Dostoevsky in Love

Brilliant and genre-bending biography of Dostoevsky, using his own words where feasible. Such an imaginative approach, and what a fascinating life.

I've asked the author to do an interview with us (Five Books) before the end of January, which I think will be very popular with our audience.

Although I have read most of Dostoevsky’s works, I have never read his biography. The author takes an interesting approach and puts Dostoevsky’s emotional and personal life central of his life. And what a life it was. Indeed this opens with Dostoevsky suffering a mock execution, which resulting in him being informed that, rather than being killed, he would be sentenced to four years hard labour, before being forced to serve as a private in the army. I suspect many would take such a sentence more favourably had they seriously considered a bullet to be the alternative, but it is certainly a strong opening.

Christofi then takes the reader back to his birth at a Hospital for the Poor, where his father was a doctor. As Dostoevsky’s father aged, he seemed to become more discontented and was, possibly, killed by peasants at the small estate he owned. Later, Christofi muses that Dostoevsky – once arrested - faced the irony of being killed by peasants, who disliked and distrusted, political prisoners, when he had been imprisoned for plotting their emancipation.

As the title of the book shows, this biography focuses on Dostoevsky’s personal life. Not only romantic, as we read of his love for his mother and brother. However, there are also long rides to try to convince his first wife to marry him, with love quickly turning to disappointment. Romance and a second marriage to the, almost Saintly patient, Anna, who refused to blame her husband, even when his gambling meant that he constantly pawned her wedding ring. Indeed, Dostoevsky’s gambling obsession was so bad that it is almost painful to read about it. At one point, leaving a town where he has lost everything the couple had, he leaves the train they were leaving on, to go and lose their remaining few coins; the lure of the casino was so strong.

Despite his faults, Dostoevsky personally had a lot of warmth; especially in his love of children. Although, again, there are tragedies, he obviously adored his children. He would dress as a polar bear, strand his giggling children on ‘ice floes,’ and stalk them to gobble them up. The sight of a child always warmed him and he had endless patience with them; once sitting up most of the night with his son, who was unable to leave his Christmas present behind to go to bed.

If, like me, you know little of Dostoevsky’s life, this will be a joy to read. I found it utterly compelling and a fascinating portrait of a literary life. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.