Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, Notes From The...

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky was a Russian novelist and philosopher best known for his novels Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, Notes From the Underground, and The Idiot. He used his works to learn about the social customs and movements of nineteenth-century Russia, and also to explore himself and gain a deeper understanding of his life. Dostoevsky’s personal life experiences and the philosophical movements of his time influenced his works by shaping the subjects he discussed and the characters that he created. Dostoevsky was born in 1821 in Moscow, Russia. His father, Mikhay Dostoevsky, was an army surgeon and his mother, Maria Nechaeva, was the â€Å"daughter of a prominent Moscow merchant† (Diamond, 1). Throughout his early†¦show more content†¦In 1849, he was arrested for his â€Å"involvement in the radical intellectual Petrashevsky Circle,† a group chiefly interested in the reformation of Russian society (Thomas, 8). He was arrested and sentenced to death, however, at the last moment, he was pardoned and sentenced instead to four years of hard labor in Siberia (Thomas, 8). This experience altered Dostoevsky’s outlook on life and his personal philosophies. In a letter to his brother, Mikhail, Dostoevsky expressed that his close encounter with death on the day of his supposed execution taught him what was truly important in life, his loved ones, and how much he valued it (Thomas, 9). His four years in Siberia gave his a certain appreciation for â€Å"the c ommon people of Russia† that is prominent in many of his works, especially The Brothers Karamazov (Thomas, 9). The experience of being arrested and imprisoned and the lessons he learned from it gave Dostoevsky a considerable advantage when incorporating such experiences and ideas in his works. The emotions he felt while awaiting his own execution, which he expressed in the letter to his brother, can be found in The Idiot, when the main character, Prince Myshkin, describes his experience witnessing a public execution by guillotine when he was a child (Thomas, 9). His time in Siberia also â€Å"provided him with considerable background† for his book Memoirs from the House of the Dead, and â€Å"intimate knowledge of theShow MoreRelatedFyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (1821- 1881) is one of the most famous and widely translated Russian900 Words   |  4 PagesFyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (1821- 1881) is one of the most famous and widely translated Russian writers in the world. He was born in 1821, in Moscow, one of eight children of a staff doctor at the Mariinskii Hospital for the Poor. Dostoevsky was educated first at home, then at the age of 17 he was sent to the Academy for Military Engineers to study engineering. After training as a draftsman, Dostoevsky embarked on the literary career. 1846 saw the publishing of his first book, Poor Folk that