Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist, and journalist. He was born on November 11, 1821 in Moscow and died on February 9, 1881. Dostoevsky is regarded by many literary critics as one of the greatest novelists in world literature, with many of his works considered highly influential masterpieces.

Dostoevsky's literary works delve into the human condition amidst the political, social, and spiritual unrest of 19th-century Russia, engaging with various philosophical and religious themes. His most acclaimed novels include Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1869), Demons (1872), The Adolescent (1875), and The Brothers Karamazov (1880). His 1864 novella Notes from Underground is considered one of the first existentialist literature works.

Dostoevsky was introduced to literature early through fairy tales, legends, and books by Russian and foreign authors. Following his mother's death in 1837, he attended the Nikolayev Military Engineering Institute. After graduating, he worked as an engineer and briefly led a lavish lifestyle, earning extra money through translations. His first novel, Poor Folk, written in the mid-1840s, gained him entry into Saint Petersburg's literary circles.

In 1849, Dostoevsky was arrested for his involvement with the Petrashevsky Circle, a group discussing banned books critical of Tsarist Russia. Initially sentenced to death, his sentence was commuted, and he spent four years in a Siberian prison camp, followed by six years of compulsory military service in exile. Subsequently, he worked as a journalist, publishing and editing several magazines, and later A Writer's Diary, a collection of his writings.

Dostoevsky traveled around western Europe, developed a gambling addiction, and faced financial hardship. Despite these challenges, he became one of the most widely read and highly regarded Russian writers. His works have been translated into over 170 languages, influencing many writers, including Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and Anton Chekhov, and philosophers like Friedrich Nietzsche, Albert Camus, and Jean-Paul Sartre. His writings also contributed to the emergence of Existentialism and Freudianism.