The Life of Fyodor Dostoevsky

Childhood

Fyodor Dostoevsky was born in Moscow, in the Russian Empire, as the second of seven children to

his father, Mikhail Andreyevich Dostoevsky, and his mother, Maria Fyodorovna Dostoevskaya. His

mother was a Russian merchant’s daughter, while his father, a doctor, was of Lithuanian origin.

The Dostoevsky family originated from a small village called Dostoyeyevo, located in the Pinsk

Marshes. This area, one of the most desolate regions in western Russia, was ethnically diverse, with

a mix of Poles, Lithuanians, Russians, and Jews.

One of his ancestors migrated from the Pinsk Marshes to Ukraine, but the exact ethnic origins of

the Dostoevsky family remain speculative. A Polish political exile who met Dostoevsky in Siberia

wrote, "Judging by his surname and appearance, he must be of Polish descent."

His father, Mikhail Dostoevsky, moved from Ukraine to Moscow in the early 19th century. He

studied medicine at Moscow University and served as a military doctor during the Napoleonic Wars

of 1812. In 1819, he married a merchant’s daughter and left military service to work as a resident

physician at the Mariinsky Hospital. He also took on part-time medical practice outside his hospital

duties.

Dostoevsky’s older brother, Mikhail, was born in 1820, and Fyodor followed on October 30, 1821.

This date was recorded in church documents, but for some reason—whether intentionally or by

mistake—Dostoevsky later claimed he was born a year later. After him, the family welcomed his

younger siblings Varvara and Andrei, followed by a brief gap before Vera, Nikolai, and Alexandra

were born, completing the family.

The Dostoevsky family lived in an apartment attached to the hospital. Their home consisted of an

entrance hall, dining room, living room, and kitchen. A windowless corner of the entrance hall was

partitioned off for the two eldest children’s bedroom, while the dining room served as both a

playroom and study area. In the evenings, the family gathered in the living room, where they often

read books aloud when their father wasn’t busy writing prescriptions. The far end of the living

room served as the bedroom for the parents and younger children. As more children were born,

they were eventually able to secure an additional room.

In the summers, the hospital courtyard became a playground for the children, and recovering
patients often came outside to enjoy the fresh air. Dostoevsky was especially fond of talking to

young patients. His compassion for the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed began to take shape

during these years.

However, his father strictly forbade him from socializing with patients, leaving the Dostoevsky

children with no real friends. Each year, the family made a pilgrimage to the Trinity Lavra of St.

Sergius, about 80 km from Moscow, but aside from that and one or two rare outings, Dostoevsky

never left the city until he turned ten.

The lack of childhood friends left a lasting impression on both his personal life and his literary

works. Despite growing up in a house full of siblings, he led a lonely childhood. His family was

socially isolated, had little contact with the outside world, and was largely disconnected from

society.

As a result, Dostoevsky struggled with social interactions throughout his life. He found it difficult to

form close relationships, was uncomfortable in social gatherings, and never truly learned how to

enjoy life.

When Dostoevsky was ten years old, his father purchased a small estate in Darovoye, near Tula,

about 60 km from Moscow. From that summer onward, his mother and siblings spent the season

there, while his father joined them for one or two weeks each year. The journey from Moscow to

Darovoye took two days by carriage. For the children, this trip was a rare escape from their

confined urban world and their father’s strict discipline.

At Darovoye, the children had more freedom. They could ride horses and talk to the local

peasants, although once again, they were forbidden from interacting with children their own age. It

was during this time that Dostoevsky developed a love for reading. The summer he turned twelve,

he read the complete works of Walter Scott. He later recalled that the summers spent at the

family’s country estate left the deepest and most lasting impressions of his life.

By then, his education had begun in earnest. Initially, his mother taught him the alphabet, and in

the evenings, the family read Bible stories and excerpts from Karamzin’s History of the Russian

State together.

Dostoevsky was then tutored by a monk and two French private instructors. One of these tutors,

Sushard, later became a naturalized Russian citizen, changed his name to Drashusov, and

established a small private school. In 1833, Dostoevsky and his older brother Mikhail enrolled in
this school.

The following year, they transferred to a private boarding school run by a man named Chermak,

where they stayed for three years. The curriculum followed standard subjects of the time, with

eight hours of daily classes and no preparation time. Although the school was well-regarded,

Dostoevsky struggled to form friendships with his classmates. His novel The Adolescent contains

passages believed to reflect this period of his life:

"I could never get used to any kind of socializing. I had a few friends at school, but very few. I

created a secluded corner for myself and stayed there."

His parents' strict and anti-social nature further reinforced his isolation. Over the years, only one

classmate ever set foot inside the Dostoevsky household. The brothers were never allowed to go

out alone, nor did they receive an allowance. Their father constantly reminded them of their

family's poverty, their need to carve out their own destinies, and how they would all become

beggars if he died.

In 1837, tragedy struck. Dostoevsky’s mother died of tuberculosis when he was fifteen years old.

Though he later spoke of her with respect, she did not play a particularly prominent role in his

life.

Before her death, Dostoevsky and his brother had already been admitted to the Saint Petersburg

Military Engineering Academy. Their father secured scholarships for both of them. In May 1837,

Dostoevsky and his father set out on a long journey by land to Saint Petersburg. Since the railway

between the two cities wouldn’t open until October, they had to travel by carriage. Upon arrival,

the two brothers moved into a boarding house run by Kostomarov, where they prepared for the

entrance exams. Their father then returned to Moscow, and the brothers never saw him again.

Dostoevsky passed the entrance exam in September and formally entered the academy in January

1838. However, his brother Mikhail failed the medical exam, delaying his enrollment until he was

later accepted at the Reval Engineering School. This unexpected separation forced the brothers to

correspond frequently by letter, and their surviving letters from this time provide valuable insight

into Dostoevsky’s early years.

At sixteen, Dostoevsky was described as an awkward young man with short stature, blond hair, and

strikingly blue eyes. He avoided social activities like dance classes, instead spending his nights

reading, writing, or discussing philosophical ideas with a small circle of friends.

E. T. A. Hoffmann, and Honoré de Balzac. He considered himself a dreamer and even dabbled in

writing poetry and plays. His exposure to sentimental and romantic novels helped shape his literary

style.

This period also introduced him to Sidlovsky, a 25-year-old minor official and romantic poet who

was acquainted with Dostoevsky’s father. Dostoevsky later said that Sidlovsky had a profound

influence on his life. However, Sidlovsky left Saint Petersburg in 1838, never to return.

That same year, Dostoevsky received shocking news from Moscow—his father had died under

mysterious circumstances.

Early Adulthood and the Death of His Father

In 1839, Dostoevsky received tragic news from Moscow—his father had died under mysterious

circumstances.

At the time, his father owned a small estate in Darovoye, where he ruled with an iron fist. He was

known for treating his serfs (peasants bound to the land) cruelly, and rumors spread that he was

murdered by them in revenge. One story claimed that they tied him up and forced him to drink

vodka until he suffocated. Another version suggested that he was beaten to death. However, no

official investigation ever took place, and some scholars believe he may have died of natural

causes, possibly a stroke.

Dostoevsky was deeply affected by his father’s death. His letters from this time show that he was

in severe distress, though he did not discuss the details. Some psychologists, including Sigmund

Freud, later speculated that Dostoevsky suffered from epilepsy as a result of an unconscious guilt

over his father’s death. Freud theorized that Dostoevsky harbored resentment toward his

authoritarian father and may have even wished for his demise, leading to repressed guilt that

manifested in seizures. However, modern scholars largely dismiss Freud’s theory, as Dostoevsky’s

epilepsy had neurological causes rather than psychological ones.

By this time, Dostoevsky had moved to Saint Petersburg to attend the Military Engineering

Academy. He had little interest in a military career and was far more absorbed in literature and

philosophy. His letters from this period reflect his passion for reading, his admiration for writers

like Shakespeare, Schiller, and Balzac, and his increasing interest in social issues and politics.
Despite his talent in mathematics, he struggled in school because he disliked engineering subjects.

His poor performance delayed his graduation until 1843, after which he was assigned to work as a

junior officer at the Ministry of War. However, he soon realized that a government job was not for

him. Just one year later, in 1844, he resigned to pursue a career as a writer.

Early Literary Success

Dostoevsky’s first novel, Poor Folk (1846), was an immediate success. The book was praised by the

influential critic Vissarion Belinsky, who declared him a major new talent in Russian literature. Poor

Folk is an epistolary novel (written as letters between characters) that explores the struggles of the

poor in Russian society. The novel’s sympathetic portrayal of poverty and injustice earned

Dostoevsky a reputation as a socially conscious writer.

Encouraged by this success, Dostoevsky quickly wrote a second novel, The Double (1846), which

told the story of a man who gradually loses his sense of identity as he is tormented by his

doppelgänger. However, the novel confused critics and was widely criticized. This failure deeply

wounded Dostoevsky, and he suffered from self-doubt and depression for years.

Political Involvement and Arrest

During the late 1840s, Dostoevsky became involved in radical political circles. He joined a group of

intellectuals and revolutionaries known as the Petrashevsky Circle, who discussed socialism, utopian

ideals, and the abolition of serfdom. Although Dostoevsky was not an active revolutionary, he

sympathized with progressive ideas and participated in discussions about freedom of speech and

political reform.

In April 1849, the Tsar’s secret police raided the Petrashevsky Circle’s meetings and arrested

everyone involved, including Dostoevsky. He was accused of conspiring against the government,

even though his involvement was minor.

Sentencing and the Mock Execution

Dostoevsky and the other prisoners were sentenced to death by firing squad. On December 22,

1849, he and several other prisoners were taken to a public square, where they were blindfolded
and tied to stakes. Just as the soldiers prepared to fire, a messenger arrived with a last-minute

pardon from Tsar Nicholas I.

The execution had been staged as a psychological punishment—a cruel tactic designed to break the

prisoners’ spirits. Instead of execution, Dostoevsky was sentenced to four years of hard labor in a

Siberian prison camp, followed by forced military service.

Years in Siberia

Dostoevsky’s years in Siberia (1850–1854) were among the most formative of his life. He lived in

harsh conditions, surrounded by hardened criminals—murderers, thieves, and political prisoners. He

endured bitter cold, backbreaking labor, and severe malnutrition. The experience deeply affected

his worldview.

In prison, Dostoevsky underwent a spiritual transformation. He abandoned socialist and

revolutionary ideals and turned toward Russian Orthodox Christianity. He came to believe that

suffering was necessary for redemption and that true change could only come from faith and

moral responsibility, rather than revolution. These themes became central to his later works.

After completing his prison sentence, Dostoevsky was forced to serve in the military as a private

soldier in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan. During this period, he met and married his first wife, Maria

Dmitrievna Isaeva, a widow.

Return to Writing and Later Years

Dostoevsky was finally allowed to return to Saint Petersburg in 1859. By then, he was a changed

man. His experiences in Siberia deeply influenced his later novels, which explored crime,

punishment, redemption, and the psychological struggles of the human soul.

Over the next two decades, he wrote some of the greatest novels in world literature, including:

Notes from Underground (1864) – A philosophical novella about a bitter, isolated man struggling

with society and free will.

Crime and Punishment (1866) – The story of a young man, Raskolnikov, who commits murder and

struggles with guilt and redemption.

The Idiot (1869) – A novel about an innocent and Christ-like man, Prince Myshkin, who is crushed

by society’s cruelty.
Demons (1872) – A political novel exploring radical ideology, revolution, and nihilism in Russia.

The Brothers Karamazov (1880) – His final and greatest work, which explores faith, morality, and

the existence of God.

Despite his literary success, Dostoevsky faced constant financial problems, mainly due to gambling

addiction. He traveled across Europe but often fell into severe debt, forcing him to write frantically

to pay off his creditors.

In 1881, Dostoevsky died of a lung hemorrhage at the age of 59. His funeral was attended by

thousands of admirers, and he was recognized as one of Russia’s greatest writers. His works have

since influenced countless authors, philosophers, and psychologists, solidifying his place as one of

the most profound thinkers in world literature.