AfewwordsaboutDostoevskyhimselfmayhelptheEnglishreadertounderstandhiswork。
　　Dostoevskywasthesonofadoctor。Hisparentswereveryhard-workinganddeeplyreligiouspeople，butsopoorthattheylivedwiththeirfivechildreninonlytworooms。Thefatherandmotherspenttheireveningsinreadingaloudtotheirchildren，generallyfrombooksofaseriouscharacter。
　　ThoughalwayssicklyanddelicateDostoevskycameoutthirdinthefinalexaminationofthePetersburgschoolofEngineering。Therehehadalreadybegunhisfirstwork，“PoorFolk。”
　　ThisstorywaspublishedbythepoetNekrassovinhisreviewandwasreceivedwithacclamations。Theshy，unknownyouthfoundhimselfinstantlysomethingofacelebrity。Abrilliantandsuccessfulcareerseemedtoopenbeforehim，butthosehopesweresoondashed。In1849hewasarrested。
　　Thoughneitherbytemperamentnorconvictionarevolutionist，DostoevskywasoneofalittlegroupofyoungmenwhomettogethertoreadFourierandProudhon。Hewasaccusedof“takingpartinconversationsagainstthecensorship，ofreadingaletterfromByelinskytoGogol，andofknowingoftheintentiontosetupaprintingpress。”UnderNicholasI。that“sternandjustman，”asMauriceBaringcallshimthiswasenough，andhewascondemnedtodeath。Aftereightmonths’imprisonmenthewaswithtwenty-oneotherstakenouttotheSemyonovskySquaretobeshot。WritingtohisbrotherMihail，Dostoevskysays:“Theysnappedwordsoverourheads，andtheymadeusputonthewhiteshirtswornbypersonscondemnedtodeath。Thereuponwewereboundinthreestostakes，tosufferexecution。Beingthethirdintherow，IconcludedIhadonlyafewminutesoflifebeforeme。IthoughtofyouandyourdearonesandIcontrivedtokissPlestcheievandDourov，whowerenexttome，andtobidthemfarewell。Suddenlythetroopsbeatatattoo，wewereunbound，broughtbackuponthescaffold，andinformedthathisMajestyhadsparedusourlives。”Thesentencewascommutedtohardlabour。
　　Oneoftheprisoners，Grigoryev，wentmadassoonashewasuntied，andneverregainedhissanity。
　　TheintensesufferingofthisexperienceleftalastingstamponDostoevsky’smind。Thoughhisreligioustemperledhimintheendtoaccepteverysufferingwithresignationandtoregarditasablessinginhisowncase，heconstantlyrecurstothesubjectinhiswritings。Hedescribestheawfulagonyofthecondemnedmanandinsistsonthecrueltyofinflictingsuchtorture。Thenfollowedfouryearsofpenalservitude，spentinthecompanyofcommoncriminalsinSiberia，wherehebeganthe“DeadHouse，”andsomeyearsofserviceinadisciplinarybattalion。
　　Hehadshownsignsofsomeobscurenervousdiseasebeforehisarrestandthisnowdevelopedintoviolentattacksofepilepsy，fromwhichhesufferedfortherestofhislife。Thefitsoccurredthreeorfourtimesayearandweremorefrequentinperiodsofgreatstrain。In1859hewasallowedtoreturntoRussia。Hestartedajournal—“Vremya，”whichwasforbiddenbytheCensorshipthroughamisunderstanding。In1864helosthisfirstwifeandhisbrotherMihail。Hewasinterriblepoverty，yethetookuponhimselfthepaymentofhisbrother’sdebts。Hestartedanotherjournal—“TheEpoch，”whichwithinafewmonthswasalsoprohibited。Hewasweigheddownbydebt，hisbrother’sfamilywasdependentonhim，hewasforcedtowriteatheart-breakingspeed，andissaidnevertohavecorrectedhiswork。Thelateryearsofhislifeweremuchsoftenedbythetendernessanddevotionofhissecondwife。
　　InJune1880hemadehisfamousspeechattheunveilingofthemonumenttoPushkininMoscowandhewasreceivedwithextraordinarydemonstrationsofloveandhonour。
　　AfewmonthslaterDostoevskydied。Hewasfollowedtothegravebyavastmultitudeofmourners，who“gavethehaplessmanthefuneralofaking。”HeisstillprobablythemostwidelyreadwriterinRussia。
　　InthewordsofaRussiancritic，whoseekstoexplainthefeelinginspiredbyDostoevsky:“Hewasoneofourselves，amanofourbloodandourbone，butonewhohassufferedandhasseensomuchmoredeeplythanwehavehisinsightimpressesusaswisdom…thatwisdomoftheheartwhichweseekthatwemaylearnfromithowtolive。Allhisothergiftscametohimfromnature，thishewonforhimselfandthroughithebecamegreat。”