Three Speeches in Memory of Dostoevsky

«…In three speeches about Dostoevsky, I do not touch either his biography or an analysis of his books from the standpoint of literary criticism. I am occupied by only one thing: what Dostoevsky served, what thought was the main source and meaning of all his work. The more natural, then, it is to focus precisely on this—that neither facts from his private life nor the artistic merits or weaknesses of his works by themselves explain the special influence he acquired in his later years, nor the shock caused by his death. Conversely, the bitter disputes surrounding his name, which have not subsided to this day, are concerned not with aesthetics: almost everyone recognizes in him a first-rank artist, sometimes rising to genius, though not without serious flaws. But the idea to which this gift was devoted is understood by some as true and saving, by others as false and dangerous. The final assessment of Dostoevsky depends on how we understand his inner faith and love—what inspired him and led him. „And above all he loved the living human soul, everywhere and in all things, and he believed that we all—believed in the infinite power of the human soul, triumphant over all external violence and over every internal fall…“»