The Writers who Influenced

Dostoevsky

"Dostoevsky was particularly interested in the fate of the ‘intelligent’ Russian whom he called the ‘saunterer’ of the Petersburg period of Russian history, and he was to reveal the spiritual reasons out of which this ‘sauntering’ arose"

- Nikolai Berdyaev (The Russian Idea 44)

Count Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910)

Leo Tolstoy, born in 1828 to an upperclass family, experienced first the death of his mother, whom he could never recall, and then of his father at age nine. Like Dostoevsky he spent a great deal of time thinking about death, redemption, and the brotherhood of humanity. However, the two great authors never met, and Tolstoy felt that Dostoevsky had too negative a view of humanity. Nonetheless, both writers advanced a sort of idealistic society based on the principles of Christianity even though Tolstoy's ascetic faith mirrored Buddhism more than Orthodoxy.

Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837)

Pushkin, Russia's most beloved poet, spawned the golden age of Russian literature. Highly motivated by Russian folklore, many of his works, written in a very simple style, reflect the presence of supernatural forces at work in everyday life. His works, The Queen of Spades and The Shot, enchanted Dostoevsky and influenced his writings.

Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852)

A short-story writer and novelist of Ukranian origin,Gogol worked as a clerk in St. Petersburg while writing his first works. This experience influenced seminal works such as The Overcoat. Dead Souls, his final work offers caricatures human folly and sin. A realistic but fantastic writer, Gogol believed strongly in the unique power of the Orthodox Church to save Russia from impending doom.

E.T.A. Hoffman (1776-1822)

Hoffman, a man of many different artistic pursuits, challenged notions of reality by exploring the fantastic world of the supernatural. His works inspired many Russian composers as well as writers. Indeed, Hoffman's imagination continues to enchant audiences of The Nutcracker, which is based on one of his tales. His stories allow the intervention of supernatural beings, often in order to hold his characters accountable for embarassing things they have done. Like Pushkin's Queen of Spades, Hoffman's works fired the imagination of Dostoevsky.

Charles Dickens, despite his extremely difficult childhood and youth in industrializing London, managed to capture literary audiences for well after a century after his death. His writings strongly influenced both Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. Dickens's characters reveal the complexity of the human spirit, and the writer poignantly captures the horror of the injustices of a cruel city inflicted upon children and the weak. Dostoevsky continues these examinations in his own writings, and many similarities can be seen in the two authors.

Mikhail Y. Lermontov (1814-1841)

An extremely well-educated aristocrat, Lermontov first gained recognition with his poem "On the Death of the Poet", written in 1837 in response to Pushkin's death. The poem's inflamatory remarks prompted Lermontov's banishment to the Caucusus. His wealthy grandmother eventually petitioned for his return, and, in 1840, Lermontov published A Hero of Our Time which includes five tales about a superfluous and bored nobleman, Pechorin. Characteristics of Pechorin appear in several of Dostoevsky's characters, such as Dimitry Karamazov and Stavrogin.