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Travels in Germany] (26) Mr. and Mrs. Dostoevsky return to Japan after a four-year absence! How have Dostoevsky and his wife Anna grown up after their trip?
Previous Article(25) Dostoevsky's gambling addiction disappeared in Wiesbaden, the city of casinos! What a miracle happened to him at the end of his trip!"In the following section, I talked about the miracle that happened to Dostoevsky.
And in this article, I would like to talk about the end of their journey, as their four-year trip to Western Europe finally comes to an end.
Returned to Japan in July 1871
In late June 1871, the editorial department of "Russian Report" sent me a manuscript for a novel, and on the same day I settled down (or, to be more precise, I took out a pawnbroker's check to pay my debts) and started packing. Two days before our departure, my husband called me over and handed me a large, thick sheaf of papers with a lot of writing on it and told me to burn it. We had been discussing this matter for some time, but I felt it would be a shame to burn the manuscript, and I insisted that he let me take it home with me. However, he told me that the manuscripts would surely be searched at the Russian border, confiscated, and lost, just as they had been when he was arrested in 1849. It was possible that we would be stranded at the Velziborovo train station until the censorship of the manuscripts was completed, which would be dangerous since we were about to give birth to a baby. No matter how sorry I was to part with the manuscript, I had to follow the logic that my husband insisted on. We lit the fireplace and put the manuscript on the stove. Thus, the manuscripts of "Moron" and "The Eternal Husband" were lost. What was particularly regrettable was the loss of part of "Evil Spirit," which was a completely different variant of this tendentious work. All I could do was to remove the few notebooks of this novel and give them to my mother, who was to return to Japan at the end of autumn. My mother was not willing to accept a trunk full of manuscripts. She was sure that such a large number of manuscripts would be confiscated under suspicion.
Finally, we decided to change trains in Berlin for Russia and left Dresden on the evening of July 5.
With the mischievous Ljubotika, who was barely a year and ten months old, there were all kinds of hassles along the way. She did not have a nanny with her, and since she was very frail, it was my husband who had to take care of her for the entire journey (sixty-eight hours). He walked her around the platform, gave her milk and food, kept her occupied, and acted like a really attentive nanny, which was a big help during the long journey.
At the border, our trunks and wrappings were rifled through, and our manuscripts and books were removed to the side. All the others had already left the inspection room, but we three were left alone. A number of officials were still huddled around the table, meticulously examining the books and the few packages of manuscripts they had taken. We were anxious to catch the train to Petersburg. It was then that Lyubochka saved the day: ...... Poor little girl was so hungry that she cried out, "Mama, give me some bread. Mama, give me some bread. The officials finally let her go without further admonition and without looking at the book or the manuscript.
I suffered through another night on the train, but when I realized that we were already on Russian soil and that everyone around us was also Russian, I felt completely at ease and almost forgot the hardships of the trip. My husband and I were both in a good mood and happy. We talked about how it must have been a dream that we had finally returned to Russia. It was as if we had been dreaming. It felt like a lie that our long-cherished wish had come true.
Misuzu Shobo, Anna Dostoevskaya, translated by Hiroshi MatsushitaDostoevsky in Recollection."p217-219
Four years ago, their journey began in Berlin.
Dresden as a newlywed, the nightmare of Baden-Baden, heaven and hell in Geneva, days in Florence, and homesickness in Dresden. Many things happened. Too many things. The couple overcame these unimaginable days together.
The two people who started the trip are no longer with us.
Dostoevsky overcame his own darkness and insanity and came back a much bigger writer. And his wife, Anna, will continue to play an outstanding role as a great manager to support Dostoevsky.
These four years were truly a destiny-changing journey for Dostoevsky.
Mrs. Anna reflects on this trip
Reflecting on the trip, Mrs. Anna wrote the following in her "Recollections". Since we are here, let's read it all.
As I conclude my account of my time abroad, I cannot help but recall it with a profound sense of gratitude to fate. Indeed, during the four or so years of wandering, we were subjected to many hardships. The death of our eldest daughter, my husband's illness, constant poverty and lack of job security, my husband's unfortunate infatuation with the game of roulette, and the obstacles to our return to Japan were all trials that eventually brought us benefits. We are more firmly united because of it. We came to understand each other better, to respect each other, and to nurture the mutual affection that made our marriage a happy one.
For myself, the memories of these years are a picture of radiant beauty. We lived in and visited many beautiful cities and sights (Dresden, Baden-Baden, Geneva, Milan, Florence, Venice, Prague). I was fascinated by the world that opened up to me in ways I had never seen before. My curiosity was fully satisfied by visiting temples, museums, and galleries, especially since I got to see them with the love of my life, and every conversation we had opened up something new about art and life together.
For Fyodor Mikhailovich, none of these places were new, but he was a man of advanced artistic taste, and he enjoyed visiting the museums in Dresden and Florence, and he never tired of spending hours in Venice looking at St. Mark's Basilica, the palaces, etc. He spent hours in Venice looking at St. Mark's Basilica and palaces.
Misuzu Shobo, Anna Dostoevskaya, translated by Hiroshi MatsushitaDostoevsky in Recollection."p219
Mrs. Anna recalls that although the trip to Western Europe was painful, it resulted in the nurturing of their love and a strong bond between the two of them. She continues.
It is true that we did not have any friends abroad, other than those we met by chance. For the first two years, however, he was even glad that we had no friends at all. After the death of his brother Mikhail, he was both too tired to deal with his own failures and misfortunes and too hard hit by the people in the literary world. He also believed that it was sometimes extremely important for a thinker to live in solitude, away from the daily events that constantly stirred his mind, and to indulge in contemplation and dreaming. Later, after returning to the hectic life in Petersburg, my husband would often reminisce about how good it was to live abroad, where he could plan his novels and read his favorite books in a relaxed, joyful, and emotional atmosphere.
During their time abroad, besides the pleasure of seeing and hearing about rare things, they experienced many glorious and profound joys. Fyodor Mikhailovich was blessed with the children he had always dreamed of, and a family was formed, making their life together lively and bright. I am grateful to fate, and I cannot help but say: "This is an outstanding, high-spirited man. What a blessing it has been to spend so many wonderful years living abroad almost alone with this brilliant and highly spiritual man!
Misuzu Shobo, Anna Dostoevskaya, translated by Hiroshi MatsushitaDostoevsky in Recollection."p220
WHEREAS.He was both too tired to contend with his own failures and misfortunes and too hard hit by those in the literary world."Although it is written in a simple and straightforward manner, in fact, Dostoevsky's deepest struggles can be seen here.
In the Russian literary circles of the time, criticism from a political standpoint was much more common than evaluation of the literature itself. The literary circles were divided into camps according to party affiliation, and the days were filled with criticism and slander. The conflict between the Slavic and Western European factions is a typical example.
At that time, Russian literature existed not only as pure entertainment or art, but also as a forum for heated debate about the state of the nation and the state of mankind. For these people, whose political opinions were restricted due to strict censorship by the state, literature was a place where they competed for their lives, questioning their own way of life and the state of the world.
That is why there were many times when we would look at a work flatly and argue with each other without evaluating its artistry or interest. Personal relationships can also greatly influence their criticism. Dostoevsky was even just a nervous and socially awkward type. He was even bullied in the literary world when he was young. (See(1) A brief introduction to Dostoevsky (1821-1866, "from birth to around the time of Crime and Punishment") before he met his wife, Anna.(See article in)
In a sense, it was a precious time for me to get away from such a cluttered literary world and retreat into my own world.
And the accumulation of four years of caged-in accumulation bursts out like wildfire after returning home! I can't help but say something! The eruption of that magma...Diary of a Writer."The result is a journalistic work called And of course it isThe Brothers Karamazov.The trip was also connected to the "Dostoevsky's" life in isolation. In this respect, the isolation of the trip was of great significance to Dostoevsky.
And Mrs. Anna says of Dostoevsky, who has changed throughout this journey.
In concluding this introduction to our life in a foreign country during our four-year sojourn, I would like to speak of the spiritual importance of our long, solitary life. Despite the endless worries, the constant poverty, and the occasional dreadful loneliness, such a long solitary life had a beneficial effect on my husband's Christian thinking and feelings, which were always prominent and nurturing. All the friends and acquaintances who welcomed him upon his return said that Fyodor Mikhailovich was a changed man. His personality had changed for the better; he had become more calm, gentle, and forgiving. The stubbornness and short-temperedness that used to haunt him had almost disappeared. Let me quote from Strahov's recollections. Fyodor Mikhailovich's four or so years abroad were the best period of his life, the period of his deepest and purest thoughts and feelings. Although he devoted himself to his creative work, he often had to live in dire straits. But it brought him the peace and joy of a happy family life, and he almost always lived in complete solitude. He lived almost always in complete solitude, which means that he pursued his thoughts and his deep spiritual work in a straight line, almost unencumbered by anything. His concern for the birth and parenthood of his children, his sympathy for his wife's suffering as a husband, and even the death of his first child were all pure and often highly moving. It was precisely during these long periods of quiet contemplation in this foreign environment that his ever-present Christian spirit came to be especially noticeable. When Fyodor Mikhailovich returned home, everyone who knew him clearly saw this essential change. He began to talk about religious themes more and more. Not only that, but his attitude itself changed completely, becoming even softer and sometimes even quite soft. This mood was reflected in his face, and a gentle smile appeared around his mouth. The most beautiful Christian feelings were clearly born in him and began to appear more often and more clearly in his works. This is how it was when he came back from abroad.
My husband remembered this foreign life with gratitude, even much later in life.
Misuzu Shobo, Anna Dostoevskaya, translated by Hiroshi MatsushitaDostoevsky in Recollection."p220-221
His character had changed for the better. The stubbornness and impatience that used to haunt him had almost disappeared.
In other words, it has become incredibly rounded.
Dostoevsky, that difficult, tantrum-prone, always nervous man, has become completely calm.
This is a tremendous change. Everyone who knew him in the past must have been aghast.
I wonder if people change that much.
Well, that will change! After all this travel, I now have a reassuring partner in Mrs. Anna!
But, of course, the tantrums remained the same, as did the depression that followed the epileptic seizures. His fiery jealousy had not changed either. He has not become a completely different person, but he has come back so much rounder than before to the amazement of those around him. That alone is an amazing thing. That alone is an amazing thing, because the maverick has become completely calm and even smiling.
Mrs. Anna concluded her trip to Western Europe by describing her own personal transformation as follows
My relatives and acquaintances also recognized a great change in me. I had changed from the petulant, shy little girl I once was to a woman with a strong personality. And I was no longer afraid to fight against the many irregularities in my life. To put it more bluntly, when she returned to Petersburg, she was 25,000 rubles in debt. Her cheerful disposition and zest for life were intact, but only at home, among her relatives and friends. In the presence of strangers, especially men, I tried to be extremely restrained and reserved, and I would often listen quietly to others rather than expressing my thoughts. All of my female friends said that I had aged terribly over the past four years and criticized my lack of attention to my clothes and hairstyle. They must have been right, but I still did not want to change my ways. Fyodor Mikhailovich loved me not only because of my appearance, but also because of my wisdom and good-naturedness, and because he firmly believed that we had been "joined at the soul" during our life abroad, as he himself had said. Her out-of-fashion appearance and a lifestyle that clearly avoided men only had a positive effect on her husband, as it prevented him from developing a bad temper that would lead him to be jealous of her without any reason.
Misuzu Shobo, Anna Dostoevskaya, translated by Hiroshi MatsushitaDostoevsky in Recollection."p221-222
I had gone from the petulant, shy little girl I once was to a woman of solid character."
Dostoevsky's change has been remarkable, but I cannot help but be amazed at how much Mrs. Anna has matured. As I have mentioned many times in this travelogue, Mrs. Anna has shown spiritual maturity through her intense journey with Dostoevsky. Now Dostoevsky cannot live without her.
By the time he returned to Petersburg, his debt had grown to 25,000 rubles."After returning to Japan, Dostoevsky was able to pay off his debts thanks to her efforts. Moreover, Dostoevsky was able to buy a villa in the city of Stara Rusa. Life there became a happy memory for the couple. Above all, Stara Ruscha was the model for the setting of "The Brothers Karamazov".
However, I have to be a little careful about what Mrs. Anna said above about Dostoevsky's jealousy.
From the beginning of their marriage, Dostovsky was extremely jealous, but as his love for Anna deepened, so did his jealousy. He could no longer enjoy even the slightest conversation with another man. Dostoevsky's uncontrollable passion drove him insane. Dostoevsky loved Anna very much. In proportion to the intensity of his love, his jealousy flared up. Dostoevsky's character, who cannot help but go to extremes in everything, is still present. The relationship between love and jealousy is interesting. The relationship between love and jealousy is interesting.othello (Othello camelopardalis)It is.
Mrs. Anna, who understands this and controls her own behavior, is still on a different scale.
In the next article, I will tell you how Mrs. Anna has become such a strong warrior since her return. We will see how much stronger Mrs. Anna has become through this trip and how capable she is.
The relationship between Dostoevsky and Madame Anna can also be seen from this. It is easy to see how much Dostoevsky trusts his wife Anna. It is no wonder that Dostoevsky calls her "my guardian angel.
be unbroken
Next Article.
Click here to read the previous article.
Click here for a list of Dostoevsky's recommended books.
List of recommended Dostoevsky biographies."
List of recommended Dostoevsky commentaries.
A list of recommended commentaries on "Dostoevsky and Christianity."
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