Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky was born on October 30th, 1821 in Moscow, Russia. His father Mikhail Dostoevsky was a retired military surgeon who managed an estate in Tula province. His mother María Fiódorovna Necháyeva was the second wife of Mikhail. Fyodor had seven siblings although only three, including himself, survived into adulthood. As a child, Fyodor was witness to many horrific experiences on his father's estate such as serfs being punished and abused which may have contributed to his later beliefs on social reform and interest in human suffering.When Fyodor was 15 years old, both his mother and father died within a three year span. This left Fyodor and his siblings as orphans being cared for by a distant relative. Fyodor was sent to study at the Nikolayev Military Engineering Institute in St.Petersburg. While attending school, he became obsessed with literature and would later pursue a career in writing. His earliest literary influences included Shakespeare, Schiller, Pushkin, and Hoffmann. Dostoevsky graduated as a military engineer but decided to focus on writing instead of that career field.His first published work was a Russian translation of Honoré de Balzac's novel "Eugenie Grandet" in 1844. That same year he resigned from the army to fully devote himself to being a writer. He completed his first novella "Poor Folk" in 1845 which was critically praised by many including renowned critic Vissarion Belinsky who declared Dostoevsky as the next big name in Russian literature after the death of Nikolai Gogol. However, Dostoevsky's next story "The Double" was poorly received and he struggled to gain acceptance in literary circles once again.Around this time, Dostoevsky began regularly attending meetings of the "Petrashevsky Circle", a group focused on banned political and literary topics. In 1849, Dostoevsky and some other group members were arrested for subversion, interrogated for months, and then condemned to death by firing squad. At the very last moment as the orders were being given, the execution was stopped and the group learned this was only a cruel trick orchestrated by Tsar Nicholas I. Instead their death sentences were commuted to four years of prison labor in Siberia followed by compulsory military service.This traumatic mock execution followed by imprisonment was a pivotal point in Dostoevsky's life. His experiences shaped his conservative political and social views going forward as well as providing inspiration for many of his literary characters and situations focused on murder, punishment, and seeking redemption. While imprisoned in an Omsk stockade in Siberia known for its horrific conditions, Dostoevsky faced abuse from guards, near starvation at times, physical ailments, and mental anguish. However, he maintained focus through reading the Bible, classic literature, and Russian history. He would utilize this harrowing and lonely experience in many of his acclaimed novels such as "Crime and Punishment", "The House of the Dead", and "The Brothers Karamazov".By 1854, Dostoevsky had completed his prison sentence and compulsory military service. Rather than returning to European Russia, he remained in Siberia and married a widow named María Dmítrievna Isáyeva who he had become acquainted with over the past few years. She helped dictate his letters and other writings while his vision was impaired from illness. His first post-prison work published was the memoir "Notes from the House of the Dead" about his Siberian imprisonment.In 1859, Dostoevsky returned to St.Petersburg with his wife and stepson. There he founded two magazines which published serialized novels and his own work including popular story "The Insulted and Injured". The magazines struggled financially though and were forced to fold. In 1862, Dostoevsky’s wife María died from tuberculosis which devastated him emotionally. The following year his brother Mikhail died causing more heartbreak. During the mid 1860s, Dostoevsky had to focus most of his time and energy on gambling to earn enough income to ward off creditors and care for his family members which was a constant source of stress.Despite these obligations and losses, Dostoevsky published important novels “Notes from Underground” in 1864 and “Crime and Punishment” in 1866. The latter would become one of his most renowned works worldwide. The psychological crime story of Rodion Raskolnikov, a poor former student in St.Petersburg who kills a pawnbroker, became a sensation. The profound and complex nature of the characters, relationships, moral dilemmas, mental anguish, and search for redemption resonated with readers. The financial success of “Crime and Punishment” provided relief to Dostoevsky who remained burdened by debts and the deaths of more family members including his stepson and brother over the next few years.In 1867, Dostoevsky married for the second time to a stenographer named Anna Grigóryevna Snítkina who had helped him on ...
