Fyodor Dostoevsky and Siberian Regionalism. Article One

In the article, the relations of Fyodor Dostoevsky and the Siberians are in focus in terms of Siberian regionalism (oblasthichestvo); the unfinished article "From Childhood Memories (On the Death of Fyodor Dostoevsky)" by Nikolay I. Naumov is first introduced into scientific discourse; the issue of the impact of Dostovesky's views and the Petrashevtsy ideas on the ideology of Siberian regionalism is addressed. The current article describes the contacts of Dostoevsky, the Petrashevtsy and the Siberians and reveals the peculiarity of Dostoevsky's creative work perception in this region. The rough drafts of Naumov's article "From Childhood Memories (On the Death of Fyodor Dostoevsky)" are stored in the Tomsk archive of the Siberian writer; these materials show that Naumov primarily perceived Dostoevsky as a Siberian convict, a prisoner of Omsk prison. That is how Siberian regionalists perceived the famous Russian writer, and it was not a sort of a mistake, it was their position of principle. This fact is particularly obvious in the creative work of N.M. Yadrintsev, one of the most distinguished journalists and, definitely, the leading literary critic in the Siberian region. His thoughts on Dostoevsky's creative works are found in his two literary criticism articles "Criminals Based on the Romantic and Naturalistic Schools" (1872) and "Dostoevsky in Siberia" (1897). The names of the articles are essential: Siberians were interested only in the "Siberian" Dostoevsky who illustrated the criminal world in prison and exile. In the article "Dostoevsky in Siberia", describing his meeting with Dostoevsky in 1876, Yadrintsev outlined only the writer's memories about exile, and, according to this article, exile is the only common theme for a Siberian man and Dostoevsky. Therefore, Yadrintsev considers Dostoevsky's The House of the Dead, in which the writer depicted the real world of Siberian exile (katorga), to be the best work of the writer. At the same time, he sharply criticized Crime and Punishment pointing out that the novel is false in terms of depicting a criminal and his inner world. It is significant that no other works of Dostoevsky are mentioned. The House of the Dead is the first Dostoevsky's work which is based on his concept of pochvennichestvo ('concept of the soil') shaped within the exile prison; this fact makes it possible to conclude about the impact of Dostoevsky's pochvennichestvo on Siberian regionalism. G.N. Potanin, the spiritual leader of Siberian regionalism, fully agreed with Yadrintsev on the importance of The House of the Dead for the contemporary Russia. In addition, his Memoirs reveals the fact that the Petrashevtsy imprisoned in Siberia played a crucial role in shaping Siberian regionalism. Potanin claimed that it was acquaintance with M.V. Butashevich-Petrashevsky, Dostoevsky's friend within the circle, and S.F. Durov, the writer's companion in Omsk prison, and his short stories that changed his view on the life and political order of Russia. It was the beginning of Siberian regionalism. He was shocked by the tragic story of N.P. Grigor'ev who stood together with the other Petrashevtsy, M.V. Petrashevsky and N.A. Mombelly, as they were waiting for their death penalty enforcement surrounded by soldiers with their rifles on the ready, and went mad. Personal meetings of Potanin, Yadrintsev and Naumov with Dostoevsky were few; however, the works of Siberian regionalists reveal the fact that Dostoevsky's exile and the Petrashevtsy' death penalty experiences, pochvennichestvo and the political views of the Petrashevtsy circle played a significant role in shaping Siberian regionalism.

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