Creativity and biography of Fyodor Dostoevsky: briefly the most important things

Fyodor Dostoevsky is a classic of Russian literature, philosopher and publicist.

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky was born on November 11, 1821 in Moscow into the family of a doctor at the Mariinsky Hospital for the Poor of the Moscow Orphanage and was the second son of his eight children. The boy received an excellent upbringing: his mother taught him to read from the book “One Hundred and Four Sacred Stories of the Old and New Testaments.”

In 1831, my father bought the small village of Darovoe in the Kashira district of the Tula province, and in 1833 - the neighboring village of Cheremoshnya, where in 1839 he died of apoplexy. Two years earlier, his mother died of consumption.

Fedor studied at the prestigious Moscow boarding school of Chermak, after which he transferred to Kostomarov’s boarding house in St. Petersburg to prepare for admission to the Main Engineering School, which was insisted on by his father, who believed that writing, to which Fedor gravitated, would not be able to provide him with a comfortable life. Studying in a place that he did not choose of his own free will, Dostoevsky did nothing but read Homer, Corneille, Racine, Balzac, Hugo, Goethe, Hoffmann, Schiller, Shakespeare, Byron, Derzhavin, Lermontov, Gogol, Pushkin, and at night I tried to write myself - I worked on the dramas “Mary Stuart” and “Boris Godunov”.

After graduating from college, Dostoevsky nevertheless tried to carry out his father’s decree and in 1843 began working as a field engineer-second lieutenant in the St. Petersburg engineering team, but already on October 19, 1844 he resigned with the rank of lieutenant.

Origin

Fyodor Dostoevsky himself claims to be a representative of the Russian people.
This is evidenced by the writer's autobiography. It cannot be otherwise, since the writer was born in Moscow, grew up in St. Petersburg, and even served his sentence in his native country. Only in later years did he begin to travel, having mastered Europe. However, researchers have found that Fyodor Mikhailovich’s roots are far from Russian and even Slavic in origin. The writer’s nationality is of Tatar origin; his ancestor was the Golden Horde warrior Aslan-Chelebi-Murza, who left the ranks of the khan and converted to Orthodoxy in 1389. The people called the son “Wide Mouth”, and all the other descendants were called the Rtishchevs. It was this surname that stuck to the family until 1506, when Danila Rtishchev, the founder of the Dostoevsky dynasty, was born. It is difficult to identify nationality, since Danila was originally from Pinsk district in Belarus, and his ancestors were both Tatars and Slavs.

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Danila was awarded the title “Dostoev”, and the descendants, having already become Dostoevskys, were ranked among the Polish gentry. Later, this surname lost its title of nobility and was completely integrated with Polish-Lithuanian names. Further information about the surname is interrupted, and again the Dostoevskys emerge in Volyn (Ukraine). It was in this area that the grandfather of the Russian writer was born, who served in the Bratslav province. After the second partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, these lands became part of the Russian Empire, and the writer’s parents already bore the title of Russian nobles.

Origin of Dostoevsky

Fyodor Mikhailovich's father was from the Rtishchev branch, descendants of Daniil Ivanovich Rtishchev, defender of the Orthodox faith in Southwestern Rus'. For his special successes, he was given the village of Dostoevo, located in the Podolsk province. The Dostoevsky surname originates from there.

However, by the beginning of the 19th century, the Dostoevsky family became impoverished. Andrei Mikhailovich, the writer’s grandfather, served in the Podolsk province, in the town of Bratslav, as an archpriest. Mikhail Andreevich, the father of the author we are interested in, at one time graduated from the Medical-Surgical Academy. During the Patriotic War, in 1812, he fought with others against the French, after which, in 1819, he married Maria Fedorovna Nechaeva, the daughter of a merchant from Moscow. Mikhail Andreevich, having retired, received a position as a doctor at the Mariinsky Hospital, open to poor people, which was popularly nicknamed Bozhedomka.

early years

The future author of famous novels was born in Moscow on October 30 (November 11) in 1821. The parents were representatives of the noble elite, and in addition to Fedor, the family had six more children. According to Wikipedia, the first sad event in Fyodor’s biography occurred when the future writer was only 16 years old - his mother died.

From that moment on, he and his older brother went to study at the boarding house named after K.F. Kostomarov to St. Petersburg, where he later lived most of his life. Fedor received his education at the Engineering School, but his main passion turned out to be philosophy and literature.

In the same year when the mother died, another tragedy occurred - Pushkin, the most beloved of writers, died in a duel. It is worth noting that it was this author, the “golden” classic and the face of Russian literature, who had a huge influence on the formation of not only Fyodor Mikhailovich’s further work, but also on his worldview.

Education and estate

Mother herself taught all the children the basics of literacy: she read them a variety of books, taught them to read and write. And the father taught the children Latin. When the eldest sons Mikhail and Fyodor grew up, tutors in French, mathematics, and literature were invited to the house. Another important event in the Dostoevsky family dates back to the same period. In 1827, the head of the family received the rank of collegiate assessor, and with it the right to hereditary nobility, which made it possible for the family to acquire their own estate. Thanks to this, in 1832, the Dostoevsky children, who spent their entire childhood in the wings of the Mariinsky Hospital (the doctor’s family was allocated rooms there), finally became acquainted with the Russian village. This time is etched in the memory of Fyodor Dostoevsky with a bright and important episode: a cozy house in the shade of a linden alley, the most beautiful nature of central Russia, kind peasants who accepted the master’s children as their own. The Dostoevskys began to spend the summer on their estate in the Tula province, and returned to Moscow for the winter. There were always many parents' friends, father's colleagues and relatives in the house. The Dostoevsky couple led such a lifestyle that children directly absorbed curiosity, decency, and love for people, science, and art from them. At family evenings, my father read out entire chapters from Nikolai Karamzin’s “History of the Russian State,” and thanks to this, Fyodor Mikhailovich, already at the age of 10, was well versed in the main events of Russian history. And in general, the future writer was grateful to his parents all his life for both the wonderful childhood and the excellent education that they gave to all their children, despite the fact that they lived rather modestly financially.

The beginning of a creative journey

Creative biography begins in 1844. It was at this time that Fyodor Mikhailovich wrote his first novel, “Poor People.” The work was received with a bang by both the public and critics, thanks to which the personality of the young author became popular and recognizable. Moreover, we emphasize that during this period Fyodor Mikhailovich met Belinsky and Nekrasov, and also became a member of the informal literary community.

The next creation, the novel “The Double,” encountered unimaginable criticism. He was not accepted in the literary community, and ordinary readers did not even understand the essence of the events described.

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Dostoevsky - personal life

The writer's personal life did not go smoothly. Before hard labor, he led a fairly free lifestyle, did not avoid houses of contempt, but the priestesses of love often did not agree to repeat meetings with him, since the man was famous for his unbridled temper.

Dostoevsky, Fyodor Mikhailovich. Photo storage location: Russian National Library; filming location: St. Petersburg. Author Konstantin Aleksandrovich Shapiro

Maria Isaeva

Hard labor changed the writer's life - he became more restrained and chaste. Fyodor Mikhailovich first married in 1857 to Maria Isaeva. The marriage can hardly be called happy. Apparently, the woman married the writer because of difficult life circumstances, and not out of great love. And although at first there was sincere interest and friendship between the spouses, over time the relationship went wrong. This union ended in 1964 when Maria died of consumption. Fyodor Mikhailovich did not abandon her son from his first marriage, took care of him to the best of his ability and ability, and loved him as his own until his death.

Maria Dmitrievna Dostoevskaya, née Konstant, after her first husband Isaev (1824-1864). In 1857 she became Dostoevsky's first wife.

Apollinaria Suslova

On one of his trips abroad, Fyodor Dostoevsky met his bright and eccentric compatriot Apollinaria Suslova. The woman who later became the prototype for Polina in The Player and Nastasya Filippovna in The Idiot captivated the writer. But this relationship did not become long and happy.

Apollinaria Prokofyevna Suslova (1839-1917/18). Author Alexander Fedorovich Eikhenvald

Arrest and a new stage of life

Let’s try to talk about this period briefly, but it’s worth noting right away that it was the arrest and subsequent hard labor that became not just a turning point in the writer’s life, but literally a new birth of a creative and mental personality. It is very difficult to study this period of time in full, so we will note the most important thing, and also below in the table we will provide dates that have become very significant for the author.

On December 22, 1849, Fyodor Mikhailovich was sentenced to death in the Petrashevsky case. It is easy to assume that before his impending death, the person began to see everything in a completely different light, but the sentence was changed to a more merciful one - hard labor. In subsequent years, Dostoevsky poured out all his thoughts, experiences and considerations in Myshkin’s monologue in the novel “The Idiot.”

In the period from 1850 to 1854, he served his sentence in Omsk, and therefore his work was suspended. New stories in Dostoevsky's life begin after his release and joining the ranks of the soldiers of the seventh linear Siberian battalion. There he makes acquaintance and friendship with Chokan Valikhanov, a famous ethnographer and traveler, and also begins an affair with the wife of an official on special assignments, Maria Isaeva.

Soon, the husband of Fyodor Mikhailovich’s mistress dies, and he marries his beloved, and also accepts her son from his first marriage. Together they move to St. Petersburg, and there he gets a job at the magazine “Time” and “Epoch” along with his brother.

Rapprochement with the Petrashevites circle, tragic consequences

The year 1847 was marked by a rapprochement with Butashevich-Petrashevsky, who held the famous “Fridays”. He was a propagandist and admirer of Fourier. At these evenings, the writer met the poets Apollo Maykov, Alexei Pleshcheev, Alexander Palm, Sergei Durov, as well as the prose writer Saltykov and scientists Vladimir Milyutin and Nikolai Mordvinov. At meetings of Petrashevites, socialist teachings and plans for revolutionary coups were discussed. Dostoevsky was a supporter of the immediate abolition of serfdom in Russia.

However, the government learned about the circle, and in 1849, 37 participants, including Dostoevsky, were imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress. They were sentenced to death, but the emperor commuted the sentence, and the writer was exiled to hard labor in Siberia.

Time of Decline

In 1864, Fyodor Mikhailovich’s brother and wife died simultaneously. The characteristics of this period are the darkest and most difficult, since after the death of loved ones the author becomes depressed and also begins to lose his fortune in a casino. Having lost most of his savings, he finds himself broke, but, as it turned out later, this stage became another new start in his work.

While in debt, the author wrote his most popular novel, Crime and Punishment. In it, he not only reflected the essence of Raskolnikov’s sinful soul, but also veiledly presented interesting facts from life that happened to him at the moment of his decline.

This masterpiece was followed by a less popular, but very entertaining novel, The Gambler. Dostoevsky himself no longer had the strength to type, so he hired a stenographer, Anna Snitkina, who completed the work in 21 days. Subsequently, Fyodor Mikhailovich married her, and they went abroad together.

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Pension

Since 1934, brothers Mikhail and Fedor began studying at the boarding school of Leonty Ivanovich Chermak, a progressive educational institution where physical punishment was not practiced. The training was intense and expensive, but fortunately the Kumanins helped pay for the studies. And although at the boarding school they paid attention to all sciences, both Dostoevsky brothers were most interested in literature. True, their literary interests differed quite seriously, but, as Fyodor Mikhailovich later wrote, “Pushkin reconciled us.” Life changed in an instant. In 1837, Mother Maria Feodorovna died of consumption, at that moment the childhood of the future writer ended. The two older brothers - Mikhail and Fyodor - this is what their father decides, should go to St. Petersburg, to K.F.'s boarding school. Kostomarova. And then, at the insistence of their father, both entered the St. Petersburg Engineering School. And although the brothers passionately wanted to study literature, Mikhail Andreevich insisted on receiving a “serious education.” The sons did not dare to contradict the will of their father.

Engineering school. Mikhailovsky Castle in St. Petersburg in the 19th century, lithograph based on a drawing by I. Charlemagne

Both Fedor and Mikhail successfully graduated from college. But even while preparing to become engineers, they did not stop being interested in literature. Moreover, in 1838, Fyodor Mikhailovich organized a literary circle among his school friends. It included:

• Dmitry Grigorovich
• Alexey Beketov
• Nikolay Vitkovsky
• Ivan Berezhetsky

Dostoevsky's first works date back to this time. But he still did not dare to seriously engage in literature. After completing the course, he even got a job for a while in the St. Petersburg engineering team as an engineer-second lieutenant. But a year later he decided to resign and devote himself entirely to literature, since he could not imagine his life in any other occupation.

Life outside Russia

During his trip to Europe, he painstakingly worked on a unique work - “The Idiot”. It is believed that this novel is not like all the others, since it does not touch on religion, politics or love, but describes the simplest truth - “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

Also, being far from his homeland, the author begins to create the most political work called “Demons”. In it, he sheds light on the coming Red Revolution, calling communists demons and white liberals fathers. At the same time, he is working on the creation of such novels as “Teenager” and “The Brothers Karamazov”, which became the author’s last creation.

Interesting fact! Dostoevsky's biography formally fell on the Tsarist years. But he, like any philosopher, was a bit of a prophet and was able to accurately predict the coming of the communists and the overthrow of the emperor. Lenin nicknamed the writer “arch-nasty”, since in his novel “Demons” he used this very term to call the Bolsheviks.

In 1881, Fyodor Mikhailovich dies of emphysema, having previously quarreled with his sister over an inheritance. Despite the fact that the writer did not live long, he left behind spiritual food for at least 300 years to come. Most philosophers and writers, both domestic and foreign, still draw knowledge and inspiration from the works of Dostoevsky.

Another version of the biography of Dostoevsky

Dostoevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich (1821–1881).
The prophet and writer, who saw the achievement of happiness only through suffering, was a tireless defender of good. So ardent that many attributed to Fyodor Dostoevsky the opposition of the whole world to a child’s tear. However, few can compare with such a defender in understanding and explaining the causes of the evil that exists in this world. Dostoevsky was born into the family of a military doctor who achieved hereditary nobility. After the death of his mother, Fyodor Mikhailovich entered the engineering school in St. Petersburg. Together with his comrades, he organizes a literary circle and does translations. In 1845, Dostoevsky published his first novel, Poor People. By this time he had retired to pursue creativity. However, his connection with the revolutionary movement led to the writer’s arrest in 1849. A military court sentenced Dostoevsky to death. The Tsar pardoned him and the other conspirators - the Petrashevites, but the pardon was announced at the last moment. The month spent waiting for death radically changed the writer’s worldview. Dostoevsky returned to St. Petersburg only 9 years later, together with his wife and adopted son. Over the course of several years, he created “Notes from the House of the Dead” (1861), “The Humiliated and Insulted” (1862), and short stories. Fame and earnings come. However, his passion for playing roulette brings him to the brink of poverty. Due to an enslaving contract with the publishing house, Dostoevsky goes abroad: so as not to lose money for the novel “Crime and Punishment” (1866). While abroad, the writer completed work on the novel “The Idiot” (1869), the main character of which became Dostoevsky’s favorite character. Returning to Russia, he becomes one of the most implacable opponents of Russian revolutionaries. The novels The Demons (1872) and The Teenager (1875) contrast religious morality and nihilism. The period from 1870 to 1880 becomes the most successful for the writer. He was accepted by the royal family, completed the famous “Pentateuch,” and his name was placed in the first rank of Russian writers. In 1880, Dostoevsky published the famous “The Brothers Karamazov”. All the more unexpected was his death. A quarrel with his sister over an inheritance causes an exacerbation of emphysema and at the end of January 1881 Fyodor Mikhailovich died. Having eclipsed the fame of Ivan Turgenev, Dostoevsky became the most revered Russian writer in the West, along with Leo Tolstoy. Biographies of other writers and poets

Life stages

In order to clearly look at the main dates of the writer’s life, we decided to compile a table. It will feature both creative moments and personal ones. After all, as we have already understood, it was his personal life that had a huge influence on Fyodor Mikhailovich’s worldview, which was reflected in his novels.

The chronological table of Dostoevsky makes it possible to familiarize yourself with the dates of the most important events in his life. There are no premises, no conclusions, there are only facts. But only his literature, works and achievements can give a much more detailed and correct description of Dostoevsky’s personality. They fully reflect not only the writer’s inner world, but also the reality in which he lived.

Important! It is Fyodor Mikhailovich who is considered the most realistic and believable writer in Russian literature.

Fedor Dostoevsky

Role and place in literature

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky is a significant personality not only in Russian, but also in world literature.
The great thinker of the 19th century left behind many amazing works. He was an innovator in the direction of Russian realism, but few people recognized his achievements in this area during his lifetime. And only the next generation recognized Fyodor Dostoevsky as one of the best novelists in the world. During his short, difficult life, the writer managed to create a magnificent creative legacy and influence the work of other writers, among whom were Nobel Prize laureates. Origin and early years

The house where Dostoevsky was born in Moscow

F.M. Dostoevsky was born on November 11 (October 30, old style) 1821 in the Russian Empire (Moscow). The early years of the future writer were spent in a large family of noble origin. Many researchers claim that among Dostoevsky’s ancestors there were such personalities as the Tatar Aslan-Chelebi-Murza and his son nicknamed Broad Mouth, from whom the Rtishchev family descended. Boyar Danila Rtishchev, who received the Dostoev estate for his service to the sovereign, deserves special attention.

Fedor was born the second of seven children.

Father - Mikhail Andreevich Dostoevsky, a doctor in a hospital for low-income people.

Dostoevsky's parents

Mother - Maria Feodorovna Dostoevskaya (nee Nechaeva), daughter of the merchant Nechaev, who went bankrupt after Napoleon's invasion. She died when Fedor was 16 years old.

The writer later recalled his family in such a way that he came “from a Russian and pious family.” From childhood, children were accustomed to prayer. Patriarchal customs were observed in the house: the entire daily routine correlated with his father’s work in the hospital.

Little Dostoevsky treated his nanny Alena Frolovna with special warmth, who looked after all the children of the family and instilled in them a love of folk art.

Education

Fedor's parents sought to give a good education to their children. They were taught to read from an early age. Poems by famous poets were often recited in their house, which had a positive effect on the development of children.

In 1834, Fyodor and his brother Mikhail went to study at the L.I. boarding school. Chermak, the full course of study was three years. While studying at the boarding school, Dostoevsky was remembered by many classmates as a serious, blond boy. He loved to read books and communicate with older people. Young Fyodor especially singled out teacher Bilevich, who, however, was loved by almost all the students. It was

Study in the writer's museum in St. Petersburg

an educated person who knows how to present material to students in an interesting way. In addition, he was engaged in his own literary activities and his example was able to inspire Dostoevsky so that he also decided to become a writer.

At the age of 16, Dostoevsky was forced, at the behest of his father, to enter the Main Engineering School, although he only dreamed of literature. Studying here did not bring him joy. And only reading my favorite books lifted my spirits.

Creation

Dostoevsky made his first literary attempts while still studying at school. His first dramas: “Mary Stuart” and “Boris Godunov”. However, the writer’s youthful works have not survived.

The house where Dostoevsky lived in exile in Semipalatinsk

In 1844, Dostoevsky completed work on the first translation into Russian of Honoré de Balzac's novel Eugénie Grande. It was published in the magazine "Repertoire and Pantheon".

In 1845, the young writer completed his first novel, Poor People. After the distribution of this work, Dostoevsky was recognized as a writer and accepted into Belinsky’s circle. But his next work, “The Double,” was severely criticized. Fyodor Dostoevsky was not always understood by the authorities, which once ended in exile for him.

The work of the already mature writer is dominated by a critical attitude towards bourgeois-liberal values.

Major works

The writer worked on the novel Crime and Punishment from 1865 to 1866. An expanded version of the work was published in the Russian Bulletin magazine. The main theme of the novel is the hero's theory about extraordinary and ordinary people.

The house in St. Petersburg where Dostoevsky lived and died. "Raskolnikov's House"

Dostoevsky created the novel “The Idiot” during the years 1867-1869, while abroad. This is a rather complex novel about an excellent man. However, his good goals cannot make anyone happy in an ossified bourgeois society. Moreover, he becomes an object of ridicule for everyone.

“The Brothers Karamazov” is a novel that marked the completion of the writer’s grandiose literary activity. The author planned to write a sequel to “The Story of the Great Sinner,” but fate decided otherwise.

Last years

Monument to Dostoevsky in Moscow

The novel “The Brothers Karamazov” finally convinced critics and readers of Dostoevsky’s extraordinary talent. He began to be seen as a teacher. Even Emperor Alexander II invited the writer to contribute to the education of his sons.

But in recent years, Dostoevsky began to be overcome by illness. He still tried to continue writing, but all his plans remained unfinished. However, he was still able to surprise everyone with a heartfelt speech in honor of Pushkin on the day of the opening of the monument.

On February 9, 1881, the writer died.

Chronological table

Interesting facts from the life of the writer

• Fyodor Dostoevsky's father worked as a doctor for a long time and was able to acquire an entire village.
• When young Fedor left his job in the specialty he received at an engineering school, he began to earn his living only by literary work.
• Fyodor Dostoevsky managed to survive his own execution. It was formal, and instead of it the writer was sent to hard labor.
• Dostoevsky's second marriage was late and the age difference with his wife was about 25 years.

Museum of Fyodor Dostoevsky

There are eight museums in the world dedicated to the work of F.M. Dostoevsky. Only one is located in Kazakhstan, the rest are in Russia.

Dostoevsky - popular author

In the early 60s. Dostoevsky was able to travel outside of Russia several times. He visited Germany, England, France, and even reached Italy. He went to get treatment, but got carried away by playing in a casino. In general, the years were sad - first the elder brother left this world, then his wife.

Rice. 7. The writer’s office in the last apartment in St. Petersburg Despite the circumstances, it was in the 60s. he created his most significant works. If you put them in chronological order:

• first, “Crime and Punishment” appeared in 1866;
• a year later - “Idiot”;
• then “Demons”, “Teenager”;
• by the end of the 70s - “The Brothers Karamazov”.

There was no longer a magazine. “Crime and Punishment” was picked up by “Russkiy Vestnik”. His secretary was Anna Snitkina, who eventually became his second wife

. They had four children. They lived mainly abroad, and returned to Russia in the early 70s. The older children were born in Europe, the younger ones in their homeland. By that time, Fyodor Mikhailovich had stopped playing roulette, so the opportunity arose to say goodbye to his debts. In the winter they lived in St. Petersburg, in the summer they were hosted by Staraya Russa, and sometimes they traveled abroad. During these years, his major journalistic work was written, a kind of essay on his literary activity - “The Diary of a Writer”. It was published first in the popular magazine “Citizen”, and then as a book.

Rice. 8. House-museum of the writer in Staraya Russa

Interesting Facts

• Of Dostoevsky's descendants, only Fyodor Jr. inherited literary talent.
• Dostoevsky was a passionate tea drinker - the samovar always had to be hot.
• The writer's father was killed by serfs.
• When Dostoevsky was in hard labor, excerpts from his novel were published in Warsaw.

We also invite you to watch an overview of the work and life path of F. M. Dostoevsky in a video version.

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A new stage in Dostoevsky’s life and work

He was finally pardoned only in April 1857. He could again publish his works and again belonged to the noble class. His “Little Hero” finally saw the light of day. At this time, he worked intensively on two stories - “Uncle’s Dream” and “The Village of Stepanchikovo”, which were published in metropolitan magazines in the late 50s. At this time he was not yet allowed to leave Semipalatinsk. The writer was able to get to the European part of Russia only in the summer of 1859, when he was allowed to visit Tver. At the end of the year he was allowed to settle in St. Petersburg, but for another fifteen years he remained under police surveillance. His two-volume edition was published, but the book did not attract any attention. But “Notes from the House of the Dead” caused a furor in society. The book was published in several issues of the magazine “Time” in the early 60s. The magazine was published by Mikhail Dostoevsky. Then a new project arose - the magazine “Epoch”, which published “Humiliated and Insulted”, “Notes from the Underground” and much more.