Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoyevsky was born to lower middle class parents on October 30, 1821 in Moscow, Russia. His father, Mikhail Andreyevich, having no means or connections, attended the Imperial Medical-Surgical Academy in Moscow on a scholarship. His mother, Maria Fyodorovna came from an old merchant family. Maria's mother's death and the coming of Olga Yakovlevna, her stepmother, into the family caused Maria to settle and marry Mikhail. With Maria's family's connections, Mikhail was appointed to the Mariinsky Hospital for the Poor. It was in this atmosphere of the hospital's poor and consumptive patients, that Fyodor spent his early years (Kjetsaa 3-6).

With the addition of five more brothers and sisters, Fyodor was forced to sleep on a large chest in their three room apartment. Mikhail was hard pressed financially. The family was not destitute, but the doctor was in constant fear of ending up like his patients (Kjetsaa 5-7). In 1828, he regained a noble rank that he had lost by not going into religion as a career (Dostoyevsky, Fyodor: Introduction). It is by these means that Fyodor grew up in a (service) noble family.

In his childhood, his education was clearly laid out. During weekdays Fyodor attended school. In the evenings and on weekends, his father lectured him in geometry, Latin, and French (Kjetsaa 9-10). Despite Fyodor's aspirations of becoming a writer, he was sent to the Academy of Engineers in St. Petersburg. Not only was this military school free, but it also gave them a general education and training for a career. Fyodor's parents were getting very sick and wanted their sons to be provided for, and a career as a military engineer would give their sons the education that they would need to start their lives (Kjetsaa 17-18) .

Even though Fyodor despised the drills and the army, in general, he did his best. He was placed third on the best exam scores, and was eventually given the rank of second lieutenant (Kjetsaa 36-37). After two years in the army, Fyodor Dostoyevsky launched his literary career with his first novel, Poor Folk. The novel, which was said to change the course of literary history, was instantly successful and was praised by critics and readers alike(Kjetsaa 42).

After gaining the respect for ideas found in Poor Folk, Dostoyevsky was given entrance to certain political groups. He quickly became involved in political intrigues of questionable nature. He was addicted to this movement and secret power. The group that he chose was out to revolutionize Russia believed in socialism, communism, and other forms of government opposing the power of the czar (Kjetsaa 58-72). He began writing and publishing contraband works on various political questions. The czar was soon notified of the these actions and Dostoyevsky was quickly arrested with twenty-three of his friends, and his books and publications seized (Kjetsaa 73-74).

Dostoyevsky confessed to all of his doings, careful not to incriminate any of his friends. A large investigation was carried out, but no evidence of a conspiracy against the czar was found. Fearing that the punishment would come off as too easy, the czar decided to scare the prisoners into submission. Fifteen of the prisoners were condemned to be shot, only to be pardoned at the last minute by a messenger of the czar (Kjetsaa 79-89). It is this terrifying encounter that shook Dostoyevsky for many years to come. It was also his experience in jail, after that horrifying event, in Siberia that gave him the necessary knowledge to write about Raskolnikov's imprisonment in Crime and Punishment (C&P, Pevear 564).

During his five years in jail, Dostoyevsky had a regeneration of his convictions. He started repudiating the perspectives of the elite intellectuals who wanted to force their views on society. It is there that he grew into identifying himself and his religion with the common people (Frank 61-65). He believed that it is "individual freedom that makes us human" (Dostoyevsky, Fyodor: Political activity and arrest). Siberia is also the place where Dostoyevsky experienced his first attacks of epilepsy, which have sometimes been interpreted as psychological (as Raskolnikov's sickness in C&P) (Dostoyevsky, Fyodor: Political activity and arrest). It is also where he got married to Maria Dimitrievna, the tubercular wife (Kjetsaa 167).

After his release from prison, Dostoyevsky quickly claimed his way back to fame. The Czar had just given the serfs freedom, but they soon realized that they would have to buy their own land. This caused a large increase of interest in politics and Fyodor and his brother Mikhail used this to their gain. In 1958 they were given permission to publish a literary weekly called Time (Kjetsaa 135). Topics contained in the weekly included foreign policy, economics, philosophy, and literature. In addition to writing numerous articles for the paper, Dostoyevsky was continuing his great career as a novelist. During this time his novels were successful with the public, but not the critics. While reading his novels at a university, Fyodor met Polina, his young mistress. She was the picture of perfect health (compared to his sickly wife Maria) and was full of wonderful ideals. But she was hot-blooded, and young, and their relationship could not survive (Kjetsaa 152).

The years following, trouble befell Fyodor. Maria died of tuberculosis, Time was shut down with no hope of resurrection, Mikhail died of liver trouble, and Fyodor had trouble keeping his jobs as editor. Dostoyevsky was forced to write to deadlines in order to support himself and pay off large debts (some due to gambling) to creditors(Kjetsaa 171). Having to finish Crime and Punishment for his publisher, Dostoyevsky was given a secretary, Anna. Their relationship grew into love and later marriage (Kjetsaaa 194-199).

Needing to leave Russia, the new couple took a trip around Europe where Dostoyevsky was extremely productive. It is while they were traveling, that he wrote The Idiot and Besy. Upon coming back to Russia in 1871, he was offered a, editorship position and wrote The Brothers Karamazov (Dostoyevsky, Fyodor, Galenet). Fyodor Dostoyevsky, a great Russian speaker and writer, died of a pulmonary hemorrhage on January 28, 1881 in St. Petersburg, Russia.