The Life and Works of Fyodor Dostoevsky

Early Life and Education of Fyodor Dostoevsky

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky was born on November 11, 1821, in Moscow, Russia, into the family of a military doctor. As the second of seven surviving children, he was immersed in literature from a young age, with early influences including Russian fairy tales and the Bible. Dostoevsky's formal education began at the Moscow Chermak Boarding School and later at the St. Petersburg Academy of Military Engineering. The deaths of his mother in 1837 and his father in 1839 had profound impacts on his psyche and future writings. Although he trained as a military engineer, Dostoevsky's passion for literature prevailed, leading to the translation of French works and the publication of his first novel, "Poor Folk," in 1846, which received critical acclaim.

Literary Success and Political Struggles

Fyodor Dostoevsky's debut novel "Poor Folk" quickly brought him literary fame, but his subsequent works did not receive the same positive reception, leading to financial hardship and health issues. His engagement with social and political issues, particularly his association with the Petrashevsky Circle, a group critical of the Russian autocracy and serfdom, led to his arrest in 1849. Dostoevsky was sentenced to death, but this was a mock execution, and his sentence was commuted to four years of hard labor in a Siberian prison, followed by compulsory military service. This period was marked by severe hardship and the onset of epileptic seizures, which would affect him for the rest of his life.