Photo/Illutration The grave of Fyodor Dostoevsky stands in the Tikhvin Cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Monastery in St. Petersburg, Russia. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881).

The Russian literary giant was a compulsive gambler who repeatedly borrowed money only to bet and lose, nearly ruining his life more than once.

“In a way, his constant state of indebtedness motivated him to write,” said Tetsuo Mochizuki, 70, a professor emeritus at Hokkaido University and scholar of Russian literature.

Unable to kick his addiction to roulette, Dostoevsky would receive a hefty advance from a publisher. The enormous pressure of having to deliver would leave him with no choice but to complete his work.

He borrowed from his older colleague, Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883). He was not above hocking his wife’s ring and coat.

According to her written account, he would come home penniless and beg for forgiveness, sobbing and kneeling before her. But that never stopped him from returning to the roulette wheel.

A famous quote attributed to Dostoevsky goes: “A real gentleman, even if he loses everything he owns, must show no emotion. Money must be so far beneath a gentleman that it is hardly worth troubling about.”

How utterly persuasive.

Anyone who lent him money would have wanted to mutter, “Oh, give it a rest. Just pay me back.”

Author Haruki Murakami wrote, “There are two types of people in this world: Those who have read ‘The Brothers Karamazov’ and those who haven’t.”

I read it as a student. But overwhelmed by its sheer length, I ended up only skimming the surface, never appreciating the novel in depth.

This winter holiday, I might take up some of Dostoevsky’s novels I haven’t tried--"The Idiot,” “Demons” and especially “The Gambler,” in which he is believed to have documented his own experiences.

What argument does he make in his own defense? I am really curious.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 28

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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