Dostoevskaya's "The Diary of Mrs. Dostoevsky, Anna" Summary and Impressions - A first-class source of information about the miserable life caused by Dostoevsky's gambling addiction.
Today we would like to introduce Anna Dostoevskaya, "Mrs. Dostoevskyi: Diary of Anna," translated by Toyofusa Kinoshita and published by Kawade Shobo Shinsha.
This book was featured in a previous articleDostoevsky in Recollection."This is a diary by Mrs. Anna, author of
The translator, Toyofusa Kinoshita, is the president of the Dostoevsky Society.
And I am also a member of this Dostoevskii association. Also on our blog.linkThe URL is posted atHP of the Dostoevsky SocietyYou can find a variety of information related to Dostoevsky at
Now, let me quickly quote from the translator's afterword to give you an idea of what this diary is about.
In a draft of her "Recollections," Mrs. Anna wrote the following about how she came to write this diary.
My mother burst into tears when she saw me off to a foreign country. It was very hard for me, too. After all, it was the first time for me to say goodbye to my mother, and I had been living comfortably with her for the past twenty years of my life.
I comforted her by telling her that I would be back in three months and that I would often send her news from my travels. I also promised her that in the fall I would tell her in detail about all the unusual things I had seen in foreign countries, and that I would keep a notebook to write down every day's events so that I would not forget anything.
In a haste to make the best of things, I immediately bought a notebook at the station, and the next day I began to record in shorthand what was interesting and of interest to me. This notebook marked the beginning of my diary in shorthand, which continued for about a year.
That was until a more serious concern arose for me: preparing for the birth of our first daughter, Sonya, our domestic delight.
Kawade Shobo Shinsha Publishing, translated by Toyofusa Kinoshita, Anna Dostoevskaya, "Mrs. Dostoevskyi, Anna's Diary" p555-556
And the greatest highlight of this biography is that Dostoevsky's crazy life of gambling addiction is described with such intensity that it could not be described any more.
The theme of "Dostoevsky the Gambler" is of independent interest in itself, but one must read the "Diary" (June 23-August 11) of Mrs. Dostoevsky, who lived with him day in and day out, to get a true picture of Dostoevsky's life at the roulette table in Baden-Baden. The true picture of Dostoevsky's life can only be grasped by reading her diary (June 23-August 11).
In her "Recollections," Mrs. Anna says the following about her husband's life in Baden-Baden. Whenever I think back to the five weeks I spent in Baden-Baden and reread my shorthand diary, it seems to me something like a nightmare that has completely possessed my husband and is trying to keep him from its heavy chains.
While the five weeks in Baden-Baden were the most phantasmagoric and extremely transformative of the Dostoevskys' daily routines, their lives in Dresden and Geneva were also literally prose routines.
There are the emotional dramas of man and woman, husband and wife, the silly quarrels and reconciliations, the boredom of daily life, and the strange (or perhaps natural?) flow of familiar time that makes us feel that no matter how great a genius a writer may be, he or she is no different from us. The picture scrolls unfold a flow of time that evokes a sense of familiarity.
The economic pressures of the Baden-Baden to Geneva period were considerable, but the cosmopolitan time and mental space of a casual traveler does not make it too suffocating for the reader.
The reader may not feel much sympathy for her husband's poverty because of his own gambling, but he will be amazed at her insight into his husband's gambling mind and her loving patience. (omitted).
In any case, the portrait of Dostoevsky in Madame's "Diary," as far as his inner life as a writer is concerned, conveys only a part of his true human nature as a man and husband in everyday life, without any embellishment. The film is a very good example of the human figure of a man and a husband living in everyday life.
No other source has so compressed and described Dostoevsky's image, which has a strong human flavor to it. This is the most significant feature of Anna's "Diary.
Kawade Shobo Shinsha Publishing, translated by Toyofusa Kinoshita, Anna Dostoevskaya, "Mrs. Dostoevskyi, Anna's Diary," p. 561-562
This diary describes Dostoevsky's madness to the hilt.
Dostoevsky is a gambling maniac who gambles all his money and loses, and eventually pawns his wedding ring and runs off to the gambling hall.
In her diary, Mrs. Anna's sadness, frustration, and resentment at seeing off such a husband are recorded along with her tears. Dostoevsky at this time is truly the ultimate bad person.
It is even spectacular to see Mrs. Anna counting the number of gold coins that are decreasing day by day.
This diary is probably the most powerful impression one can get of Dostoevsky at his most screwed-up.
It can no longer be described as spectacular. It is far more dramatic and shocking than reading an ordinary novel.
This diary is truly a documentary on the ecology of a gambling maniac. It is even more powerful because it is not from a stranger's point of view, but from that of his wife.
However, because they went through this period and overcame rock bottom, they would later bond strongly and create a happy family. Knowing this ending, we can read this diary filled with the madness of gambling without feeling dark and hopeless.
Along with "Dostoevsky in Recollection," we recommend reading "Anna's Diary" here.
The above is Anna Dostoevskaya's "The Diary of Anna, Mrs. Dostoevsky.
Click here for the Dostoevsky Database
.Dostoevsky Chronology and List of Works - A quick look at Dostoevsky's life
.List of recommended Dostoevsky biographies - Read the biography and you will love Dostoevsky.
.List of recommended Dostoevsky commentaries - Read this to make Dostoevsky's works more interesting!
.List of recommended commentaries on Dostoevsky and Christianity - What you should know about Dostoevsky if you are interested in him!
Next Article.
Click here to read the previous article.
Related Articles
