Fyodor Dostoevsky

Abstract

It is arguable that Dostoevsky is the most complex nineteenth-century Russian writer. Both as a man and as a writer he is, like Gogol, difficult to ‘place’; indeed, a comparison with Gogol (one which is frequently made)¹ serves as a useful beginning in a process of demystification of Dostoevsky, an attempt, that is, to solve the mystery of this particular man.² Dostoevsky himself was aware of his special relationship with Gogol: the most celebrated apocryphal remark in the history of nineteenth-century Russian literature is that attributed to him: ‘We have all come from under Gogol’s Overcoat.’³ Dostoevsky may be more ‘intellectual’ than his predecessor, but there are many parallels between them. In their own lifetimes, and more especially since, they and their works have given rise to a kaleidoscope of conflicting interpretations, and have inspired many individuals and groups in twentieth-century literature directly or indirectly. One implication of their work is a revolutionary critique of contemporary — or, for that matter, any — society. Yet their own confessed views, except for Dostoevsky’s early Utopian humanism, were deeply conservative, leading them both ultimately to the sanctuary of the Orthodox Church.