Dostoevsky’s Afterlives

On January 28 1881, Fedor Dostoevsky died at the height of his fame, mourned as a prophet and national figure. Just a month later, Tsar Alexander II was assassinated, plunging Russia into political and social upheaval. In this volatile landscape, Dostoevsky’s work became a battleground for competing social, political, and religious forces. At the center of this struggle was Anna Dostoevskaya, the writer’s widow, whose ambitious publishing efforts led to the unprecedented dissemination of his works, sparking both critical debate and government scrutiny. Through an analysis of adapted editions, reviews, catalogs, and archival materials, Raffaella Vassena explores how Dostoevsky’s image evolved at the turn of the 20th century. The study offers fresh insight into the evolving role of literature in a society on the brink of revolution, revealing how Dostoevsky’s legacy became a lens through which Russia’s shifting cultural and political identity was both reflected and contested.