Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, a renowned writer, philosopher, and thinker, is the author of such novels as "Poor Folk," "Crime and Punishment," "The Idiot," "Humiliated and Insulted," and "The Brothers Karamazov." He is considered one of the greatest classics of Russian literature and an outstanding novelist of global significance.

Dostoevsky was born on November 11, 1821, in Moscow into a large family of Mikhail Dostoevsky and Maria Nechayeva. His father, who came from the gentry, worked at the Mariinsky Hospital for the needy, where the future writer was born. Fyodor's mother was from a merchant family. Dostoevsky's childhood was spent in Moscow.

In 1837, when Fyodor was 16 years old, his mother died of tuberculosis. After that, he and his brother Mikhail went to study at the Engineering School in St. Petersburg. Upon graduation in 1843, Dostoevsky briefly worked as a junior engineer, but soon devoted himself entirely to literature.

His literary journey began with the novel "Poor Folk," completed in May 1845. This work received high praise from Nikolai Nekrasov and Vissarion Belinsky.

In 1847, Dostoevsky became fascinated by socialist ideas and joined the Petrashevsky Circle, where reforms and the abolition of serfdom were discussed. At one of the meetings, he presented a banned letter from Belinsky to Gogol, for which he was arrested in 1849 and imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress. The court found him guilty of distributing prohibited texts, and he was sentenced to death. However, at the last moment, the sentence was commuted, and Dostoevsky was sent to hard labor in Omsk for four years. After serving his sentence, he worked in Semipalatinsk, and in 1856 he was amnestied. His experience in Siberia was reflected in his novella "Notes from the House of the Dead."

After his release, Dostoevsky continued to write, creating works such as "Humiliated and Insulted," "The Gambler," "Notes from Underground," and "Winter Notes on Summer Impressions."

In 1861, together with his brother Mikhail, he began publishing the magazine "Time," and after its closure, "Epoch." During this time, Dostoevsky frequently traveled to Europe and became fascinated with roulette, which was reflected in his novel "The Gambler."

From 1860 to 1880, Dostoevsky worked on his "great pentateuch," which includes "Crime and Punishment," "Demons," "The Idiot," "The Adolescent," and "The Brothers Karamazov." All except "The Adolescent" made it to the list of "100 Best Books of All Time." The last novel, "The Brothers Karamazov," was completed in 1880, shortly before the writer's death.

Dostoevsky was married twice. His first wife was Maria Isaeva, with whom he lived for seven years until her death. His second wife was Anna Snitkina, who became his faithful companion and the mother of his children. They had two daughters, Sofia and Lyubov, and two sons, Fyodor and Alexei. Sofia died in infancy, and of the remaining children, only Fyodor continued his father's legacy.

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky passed away on February 9, 1881, from pulmonary tuberculosis, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema. He was 59 years old. Several hundred people attended his funeral, and the mourning procession stretched for a kilometer. The writer was buried at the Tikhvin Cemetery in St. Petersburg.