Fyodor Dostoevsky

Russian Existentialist Author of Crime and Punishment

Jul 27, 2008

Fyodor Dostoevsky's works continue to influence contemporary authors. His early novels set the stage for existential philosophy and modern psychology.

Dostoevsky’s works explore man’s individual search for truth. The existential belief that individuals are responsible for their own fate and must attempt to rise above the human condition to attain self-fulfillment is apparent in such works as Crime and Punishment.

Dostoevsky’s Early Life

He was the second of seven children. His father, a doctor and also an alcoholic, worked in a hospital in Moscow. Dostoevsky grew up in the shadow of the hospital on the poor side of Moscow, which gave him an empathy for the poor and downtrodden, which is often reflected in his writings. His was not a happy life. His childhood was marred by a tyrannical, alcoholic father. Dostoevsky also suffered from epilepsy since the age of nine.

Imprisonment

Dostoevsky started out with a promising career. His early work continued to explore the plight of the poor and underprivileged. He was just beginning to achieve acclaim as an author when, in 1849, he was arrested for political reasons. Members of the liberal intellectual group to which he belonged were arrested and threatened with execution. Dostoevsky’s sentence was commuted to four years of exile in Siberia, years of hard labor that brought about significant changes in his philosophy and religious convictions.

More Tragedy and Great Works

After his release from prison, Dostoevsky and his brother started a series of journals in which his books were published in installments. Following the deaths of both his first wife and his brother, Dostoevsky found himself penniless. Efforts to support his brother’s family and his own gambling habits made him constantly in debt.

In the years between 1866 and 1880, he produced his greatest works, Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, The Possessed, and The Brothers Karamazov. For these works he finally received great acclaim.

Life’s Influence on his Work

It is apparent Dostoevsky drew from his own often bitter experiences to write his novels. It is believed his alcoholic father served as a model for many of the alcoholic characters that frequently appear in Dostoevsky’s works. Epileptic characters which reflect Dostoevsky’s own personal affliction, occur in The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov. His years in prison formed the basis for Raskolnikov’s imprisonment in his novel Crime and Punishment, and the miserable conditions and treatment he received while in prison make up the setting for House of the Dead.

Major Works

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