‘Haunted by a great, unsolved doubt’: in memoriam Karen Stepanyan

Abstract

T. Kasatkina’s reminiscences of K. Stepanyan discuss his strategies as a researcher and a human being; she describes his principles behind launching the almanac Dostoevsky and World Culture [ Dostoevsky i mirovaya kultura ] and his priorities for research and analysis of Dostoevsky’s oeuvre. According to Kasatkina, the decision to publish the almanac was initially driven by Stepanyan’s ambition, but turned out to be an exercise in humility, recognition of the value of other scholars, and the ability to take on a supporting role. It was exactly this skill –appreciation of another person’s value (the value of their work, opinion, and line of thought) – that shows in the books of his later years, with their astonishing bibliographies, and the ability of scholarly thought to develop into a dialogue with numerous others, without losing its unique determination and consistency. Here, Kasatkina believes, lies the solution of the truly Christian problem, which often features in Dostoevsky’s works, and therefore, shows faithfulness to one’s own principles, the principles of Christian interaction with reality and scholarship.