Fyodor Dostoevsky

By clare00000000000

  • Born in Moscow

    Dostoevsky's mother, Marya Feodorovna, was gentle and kind while his father, Mikhail Andreevich, was infamously strict with his children and had a violent temper. Dostoevsky suffers from epilepsy from an early age.

  • Marya Feodorovna dies

  • Enrolls in Military Engineering College

    This decision was strongly influenced by his father, who wanted his children to have well-paying jobs, despite Dostoevsky's preference for liturature.

  • Father suffers from a partial stroke

    Supposedly induced by the stress of Dostoevsky not being promoted in school

  • Father dies

    Dostoevsky, and many historians, believe(d) that Mikhail had been murdered by his own serfs. Dostoevsky suffers from guilt his entire life due to this belief. Some biographers, however, have claimed that Mikhail actually died from an apopleptic fit.

  • Works in the drafting department of the St. Petersburg Engineering Command for one year

    Neglectful of his work, and retires (resigns from the military) after one year to begin writing his first novel

  • Graduates from Military Engineering College

  • First published writing, "Poor Folk"

  • Joins circle of thinkers led by utopian socialist M.V. Butashevich-Petrashevsky

    (Somteime between 1846 and 1848) The Petrashevsky Circle met regularly to discuss socialist ideas

  • Arrested for revolutionary activity against Tsar Nicholas I with Mikhail Butashevich-Petrashevsky circle

    Found guilty of subversion and conspiracy with 15 other members of the Petrashevsky circle. Group was originally sentenced to death, and faced a firing squad on December 22, but the sentence was converted to hard labor at the last minute.

  • Begins sentence in Siberian labor camp

    Suffers heavily from epilepsy during sentence. Rejects revolutionary philosophy and embraces political conservatism. Becomes a believer of Russian Orthodox faith.

  • Released from Siberian Labor Camp

    Moves to St. Petersburg

  • Marries Maria Isaev

  • "The House of the Dead" is published

    Fictionalized account of time spent in Siberia

  • "The Insulted and the Injured" is published

    Turn away from utopian socialist principles

  • Publishes monthly periodical, "Time", with brother Mikhail

    Until 1863

  • Travels to France and England with Maria

    First introduced to gambling

  • Forced to stop publication of "Time" due to coverage of a Polish uprising

  • Publishes periodical, "Epoch", with brother Mikhail

  • Mikhail and Maria die

    Dostoevsky's epilepsy worsens and he suffers from depression

  • Publishes "Notes from the Underground"

    Came to be known as his first important work, essentializing existentialist philosophy

  • "The Gambler" is published

    Deals with gambling addiction, which Dostoevsky suffered from

  • Financial difficulties force publication of "Epoch" to stop

  • "Crime and Punishment" published

  • Marries Anna Grigorievna Snitkina

    A stenographer he hired to keep up with deadlines

  • Goes abroad (Europe) with Anna to escape his creditors

    Suffers from poverty, ill health, gambling addiction, alcoholism

  • Daughter is born, but lives only 3 months

  • "The Idiot" is published

  • Second daughter is born

  • "The Devils" is published, is successful, Dostoevsky and Maria return to St. Petersburg

    Stops gambling and drinking so much

  • Serves as editor for a weekly political journal

  • Begins own journal, "The Writer's Diary", which is very successful

    Articles about politics, international news and literary matters. Retires to write "The Brothers Karamazov"

  • "The Brothers Karamazov" is published, immediately recognized as a supreme achievement

  • Dies of pulmonary hemorrhage in Saint Petersburg