December 25, 2021

Fyodor in Florence


Fyodor in Florence
The City of Lilies Wikimedia Commons user Martin Falbisoner

The city of Florence, Italy, is so proud of its short-term resident Fyodor Dostoyevsky that it recently erected a statue to the writer.

In Florence, Dostoyevsky finished writing one of his most famous novels, The Idiot. A plaque has long hung at the location where he finished the novel. He and his second wife, Anna, lived in Florence for about eight months in 1868-1869. Although the author notably disliked all of the abroad, he appreciated Florence more than anywhere else.

The 3.5-meter-high (11-foot-high) statue was installed in Cascine Park on the outskirts of Florence, where an allée is already named after Dostoyevsky. The Russian ambassador to Italy attended the unveiling of the statue on December 14, as well as the advisor to the Russian president on cultural matters, Vladimir Tolstoy. Ironically, Tolstoy is the great-grandson of writer Lev Tolstoy, who was Dostoyevsky's contemporary, though they never met. Dostoyevsky complained that he could never hope to write something as memorable as Count Lev Tolstoy, who did not have to scrounge for money the way that the former did.

The statue was a gift from the Russian government to Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance. It was sculpted by Russian artist Aydyn Zeynalov. The gift is part of the 200th anniversary year of Dostoyevsky's birth (2021).

You Might Also Like

Is Dostoyevsky Still Alive?
  • November 01, 2021

Is Dostoyevsky Still Alive?

On the occasion of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky’s 200th anniversary, we visit his adopted city to consider the imprint he left behind.
Dreadful Terror
  • November 01, 2021

Dreadful Terror

Dostoyevsky’s chance visit to a museum led to a chilling, life-changing encounter with an artist long dead, but whose work was very much alive. It would make an appearance in the writer’s next novel. 
At Home with Dostoyevsky
  • October 30, 2021

At Home with Dostoyevsky

If, for some reason, you ever find yourself in the small town of Staraya Russa, be sure to check out Dostoyevsky's summer house.
Dostoyevsky in Siberia and Beyond
  • November 07, 2021

Dostoyevsky in Siberia and Beyond

Dostoyevsky spent ten years of his life exiled to Russia's Eastern hinterlands. Beyond the Urals, there are several places that shaped Dostoyevsky and influenced many of his greatest works of literature.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955