Fyodor Dostoevsky 1821 – 1881

Biography

Fyodor Dostoevsky was a Russian novelist whose psychological masterpieces reshaped world literature. Born in Moscow in 1821, he trained as a military engineer before turning to writing. In 1849 he was arrested for belonging to a radical discussion circle, sentenced to death, reprieved at the last moment before a firing squad, and exiled to Siberia for four years of hard labour, an experience that transformed his thinking. Returning to St. Petersburg, he produced a run of extraordinary novels: Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, Demons, and The Brothers Karamazov, probing guilt, faith, freedom, and redemption with unmatched intensity. He also edited journals and wrote The House of the Dead about his prison years. He died in 1881 and was buried in the Tikhvin Cemetery. His novels continue to be read worldwide, and his exploration of conscience and suffering has influenced writers, philosophers, and theologians ever since.