This year marks the 200th anniversary of Dostoevsky's birth, and as a world-class literary master, Dostoevsky is the peak of Russian literature on a par with Tolstoy. If Tolstoy represents the breadth of Russian literature, then Dostoevsky represents the depth of the literature of this ancient country, and Tolstoy holds a paintbrush in his hand, outlining the magnificent historical picture in one stroke; while Dostoevsky takes a scalpel and dissects this living society to the reader one by one.
Dostoevsky in his later years.
Dostoevsky's fateful life, his life caught in the whirlpool of debt, gambling and constant moving, has left footprints in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Siberia, Old Russa and other places, from the tip of his pen or fresh or sharp words, but also in these mottled old Russian houses, rooted, and pervaded in the spiritual world of posterity.
Childhood in Moscow
Dostoevsky's father was a doctor at a charity hospital in Moscow, and the family lived in the hospital's dormitory, where Dostoevsky was born and spent his childhood. The hospital still exists, the street has been named Dostoevsky Prospekt, the nearby subway station is named after the writer, and the house where he lived in his childhood has been turned into a former home museum, and every day visitors from all over the world want to feel and experience the childhood life of the Russian literary magnate in this old house.
In the courtyard there is a full-body statue of Dostoevsky, dressed in a long robe, with a melancholy look. There are only two rooms and some auxiliary facilities in the former residence, which is somewhat simple and humble compared with the former residences of other Russian literary heroes. Entering the door, on the table facing him was a notebook of the Church of Saint Peter and Paul, faithfully recording the marriage and death of the parish parishioners between 1814 and 1823, and Dostoevsky's birth was recorded on page 148: "(1821) In November, mikhail Andreevich Dostoevsky, a school-level military doctor in the slum hospital, gave birth to a baby, named Fedor. "This child is the Russian literary hero Dostoevsky, who later became famous in the world.
Statue of Dostoevsky's Moscow House.
Dostoevsky St. Petersburg House.
To the right of the house there was a semi-basement room, the bedroom of Dostoevsky Jr. and his brother, with two small Russian beds and nothing else. In this dimly lit hut, Dostoevsky read the works of Shakespeare, Balzac, and many other foreign writers, and for the first time learned the name of the great Russian poet Pushkin; here Dostoevsky also heard the groans of the poor people in the poor hospitals who were tormented by illness—the hut became the spiritual cradle of his growth.
When Dostoevsky was less than 10 years old, his father received the title of nobility, purchased land and estates in the provinces, and owned dozens of serfs. Every summer, the whole family will go to the manor to escape the summer, Dostoevsky and his parents, brothers revel in the beautiful countryside scenery, every day will go to the forest and fields to play, Dostoevsky is also the first contact with rural life, learned about the manor and serfs. But the good times were short-lived, the manor was razed to the ground in a fire, the family's farmhouse, grain depot and livestock pen were all reduced to ashes, and the family fell into an economic crisis. The servant of the household, Alyona Vlarov, was a kind woman who gave her 500 roubles for retirement to Dostoevsky's mother. Alyona was adept at storytelling, and Dostoevsky heard many Russian fairy tales and folk tales from her—all of which set the stage for his later literary career.
In 1837, Dostoevsky's mother died of illness, and his father soon resigned and left the hospital. Dostoevsky and his brother applied for the St. Petersburg Military Engineering Academy at the same time, and both passed the examination, but the brother did not pass the physical examination and had to apply for another military academy. In 1838, Dostoevsky officially enrolled and left Moscow, where he had lived for more than a decade.
"Crime and Punishment" book shadow.
Dostoevsky's debut novel, The Poor Man.
The sorrow and joy of St. Petersburg
Among the many Russian writers, the one who can best show the temperament of st. Petersburg is undoubtedly Dostoevsky.
Dostoevsky did not want to come to St. Petersburg at first, his ideal was to study literature at Moscow University, but his father hoped that he and his brother would choose a secure career, so the literary teenager entered the St. Petersburg Military Engineering Academy. St. Petersburg was then the capital of the Russian Empire, and the Military Engineering Academy was originally the palace of the Tsar, with a splendid atmosphere and beautiful gardens next to it. It was in this environment that Dostoevsky read and studied, read the works of countless world-famous writers, and also tried to write and translate. In 1843, Dostoevsky graduated on schedule and became a surveying and mapping officer.
But Dostoevsky did not like the profession, and he always had a literary dream in his heart. A year later he resigned from the military, became a freelance writer, and entered the literary world with his debut novel, The Poor. In 1848, Dostoevsky published the novella White Night, set in St. Petersburg, about the innocent girl Nassjanka falling in love with a young tenant, and the two agreed to meet on a bridge a year later, but the tenant did not show up, and although the girl was disappointed, her confidence remained. The protagonist of the novel, "Fantasist", is touched by the girl's affection and accompanies her to wait by the river for four consecutive nights, and finally the tenant finally appears, and the "fantasist" suppresses the love that has just risen and blesses them.
As an intellectual concerned about the people's livelihood, Dostoevsky became a believer in the doctrine of utopian socialism and mingled with the Communists. They read banned books, discussed sensitive issues such as freedom of speech and the emancipation of serfs, and planned coups. Dostoevsky was later arrested by the Tsar and sentenced to death, which was not commuted to hard labor and exile until the execution — from then on he remained in Siberia for more than a decade.
After returning to St. Petersburg, Dostoevsky resumed his literary work, during which time his major works were "Insulted and Damaged", "Dead House Notes", "Crime and Punishment", etc., which established his position in the Russian literary world.
The apartment in St. Petersburg, where Dostoevsky lived, was also set aside as a literary memorial museum, and he lived in the apartment twice, the first time in 1846, when he had just entered the literary world, and the first novel "The Poor" began to be serialized; the second time from 1878 to 1881, he spent the last days of his life here and completed the last novel, "The Brothers Karamazov", which witnessed the beginning and end of Dostoevsky's career as a writer.
A pure land of Old Russa
Old Ruza, one of the oldest cities in Russia, is located in the western part of Novgorod Oblast, where a beautiful river called Lovady runs through the city. This small town was a pure land for Dostoevsky's rest and summer retreat in his later years, and the only property in his name was also here.
Dostoevsky came to Old Russa mainly to escape the troubles and noise of St. Petersburg. Beginning in 1872, he spent eight summers here, writing the novel The Devil, founding the journal Diary of a Writer, and completing most of the chapters of his masterpiece The Brothers Karamazov. The Brothers Karamazov is generally considered the pinnacle of Dostoevsky's novel, which depicts the conflict between the elder Karamazov and his three sons, which eventually evolved into a father-killing case. This is a tragedy about human nature, in the novel, the writer uses all the accumulation in his life, mobilizes all the experiences and events of life, and the main characters of the novel have the shadow of the author himself.
The geographical background of The Brothers Karamazov is Old Russa, in which Dostoevsky describes the small, scenic town: "Narrow streets run through shallow ditches, and sitting in the study overlooks the countryside, green fields, surrounded by pine forests, where an ancient monastery shines with white light." ”
It is a beautiful place and the only piece of pure land in Dostoevsky's later years. (Wang Kai)
Source: Hainan Daily