Fyodor Dostoevsky 11 November 1821 – 9 February 1881
Quotes by Dostoevsky
"Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others.” The Brothers Karamazov.
“Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart. The really great men must, I think, have great sadness on earth.” Crime and Punishment.
“Man only likes to count his troubles; he doesn't calculate his happiness.” Notes from Underground.
"It seemed to me that it had been trying to emerge from my soul all my life, and only now if and when you fall in love, may you be happy with her. I don't need to wish her anything, for she'll be happy with you. May your sky always be clear, may your dear smile always be bright and happy, and may you be for ever blessed for that moment of bliss and happiness which you gave to another lonely and grateful heart. Isn't such a moment sufficient for the whole of one's life?" White Nights
“Killing myself was a matter of such indifference to me that I felt like waiting for a moment when it would make some difference.” The dream of a Ridiculous Man
“I am a fool with a heart but no brains, and you are a fool with brains but no heart; and we’re both unhappy, and we both suffer.” The Idiot
Foreword to my Project:
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky or in Russian it is written as Ѳедоръ Михайловичъ Достоевскій, was a prolific Russian writer who is mainly considered to be one of the best writers of all time in Russian history, and sometimes referred to as the best writer to have ever lived in world literature, and many of his works have influenced many writers and philosophers today and his works are considered to be highly influential pieces of fiction. His novels tackle many topics, but mainly consist of philosophy and the exploration of the human condition and religion. All of his writings take place in the troubled atmosphere of the 19th century Russian Empire before it was overthrown. Dostoevsky's body of work consists of thirteen novels, three novellas, seventeen short stories, and numerous other works. His writings were widely read both within and beyond his native Russia. His life and his works have influenced uncountable Philosophers and writers today, but the list of Philosophers has names such as: Sartre, Albert Camus, Freud, Jung.
Some things to note about this project is that if you come to my project without a prereading that I have designated, do not be confused if you don't understand much because that responsibility is yours for doing that and it is not my fault.
Another thing to know is that in Russian novels, and in Russian culture, they have a different naming system. Which consists of the first name, the Patronymic, and last the family name. The middle Patronymic is the fathers name with a "vich" or a "ovna" at the end of it. For example, Mikhailovich, the underlined part is the "vich" and the father part is the Mikhail, which means you can know his fathers name. The same with woman but with a "ovna" instead of the former. The same goes with last names mostly.
Also in Russian there is not any equivalent towards our English words of "The" and "A". So because of this Russian novels tend to be quite smaller to English ones and our novel translations are bigger than the original product.
Enjoy....
Einstein : “Dostoevsky gives me more than any scientist, more than Gauss.”
Freud: "His wife had noticed that the one thing which offered any real hope of salvation – his literary production – never went better than when they had lost everything....When his sense of guilt was satisfied by the punishments he had inflicted on himself, the inhibition on his work became less severe.”
Hemingway: “In Dostoevsky there were things unbelievable and not to be believed, but some so true they changed you as you read them; frailty and madness, wickedness and saintliness, and the insanity of gambling were there to know as you knew the landscape and the roads in Turgenev”
Nietzsche: “Dostoevsky is the only person who has ever taught me anything about psychology”
Virginia Woolf: “It is directly obvious that he [Dostoevsky] is the greatest writer ever born.”