第2章

第2章afewwordsaboutdostoevskyhimselfmayhelptheenglishreadertounderstandhiswork.

dostoevskywasthesonofadoctor.hisparentswereveryhard-workinganddeeplyreligiouspeople,butsopoorthattheylivedwiththeirfivechildreninonlytworooms.thefatherandmotherspenttheireveningsinreadingaloudtotheirchildren,generallyfrombooksofaseriouscharacter.

thoughalwayssicklyanddelicatedostoevskycameoutthirdinthefinalexaminationofthepetersburgschoolofengineering.therehehadalreadybegunhisfirstwork,“poorfolk.”

thisstorywaspublishedbythepoetnekrassovinhisreviewandwasreceivedwithacclamations.theshy,unknownyouthfoundhimselfinstantlysomethingofacelebrity.abrilliantandessfulcareerseemedtoopenbeforehim,butthosehopesweresoondashed.in1849hewasarrested.

thoughneitherbytemperamentnorconvictionarevolutionist,dostoevskywasoneofalittlegroupofyoungmenwhomettogethertoreadfourierandproudhon.hewasaccusedof“takingpartinconversationsagainstthecensorship,ofreadingaletterfrombyelinskytogogol,andofknowingoftheintentiontosetupaprintingpress.”undernicholasi.(that“sternandjustman,”asmauricebaringcallshim)thiswasenough,andhewascondemnedtodeath.aftereightmonths’imprisonmenthewaswithtwenty-oneotherstakenouttothesemyonovskysquaretobeshot.writingtohisbrothermihail,dostoevskysays:“theysnappedwordsoverourheads,andtheymadeusputonthewhiteshirtswornbypersonscondemnedtodeath.thereuponwewereboundinthreestostakes,tosufferexecution.beingthethirdintherow,iconcludedihadonlyafewminutesoflifebeforeme.ithoughtofyouandyourdearonesandicontrivedtokissplestcheievanddourov,whowerenexttome,andtobidthemfarewell.suddenlythetroopsbeatatattoo,wewereunbound,broughtbackuponthescaffold,andinformedthathismajestyhadsparedusourlives.”thesentencewascommutedtohardlabour.

oneoftheprisoners,grigoryev,wentmadassoonashewasuntied,andneverregainedhissanity.

theintensesufferingofthisexperienceleftalastingstampondostoevsky’smind.thoughhisreligioustemperledhimintheendtoaccepteverysufferingwithresignationandtoregarditasablessinginhisowncase,heconstantlyrecurstothesubjectinhiswritings.hedescribestheawfulagonyofthecondemnedmanandinsistsonthecrueltyofinflictingsuchtorture.thenfollowedfouryearsofpenalservitude,spentinthecompanyofcommoncriminalsinsiberia,wherehebeganthe“deadhouse,”andsomeyearsofserviceinadisciplinarybattalion.

hehadshownsignsofsomeobscurenervousdiseasebeforehisarrestandthisnowdevelopedintoviolentattacksofepilepsy,fromwhichhesufferedfortherestofhislife.thefitsoccurredthreeorfourtimesayearandweremorefrequentinperiodsofgreatstrain.in1859hewasallowedtoreturntorussia.hestartedajournal—“vremya,”whichwasforbiddenbythecensorshipthroughamisunderstanding.in1864helosthisfirstwifeandhisbrothermihail.hewasinterriblepoverty,yethetookuponhimselfthepaymentofhisbrother’sdebts.hestartedanotherjournal—“theepoch,”whichwithinafewmonthswasalsoprohibited.hewasweigheddownbydebt,hisbrother’sfamilywasdependentonhim,hewasforcedtowriteatheart-breakingspeed,andissaidnevertohavecorrectedhiswork.thelateryearsofhislifeweremuchsoftenedbythetendernessanddevotionofhissecondwife.

injune1880hemadehisfamousspeechattheunveilingofthemonumenttopushkininmoscowandhewasreceivedwithextraordinarydemonstrationsofloveandhonour.

afewmonthslaterdostoevskydied.hewasfollowedtothegravebyavastmultitudeofmourners,who“gavethehaplessmanthefuneralofaking.”heisstillprobablythemostwidelyreadwriterinrussia.

inthewordsofarussiancritic,whoseekstoexplainthefeelinginspiredbydostoevsky:“hewasoneofourselves,amanofourbloodandourbone,butonewhohassufferedandhasseensomuchmoredeeplythanwehavehisinsightimpressesusaswisdom…thatwisdomoftheheartwhichweseekthatwemaylearnfromithowtolive.allhisothergiftscametohimfromnature,thishewonforhimselfandthroughithebecamegreat.”