Fyodor DostoevskyFyodor Dostoevsky, who was born on November 11, 1821, and died on February 9, 1881, was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist, and journalist. His name is sometimes transliterated as Dostoyevsky. Dostoevsky's literary works connect with a ange of philosophical and religious subjects as they investigate the human condition amid the turbulent political, social, and spiritual environments of 19th-century Russia. His best-known works include The Brothers Karamazov (1872), Demons (1872), The Idiot (1869), and Crime and Punishment (1866). (1880). Notes from Underground, a novella he wrote in 1864, is regarded as one of the earliest examples of existentialist writing. Dostoyevsky, who was born in Moscow in 1821, first encountered literature as a young child through Russian and foreign authors' publications as well as fairy tales and legends. When he was 15 years old, his mother passed away. At about the same time, he quit school to enroll at the Nikolayev Military Engineering Institute. After receiving his degree, he worked as an engineer and temporarily lived a high life, translating books for additional cash. His debut book, Poor Folk, published in the middle of the 1840s, helped him win acceptance into Saint Petersburg's literary community. Read More Read Less