The Philosopher
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The face
The background
- Nationality:
- Russian
- Schools:
- Existentialism, Pochvennichestvo, Slavophilism
- Branchs:
- Psychological fiction, Existentialism, Realism, Naturalism
- Period:
- 19th century
The synopsis
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (1821–1881) was a Russian philosopher, novelist, short story writer, essayist, and journalist. Widely regarded as one of the greatest novelists in Russian and world literature, his works are known for their profound psychological insight and exploration of the human condition amidst the socio-political and spiritual turmoil of 19th-century Russia. His most acclaimed novels include 'Crime and Punishment' (1866), 'The Idiot' (1869), 'Demons' (1872), 'The Adolescent' (1875), and 'The Brothers Karamazov' (1880). His novella 'Notes from Underground' (1864) is considered an early work of existentialist literature. Born in Moscow, Dostoevsky's life was marked by hardship, including poverty, epilepsy, a mock execution, four years of hard labor in Siberia, and compulsory military service. These experiences profoundly shaped his worldview and literary output, imbuing his writings with themes of suffering, redemption, and the struggle between good and evil. His literary style is characterized by polyphony, the coexistence of multiple narrative voices and perspectives, which was later analyzed by Mikhail Bakhtin. Dostoevsky's influence extends across philosophy, literature, and psychology, impacting thinkers and writers such as Nietzsche, Freud, Camus, and Sartre. His works have been translated into over 170 languages and continue to be widely read and studied for their timeless examination of human nature.
The works
Poor Folk
Notes from Underground
Crime and Punishment
The Idiot
Demons
The Brothers Karamazov
The quotes
Power is given only to those who dare to lower themselves and pick it up. Only one thing matters, one thing; to be able to dare!
If there is no God, everything is permitted.
Beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man.
Man only likes to count his troubles, but he does not count his joys.
We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once, before a word has been spoken.
There is no subject so old that something new cannot be said about it.
Men do not accept their prophets and slay them, but they love their martyrs and worship those whom they have tortured to death.
It seems, in fact, as though the second half of a man's life is made up of nothing, but the habits he has accumulated during the first half.
It is not possible to eat me without insisting that I sing praises of my devourer?
Much unhappiness has come into the world because of bewilderment and things left unsaid.
The soul is healed by being with children.
Deprived of meaningful work, men and women lose their reason for existence; they go stark, raving mad.
One can know a man from his laugh, and if you like a man's laugh before you know anything of him, you may confidently say that he is a good man.
The greatest happiness is to know the source of unhappiness.
To live without Hope is to Cease to live.
Sarcasm: the last refuge of modest and chaste-souled people when the privacy of their soul is coarsely and intrusively invaded.
Happiness does not lie in happiness, but in the achievement of it.
There are things which a man is afraid to tell even to himself, and every decent man has a number of such things stored away in his mind.
The formula 'Two and two make five' is not without its attractions.
A novel is a work of poetry. In order to write it, one must have tranquility of spirit and of impression.
A real gentleman, even if he loses everything he owns, must show no emotion. Money must be so far beneath a gentleman that it is hardly worth troubling about.
To love someone means to see him as God intended him.
The cleverest of all, in my opinion, is the man who calls himself a fool at least once a month.
Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys. If he counted them up as he ought to, he would see that every lot has enough happiness provided for it.
Realists do not fear the results of their study.
Man, so long as he remains free, has no more constant and agonizing anxiety than find as quickly as possible someone to worship.