Fyodor Dostoevsky was a Russian novelist, essayist, and philosopher. He was born in Moscow on November 11, 1821. His father was a doctor, and his mother came from a noble family. Fyodor was the second of seven children and was raised in a religious household, which would have a significant impact on his writing. In 1837, Dostoevsky enrolled in the St. Petersburg Academy of Military Engineering, but his true passion was literature. He began to write and publish his works while still a student. His first novel, Poor Folk, was published in 1846 to critical acclaim. However, his involvement in a political group known as the Petrashevsky Circle would change the course of his life.

The Petrashevsky Circle was a group of liberal-minded intellectuals who met regularly to discuss politics and literature. Dostoevsky joined the group in 1847 and became a vocal member, advocating for reform and criticizing the government’s policies. The group’s activities attracted the attention of the authorities and, in 1849, they were arrested and charged with sedition. Dostoevsky was sentenced to death along with several other members of the group. At the last moment, the sentence was commuted to hard labor in Siberia. He spent four years in a prison camp in Omsk, where he was forced to work in a factory and was subjected to harsh conditions.