Did Dostoevsky himself commit murder?

[Jonathan D]

I have recently read Crime and Punishment and was thoroughly amazed by it. It is a true timeless classic. It is the only book of his I have read so far (soon to be put right!). Having found out a little about Dostoevsky's background and the other books he wrote, he obviously drew strongly from his own experiences. Raskolnikoff clearly sees himself as special and above others, and I can't help but wonder how much of this came from Dostoevsky's own experiences as a young man. This led me to think about whether it is possible that he actually murdered himself! Considering his background and time in prison and the army, is this too far fetched an idea? Did he himself experience the mental torture he describes in the book? I would love to hear the opinion of others on this, even if it is to tell me to shut-up and stop being stupid!

[literaturerocks]

this is very interesting jonathan. i have never really thought about this but if you would like to read another of his books dealing with what you mentioned you should read the brothers karamazov. one of my favorite books of all time i believe that you will enjoy it.

[mono]

Hello, Jonathan D, welcome to the forum. :)
While reading Crime And Punishment, I wondered the same question; Dostoevsky so well described every precise detail of the murder, the preceding racing of thoughts and anxiety, and the following guilt, depression, and fear of getting caught.
To my knowledge, no, Dostoevsky never murdered anyone. I think he carefully pre-meditated every action and thought of the main character, and very meticulously wrote each word with caution, desiring to maintain a highest intensity of suspense and mystery.

[bhekti]

.... This led me to think about whether it is possible that he actually murdered himself! Considering his background and time in prison and the army, is this too far fetched an idea? Did he himself experience the mental torture he describes in the book? I would love to hear the opinion of others on this, even if it is to tell me to shut-up and stop being stupid!

I dont know if Dostoevsky had actually committed murder. But I believe he had gone through some 'illuminating' experiences revealing how as a person he was not at all better than murderers. That's why, in my opinion, one of the ideas contained in his (major) writings is to question human morality: how can a person be called good or righteous if he/she is not better than murderers? Dostoevsky moves from extreme to extreme. Firstly he radically exposes the basic corruption of Man and then swings forward to find a radical resolution for the problem.

[Emster40]

When I was reading Crime and Punishment I also felt the intensity of the moment. For me this is what makes Dostoevsky among the greatest writers. It shows that he had grasped the human condition. I have read Brothers Karamazov and The Adolescent. In those works he showed the psychological side of man before the word psychology existed. I don't believe that he ever murdered but I remember when I stole my first dirty magazine and ran somewhere to look at it. The adrenalin rush was exhilarating.

[Daniel A. C.]

I'm no expert on Dostoyevsky's life, but, as said before, I don't think he murdered anyone. However, he had a gambling addiction for many years, which may have helped give him insight into an obsessive, overheated mind.

If you read more of Dostoyevsky, you'll note he very often draws upon the mock-execution his suffered and the epilepsy that followed. The shift from a socialist ideology to a christian outlook that accompained the Dostoyevsky's prison experience is also echoed throughout the novels.

[genoveva]

Dostoevsky himself, if I remember correctly, barely escaped execution himself at the last moment (hope I'm not mistaking him for Tolstoy). I believe he was to be shot by a firing squad and at the (literally) last moment was pardoned. Among other things, I'm sure this added to his rich character development and illuminating tales of life and death.

[mono]

If you read more of Dostoyevsky, you'll note he very often draws upon the mock-execution his suffered and the epilepsy that followed. The shift from a socialist ideology to a christian outlook that accompained the Dostoyevsky's prison experience is also echoed throughout the novels.

Dostoevsky himself, if I remember correctly, barely escaped execution himself at the last moment (hope I'm not mistaking him for Tolstoy). I believe he was to be shot by a firing squad and at the (literally) last moment was pardoned. Among other things, I'm sure this added to his rich character development and illuminating tales of life and death.
Indeed, both of you outline the main character's precise experiences in another of Dostoevsky's novels, The Idiot, where the author very well details a situation of mock-execution that traumatized Dostoevsky earlier in life.
Needless to say, the author did have a very challenging life, struggling through mental illness, poverty, gambling addictions, his mother's death at a young age, and a violently alcoholic father (apparently later killed by his serfs). Regardless, I hold Dostoevsky in high regard - by far one of my favorite authors.
No doubt, Jonathan D, if you enjoyed Crime And Punishment, you would likely enjoy some of his other novels, though, other than Crime And Punishment, I have only read The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov. :nod:

[bhekti]

....No doubt, Jonathan D, if you enjoyed Crime And Punishment, you would likely enjoy some of his other novels, though, other than Crime And Punishment, I have only read The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov. :nod:

I would like to recommend Notes From Underground (a short novel) and/or The Dream of Ridiculous Man (a short story). (both can be gotten online)

[genoveva]

Regardless, I hold Dostoevsky in high regard - by far one of my favorite authors.


Absolutely!
Just because one writes so vividly about murder, etc. does not make that person guilty of the crime. ;) Take Stephen King, for example.

[Boris239]

Dostoevsky haven't murdered anyone as far as we know. He participated in Petrashevsky's conspiracy and was almost shot.
Everybody here talks mostly about his 3 great novels, but "Devils" in my opinion is not worth. At least at my high school "Crime and Punishment" was a required reading and then we had to choose one of three: "Idiot", "Brothers karamazov" and "Devils". In fact I chose "Devils"(I've read the other 2 a bit later). "Devils" weren't studied that much during the USSR time because of its content and it's very interesting and very modern.

[Rooster316]

Hello there:

Interesting enough, I found this site because I was looking specifically for Crime and Punishment as it and other works of Dostoevsky were recommended to me. I counsel and work with prison inmates; many of whom are on death row in several of our southern states. A few of the men on the row that I know have read his work and feel (unanimously) that sometime in his life, Dostoevsky has taken a life because in their opinion, he understands the mind of a ‘killer’ too well for him to not have ‘blood on his hands’ himself. I have yet to read any of his work, but would offer that the individuals who recommended that I read Dostoevsky are in a unique position to offer that opinion. Of course, this does not mean that what they say is fact, but has given me something to consider. I found it interesting that this question came up on this forum.

[grace86]

Welcome Rooster! That is so uncanny that you happen to work with prison inmates and looked up Crime and Punishment. I recently started reading it myself. Mind you I am reading it very slowly, but I think that it is well written and it does in fact seem too in depth for someone who has not committed a murder. Raskolnikov has me anxious when he is, and sometimes I am wondering how he could possibly think the way he does.

I think in the introduction to my edition it says something along the lines that Dostoevsky did some time. Don't quote me on that, I will look that up this evening and let you know what it says.

Glad to see you are enjoying the forum.

[existentialIAN]

Welcome to the community Johnny D, I myself am also new here and I hope it is as rewarding an experience as I expect it to be.

As for Dostoevsky, no, I do not believe he committed murder in his lifetime. The simple fact that he wrote this book proves it. I believe that when authors write books such as these, as in all art, they are putting a piece of themselves into the work. In other words, Dostoevsky used [I]Crime and Punishment[I] to exorcise his killer impulses and put his negative emotions to perfectly proper use, in fact, a use which has benefitted many a man who has come upon it with enlightenment and enrichment.

Yes, Dostoevsky went to prison, and yes, he was put through a mock execution, and yes, he was mentally ill, and yes, he was a gambler, and yes, he was an existential man who suffered in his own thought. . .but, he knew how to put it to good use and manifest himself and his darker desires in his characterizations and fiction. He was a master of transferrence who funneled his emotion into his work with extreme caution and spellbindingly obsessive perfectionism. He tore up his first draft of the book in order to get the perspective correct. He was, in fact, a man convinced of his own immorality and he was not afraid to show it, but I believe he never allowed himself to go past that line of fiction and bring his dark thoughts into reality.

[batakan]

cn you give me your reaction obout the crime and punishment of fyodor?

[cuttlefish]

I know I read somewhere that his 2nd wife actually wrote wondering if he had murdered someone because one day while they were on a walk he stopped her and told her they were at the place where Raskolnikov had hid the loot and it scared her.

[Gritt*]

No, I'm SURE that he haven't committed murder. :)
I don't know...Maybe he got an inspiration somewhere, by listening the story of someone, some kind of confession, I don't know....But, I think neither do this is true, because the inspiration is for the beginners, and Dostoevsky was a great writer, really. And that's why the story of C&P is so strong that it makes you think it's written by the experience. ;)

[Psynema]

Who knows, but IMO, he had a gambling problem and gambled his wife's ring away...

In a way that could very well feel the same afterwards and he could've drawn upon that - ie a cocky bastard looking for gains/better life, but only too late does he realize he sacrificed his family's trust...and the tension of hiding it and deciding when they'll find out vs. you telling them.

[mickitaz]

No, I personally don't feel Dostoevsky committed murder. However, since he did serve time in a hard work prison and was sentanced to death; I think that he got a chance to know a few murderers. That, coupled with his love/hate relationship with Suslova, probably generated a lot of thought patterns in that direction. This is clearly evident in "The Idiot" and the character of Roginin.