Chulkov G. The life of Dostoevsky

Abstract

A review of the biography The Life of Dostoevsky [Zhizn’ Dostoesvkogo], penned by the renowned Russian and Soviet writer Georgy Chulkov (1879—1939) and prepared for publication by the Dostoevsky scholar Olga Bogdanova. Opening IMLI RAN’s very promising series Study of Literary Sources in the 20th Century [Istochnikovedenie literatury XX veka], the book sets a very high standard for any subsequent issues. The book is published eighty years after its completion, and although it hardly contributes to modern Dostoevsky studies, the publication pays tribute to Chulkov and offers insights into the history of the topic, as well as the state of pre-war Soviet literary theory. Appended to the book are reviews of Chulkov’s typed-up manuscript by B. Tomashevsky, B. Drugov, V. Kirpotin, and V. Lyubimova (Dorovatovskaya), which adds bibliographical value to this edition.