Dostoevsky Portrayed by His Wife

The two note-books of the diary of Mme. Dostoevsky, the rough notes of her lengthy Reminiscences, unfinished at the time of her death, all in her own hand-writing, and copies of her husband’s letters to her from 1866 to 1881, were found in August 1922.

The Diary is a large volume of about 400 pages, published in the original Russian by the Central Archives in 1923. Both note-books relate to the time when the Dostoevskys were living abroad – in Berlin, Dresden and Baden – whilst the Reminiscences was intended as a complete character portrait.

This volume, first published in 1923, presents such selections from the entries in the diary, the Reminiscences, and correspondence as is valuable for the better understanding of Dostoevsky. It offers remarkable insights into his often opaque personality, particularly in relation to his personal habits, his manner and character, and his relationship with his devoted wife, Anna Gregorevna.