel happened between a friend of the writer Wrangel with a married lady Catherine. In addition, the writer put his memories and impressions into the story.
- Tale "Meek" is one of the last works of the author and was published in 1876. Fyodor Mikhailovich himself called this story fantastic and sought to show in it a man from the underground. The story of a man who lost his wife, or rather, she committed suicide. A story about two people who lived difficult lives.
stories
- a joint work of Fyodor Dostoevsky, Nikolai Nekrasov and Dmitry Grigorovich. This is a comic story in verse with elements of prose, which was published on April 1, 1846. The protagonist is an official Pancakes, who has a good dream. At this time, a thief enters the apartment, and a pleasant dream is replaced by a nightmare. Blinov wakes up and realizes that he has been robbed. He chases the criminal almost naked, and meets the boss on the street. And then the action develops rapidly and not very well for Blinov.- "Mr. Prokharchin" published in Otechestvennye Zapiski in 1846. In this story, the author shows the life of petty officials, their way of life and behind-the-scenes intrigues.
- In 1847, a humorous story was published "A novel in nine letters". Correspondence goes between two cheaters Peter Ivanovich and Ivan Petrovich. Each tries to outwit the other, but a third party intervenes.
- "Crawlers"(1848) - a story about an official who outwitted himself and, as a result, was left with nothing.
- "Honest Thief"(1848) - a story about Astafy Ivanovich, who was an honest and noble man. He told a story about how he sheltered a lost but good person - Emelya. Emelya drank and spent all his money on drinking and nothing helped. And now Astafy Ivanovich somehow lost his new leggings. And Emelya stole them. And he confessed to the theft just before his death.
- "Yolka and wedding"(1848). The narrator wants to talk about the wedding, but in order to convey his impressions, he first talks about a children's party that took place five years ago. These two stories are connected by the main characters.
- "Little Hero"(1857). The narrator recalls his childhood, or rather one summer and his first love, for the sake of which he could accomplish a feat. For the sake of love, he became a real hero for one single woman.
- Story "Someone else's wife and husband under the bed"(1859). This story came from two other stories, "An Alien Wife" and "Jealous Husband". The story is written in the form of a dialogue and reveals the theme of infidelity and betrayal.
- "Bad Joke"(1862). The State Councilor was imbued with the idea of humanism. He believed that if people would believe and love him, then state reforms too. One day, he accidentally got to the wedding of his subordinate and, having drunk too much, sank to the level of little people. The author very subtly and sarcastically describes the life and customs of the lower ranks.
- satirical story "Crocodile"(1865). An official named Ivan Matveich was swallowed by a crocodile, but the official remained alive. And plans to live 1000 years, broadcasting smart thoughts from a crocodile. Other characters behave as strangely as the main character.
- fantasy story "Bobok"(1873). The story is told by a drunken writer who began to change, and most importantly, to hear voices. To disperse boredom, he goes to the funeral of a distant relative. After the funeral, he stays in the cemetery and falls asleep. Wakes up from hearing the dispute of the dead. But as soon as he sneezed, the conversations subsided. He travels to another cemetery to learn more about the underworld.
- "Man Mary"(1876). The story is based on real memories of their life as a writer. This story was included in the Writer's Diaries.
- "Christ's boy on the Christmas tree"(1876). A beggar boy looks out the window of a rich house, where there is a Christmas tree and many, many toys, food, happiness and warmth. And the boy is freezing on the street, abandoned and forgotten by everyone. He dreams of a happy and peaceful childhood. At some point, he finds himself at a party among other children. And these were the dying dreams of a freezing child.
- "Dream of a funny man"(1877). One of the most famous and widely read stories by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. A young man from childhood is considered an eccentric. He wants to shoot himself, but one memory torments him. He falls asleep in front of the weapon, and in his dream he sees an ideal world without vices. But this world dies and becomes the same as the Earth. A man wakes up and understands that it is necessary to sow goodness and love in the world.
During his creative life, F.M. Dostoevsky wrote not only novels, novellas and short stories, but also essays. He was engaged in journalism and criticism of his fellow contemporaries.
In addition, the writer published his diaries. The first came out in 1873, the second three years later. Two diaries in 1877 between January-August and September-December. And two more diaries in 1880 and 1881. These records are of great importance for understanding how the personality of F.M. Dostoevsky, and that difficult time in which he lived.
We should also note the collection of folklore material “My hard labor notebook” or “Siberian notebook”. The author wrote this collection during his penal servitude.
It is important to note that Fyodor Dostoevsky, in addition to prose, also wrote poems. They came out quite a bit, but each is beautiful in its own way.
Each of the works of the great writer must be read at least once in order to understand the whole essence of Russia of the past and the genius of the author himself.
Born on October 30 (November 11 NS) in Moscow in the family of the head physician of the Mariinsky Hospital for the Poor. Father, Mikhail Andreevich, nobleman; mother, Maria Feodorovna, from an old Moscow merchant family.
He received an excellent education in a private boarding school L. Chermak - one of the best in Moscow. The family loved to read, subscribed to the magazine "Library for Reading", which made it possible to get acquainted with the latest foreign literature. Of the Russian authors, they loved Karamzin, Zhukovsky, Pushkin. Mother, a religious nature, from a young age introduced the children to the Gospel, took them on a pilgrimage to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
Hardly survived the death of his mother (1837), Dostoevsky, by the decision of his father, entered the St. Petersburg Military Engineering School - one of the best educational institutions of that time. A new life was given to him with a great strain of strength, nerves, ambition. But there was another life - inner, secret, unknown to others.
In 1839, his father died unexpectedly. This news shocked Dostoevsky and provoked a severe nervous attack - a harbinger of future epilepsy, to which he had a hereditary predisposition.
He graduated from college in 1843 and was enlisted in the drawing room of the engineering department. A year later he retired, convinced that his vocation was literature.
Dostoevsky's first novel, Poor People, was written in 1845 and published by Nekrasov in the Petersburg Collection (1846). Belinsky proclaimed "the appearance ... of an extraordinary talent ...".
The novels The Double (1846) and The Mistress (1847) were rated lower by Belinsky, noting the length of the narrative, but Dostoevsky continued to write in his own way, disagreeing with the critic's assessment.
Later, White Nights (1848) and Netochka Nezvanova (1849) were published, which revealed the features of Dostoevsky's realism that distinguished him from among the writers of the "natural school": in-depth psychologism, exclusivity of characters and situations.
Successfully begun literary activity is tragically interrupted. Dostoevsky was one of the members of the Petrashevsky circle, which united adherents of French utopian socialism (Fourier, Saint-Simon). In 1849, for participating in this circle, the writer was arrested and sentenced to death, which was then replaced by four years of hard labor and a settlement in Siberia.
After the death of Nicholas I and the beginning of the liberal reign of Alexander II, the fate of Dostoevsky, like many political criminals, was mitigated. His noble rights were returned to him, and in 1859 he retired already with the rank of second lieutenant (in 1849, standing at the scaffold, he heard a rescript: "... a retired lieutenant ... to hard labor in fortresses for ... 4 years, and then ordinary").
In 1859 Dostoevsky received permission to live in Tver, then in St. Petersburg. At this time, he published the stories "Uncle's Dream", "The Village of Stepanchikovo and Its Inhabitants" (1859), the novel "Humiliated and Insulted" (1861). Nearly ten years of physical and moral torment sharpened Dostoevsky's susceptibility to human suffering, intensifying his strenuous search for social justice. These years became for him years of spiritual change, the collapse of socialist illusions, the growth of contradictions in his worldview. He actively participated in the public life of Russia, opposed the revolutionary democratic program of Chernyshevsky and Dobrolyubov, rejecting the theory of "art for art's sake", asserting the social value of art.
After hard labor, "Notes from the House of the Dead" were written. The writer spends the summer months of 1862 and 1863 abroad, visiting Germany, England, France, Italy and other countries. He believed that the historical path that Europe took after the French Revolution of 1789 would be disastrous for Russia, as well as the introduction of new bourgeois relations, the negative features of which shocked him during his trips to Western Europe. Russia's special, original path to "earthly paradise" - this is the socio-political program of Dostoevsky in the early 1860s.
In 1864, Notes from the Underground were written, an important work for understanding the writer's changed outlook. In 1865, while abroad, in the resort of Wiesbaden, to improve his health, the writer began work on the novel Crime and Punishment (1866), which reflected the whole complex path of his inner quest.
In 1867, Dostoevsky married Anna Grigorievna Snitkina, his stenographer, who became his close and devoted friend.
Soon they went abroad: they lived in Germany, Switzerland, Italy (1867 - 71). During these years, the writer worked on the novels "The Idiot" (1868) and "Demons" (1870 - 71), which he finished already in Russia. In May 1872, the Dostoevskys left St. Petersburg for the summer for Staraya Rusa, where they subsequently bought a modest dacha and lived here with their two children even in winter. The novels The Teenager (1874-75) and The Brothers Karamazov (1880) were almost entirely written in Staraya Rusa.
Since 1873, the writer became the executive editor of the magazine "Grazhdanin", on the pages of which he began to print the "Diary of a Writer", which at that time was a teacher of life for thousands of Russian people.
At the end of May 1880, Dostoevsky arrived in Moscow for the opening of the monument to A. Pushkin (June 6, the birthday of the great poet), where all of Moscow gathered. Turgenev, Maikov, Grigorovich and other Russian writers were here. Dostoevsky's speech was called by Aksakov "a brilliant, historical event."
The writer's health was deteriorating, and on January 28 (February 9, NS), 1881, Dostoevsky died in St. Petersburg. He was buried at the cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.
