Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, sometimes transliterated as Dostoyevsky, was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist, and journalist. He was born on November 11, 1821, in Moscow, Russia, and died on February 9, 1881.
Dostoevsky’s literary works explore the human condition in the troubled political, social, and spiritual atmospheres of 19th-century Russia, and engage with a variety of philosophical and religious themes. His most acclaimed novels include “Crime and Punishment” (1866), “The Idiot” (1869), “Demons” (1872), and “The Brothers Karamazov” (1880). His 1864 novella “Notes from Underground” is considered to be one of the first works of existentialist literature.
Dostoevsky’s psychological perception of his works has greatly influenced the subsequent development of the novel. He specialized in the analysis of pathological states of mind that lead to insanity, murder, and suicide, and in the exploration of the emotions of humiliation, self-destruction, tyrannical domination, and murderous rage. These major works are also renowned as great “novels of ideas” that treat timeless and timely issues in philosophy and politics.
In his time, Dostoevsky was also renowned for his activity as a journalist. His works are often called prophetic because he so accurately predicted how Russia’s revolutionaries would behave if they came to power.
