Contents
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Writing Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov, novels of guilt, faith and moral conflict.
Russian literature · Notes from Underground
- Born
- 11 November 1821
- Birthplace
- Moscow, Russian Empire
- Died
- 9 February 1881
More people
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Fyodor Dostoevsky was a Russian novelist whose characters wrestle with ideas under extreme emotional pressure. Imprisonment, exile and financial instability informed a body of fiction that influenced modern literature and thought.
Early life
Moscow childhood
His father was a doctor at a hospital for the poor, where the family lived.
Engineering education
He trained at a military engineering school in St Petersburg before choosing writing.
Career
- 1846
First novel
Poor Folk brought early literary recognition.
- 1849–1859
Prison and exile
Arrested for involvement in a discussion circle, he survived a mock execution and spent years in Siberia.
- 1860s
Return to publication
He edited journals and developed the psychologically intense fiction of his mature career.
- 1880
Final major novel
The Brothers Karamazov appeared shortly before his death.
Selected work
Notes from Underground
A bitter narrator challenges rational explanations of human behaviour.
Crime and Punishment
A murderer’s theory of exceptional people unravels under guilt and investigation.
The Brothers Karamazov
A family murder opens questions about responsibility, belief and freedom.
Beyond work
A working partnership
His second wife, Anna, began as his stenographer and helped manage publication and finances.
Illness and debt
Epilepsy, gambling and money troubles repeatedly disrupted his working life.
Sources & photo credit
Biography ↗Life and work ↗Dostoevsky Museum biography ↗Photo: Vasily Perov. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
