St. Petersburg of Fyodor Dostoevsky

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For Dostoevsky, Petersburg is "the most deliberate and abstract city in the world." Through the voices of his characters, Dostoevsky conveys his own attitude toward it: "...the extreme misfortune of living in Petersburg," "...this is a city of half-madmen... Rarely anywhere else can one find so many gloomy, harsh, and strange influences on the human soul as in Petersburg..." And yet Dostoevsky loved Petersburg very much. It is the city of his youth, his birth as a writer, his dizzying successes, tragic experiences, and losses. He needs it for his creativity: often Petersburg becomes the source of his inspiration. When leaving it, Dostoevsky always strives to return; upon returning, he feels burdened by it.

Jermaine Jermaine

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