In the “Writer’s Diary,” unmatched in Russian and foreign journalism, Dostoevsky speaks directly with readers and seems to invite them to join the discussion of the deep themes that run through all his work: man and God, good and evil, freedom and Russia’s fate. In the 1876 notes, he pays special attention to an analysis of the world politics of that time and the spiritual illnesses of Russian society—which in many ways turned out to be prophetic. And the result of his reflections can be considered the novella “The Gentle” (“Krotkaya”), first published in the November issue, where the writer examines the relationship between a tyrant and a victim using the example of an ordinary family. © LLC “AST Publishing House,” 2023