Young Dostoevsky emerges from these pages as a complex individual, similar to the most fascinating and captivating characters of his mature fiction
embracing contradictions, reconciling conflicts, and resisting definitions. . . . Any Dostoevsky admirer, whether a reader or a scholar, will find the book to be a valuable addition to extant Dostoevsky scholarship.
The Russian ... Read moreReview This impressive collection of translated primary sources represents a significant contribution to the wide audience of admirers (and no small audience of detractors) of Dostoevsky. It will be especially helpful to those who do not know the Russian language and hence lack access to many of the memoirs.
Irwin Weil, author of From the Cincinnati Reds to the Moscow Reds Thomas Gaiton Marullo has produced a unique and much-needed biography of Dostoevsky in his early years. By providing his readers with a wealth of primary texts, Marullo shows rather than tells Dostoevsky's life, and the result is an engrossing and informative reading experience, a work rich in detail which allows for the reader to be more active in piecing together the writer's biography, and thus to be more deeply affected by it.
Yuri Corrigan, Boston University [This book] gives a fascinating insight into Dostoevskii's early development as a writer, and offers clues as to some of the sources and ideas for his unfinished novella.... The latter stages of the book give a fascinating portrayal of Dostoevskii's early, mostly unsuccessful, attempts to kick-start a translation and publishing career alongside his work on Poor Folk. - Slavonic and East European Review Show Less