Fyodor Dostoyevsky is widely regarded as one of the best authors to have ever lived. In his writing, he tackled profoundly religious and philosophical topics, yet at the same time, he managed to capture the spirit of Russia in the 19th century. His reputation as a writer has only grown in the more than a hundred years that have passed since he passed away, despite the fact that he was already very successful during his lifetime. In addition to this, he has been able to exert his effect on a large number of notable authors, such as Ernest Hemingway and Jean-Paul Sartre, among many others.
It seems to reason that the life story of Fyodor Dostoyevsky would not be included in this collection if the author did not have some kind of link to the world of gambling. It turns out that he has a companion or two.
To begin, during the most of his life, Dostoyevsky was a passionate gambler. As a result, he often placed both himself and his family in a precarious financial position. Second, he is recognized for writing the famous piece of literature known as “The Gambler,” which, ironically, was utilized to help ease some of the financial troubles that he had been experiencing as a result of his passion for gambling at casinos.
After we have discussed the highlights (and lowlights) of his life, I will next devote some of my attention to analyzing some of his most important works in further detail. And for those of you who would rather watch a movie than read a book, I’ve provided a few suggestions for adaptations of his most well-known book on the subject of gambling.
The Childhood and Adolescence of Fyodor Dostoevsky
On November 11th, 1821, Dostoyevsky was born in Moscow, Russia to parents Mikhail and Maria. His parents were Jewish. He was the second of eight children and spent his childhood playing in the grounds of the Mariinsky Hospital for the Poor, where his father worked as a physician. He was the second oldest of the children. After some time, Mikhail took a post as a college assessor, and as a result, his family was elevated to the rank of nobles.
The young Fyodor had an interest in books at a tender age, and his parents and nanny encouraged this interest by reading to him often from both contemporary canonical works and traditional fairy tales. His mother began teaching him to read and write using the bible when he was only four years old.
The year 1833 saw him attending a succession of boarding schools, where the future novelist often found it difficult to blend in with his more affluent peers. Both Fyodor and his brother Mikhail were finally sent to the Nikolayev Military Engineering Institute; however, Fyodor was turned away due to his bad health and instead transferred to a school in Estonia. Mikhail was accepted into the institute. Dostoyevsky’s mother passed away from TB in the year 1837.
The Years Spent at Military Academy
Dostoyevsky’s passion for the arts stood in sharp contrast to the interests of the majority of his students, who were more interested in fields like as mathematics, engineering, and science.
In spite of his inclination to draw attention to himself, he was successful in gaining the respect of both his instructors and his classmates, and he became known as “Monk Photius” along the way (due to his preoccupation with religious topics).
Stroke was determined to be the official cause of death for his father, who passed away in the year 1839. However, a neighbor accused the local peasants of murder, even though they would subsequently be exonerated of any wrongdoing in the case.
Dostoyevsky persisted with his education despite being greatly upset to the point of having a seizure, and he ultimately became an engineer cadet. He eventually moved out on his own and began making frequent trips to Reval to see his brother. Not only did he learn about many forms of high culture throughout his travels, but he also had his first experience with the thrills and excitement of gambling for the very first time.