Mikhail Dostoevsky
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Mikhail Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (; 25 November 1820 – 22 July 1864) was a Russian short story writer, publisher, literary critic and the elder brother of
Fyodor Dostoevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. () was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist and journalist. He is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in both Russian and world literature, and many of his works are considered highly influent ...
. They were less than a year apart in age and spent their childhood together.


Biography

Mikhail Dostoevsky was born on 25 November 1820 in
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, where his father was a surgeon at the Mariinsky Hospital. Mikhail received a home education. He began to write poetry at the age of nine. In 1834 he was sent to the boarding school of L. Chermak, where he stayed until 1837. Then his father took him and his younger brother Fyodor to Saint Petersburg. He intended to enter the Petersburg's Academy of Engineering, but was not accepted because he was diagnosed with
Tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
after medical examinations. In 1842 he married Emily von Ditmar with whom he had two sons, Fyodor and Mikhail, and three daughters, Catherine, Maria and Varvara. In 1849 he was arrested, along with his brother, because of his connections to the
Petrashevsky Circle The Petrashevsky Circle was a Russian literary discussion group of progressive-minded intellectuals in St. Petersburg in the 1840s. It was organized by Mikhail Petrashevsky, a follower of the French utopian socialist Charles Fourier. Among the me ...
. In 1861 he started a magazine titled ''
Vremya ''Vremya'' (, lit. "Time") is the main evening newscast in Russia, airing on Channel One Russia (Russian: , Pervy kanal) and previously on Programme One of the Central Television of the USSR (CT USSR, Russian: ). The programme has been on th ...
'' (, lit. ''Time''). Dostoevsky wanted to create a fresh independent publication—impartial, freestanding, sustainable, and not subservient to any authority. At the same time, it would appeal to common people and inspire the study of their lives and life principles. Mikhail Dostoevsky was convinced that all flaws in Russian society had come from "apathetic"
cosmopolitanism Cosmopolitanism is the idea that all human beings are members of a single community. Its adherents are known as cosmopolitan or cosmopolite. Cosmopolitanism is both prescriptive and aspirational, believing humans can and should be " world citizen ...
. ''Vremya'' became one of the most popular magazines in the early 1860s with approximately 4000 subscribers. Officially Mikhail was publisher and editor, but the editorial work was mostly borne by his brother, who worked as columnist, critic, essayist and writer all at once. ''Vremya'' was banned in April 1863 following the publication of an article by
Nikolay Strakhov Nikolay Nikolayevich Strakhov, also transliterated as ''Nikolai Strahov'' (; 16 October 1828 – 24 January 1896) was a Russian philosopher, publicist, journalist and literary critic. He shared the ideals of Pochvennichestvo and was a longtime f ...
. In 1864 Dostoevsky established the magazine '' Epokha'' (''Epoch''). On 19 July 1864, under the strain of financial obligations arising with the magazine, and suffering from a liver ailment, Mikhail collapsed after hearing that an important article was rejected by the censorship. Three days later, at the age of 43, he died. Fyodor Dostoevsky recalled his brother as a persistent, hard-working and energetic man, "a connoisseur of European languages and literature", and a harsh critic of his own writing. According to Fyodor, Mikhail did not consider himself an accomplished writer, and for that reason he stopped writing fiction and concentrated on publishing activities. They were close friends.


Works

In the 1840s Mikhail Dostoevsky's short stories were published in ''Notes of the Fatherland'': * ''A Daughter'' (Дочка; 1848) * ''Mr. Svetelkin'' (Господин Светелкин; 1848) * ''Sparrow'' (Воробей; 1848) * ''Two Old Men'' (Два старичка; 1849) * ''Fifty Years'' (Пятьдесят лет; 1850) * ''The Older and the Younger'' (Старшая и меньшая, 1851) He translated many European literature classics, including
Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...
's '' Reineke Fuchs'' and
Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, philosopher and historian. Schiller is considered by most Germans to be Germany's most important classical playwright. He was born i ...
's ''
Don Carlos ''Don Carlos'' is an 1867 five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French-language libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle, based on the 1787 play '' Don Karlos, Infant von Spanien'' (''Don Carlos, Infante of Spain'') by Fried ...
''.


References


Further reading

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dostoevsky, Mikhail 1820 births 1864 deaths Writers from Moscow Short story writers from the Russian Empire Male writers from the Russian Empire Publishers (people) from the Russian Empire Fyodor Dostoyevsky Literary critics from the Russian Empire
Mikhail Michael is a common masculine given name derived from the Hebrew phrase ''mī kāʼēl'', 'Who slike-El', in Aramaic: ܡܝܟܐܝܠ (''Mīkhāʼēl'' ). The theophoric name is often read as a rhetorical question – "Who slike he Hebrew Go ...
19th-century translators from the Russian Empire