Since the war broke out in Ukraine, I have had a massive problem with Dostoevsky.
As a rule, since the war in Ukraine broke out on the 24th of February, 2022, I try not to mention one of the best writers (imperialist and anti-Polish) in my texts. I try to leave him out. Still, sometimes I wonder whether I am doing the right thing. Whatever one may say about the criminal, destructive, and self-destructive attitude of Putin and his army of minions, the works of Dostoevsky or Chekhov cannot, just like that, simply be erased from the memory of humanity.
Moreover, I cannot obliterate and forget Dostoevsky’s writings. For me, it’s simply impossible to state his literary works do not exist.
It is not a coincidence I read almost all of Dostoevsky’s works (with novels, short stories, epistolography, and “Writer’s Diary” at the front) in 2013. While writing all these things, I realized it happened ten years ago (I wrote the current text on the 15th of April, 2023). Oh dear, how time flies! Can Russian culture be eradicated? Can one behave as Putin behaves towards Ukrainians and their culture? Don’t Russian culture’s literary or musical works belong to the heritage of all mankind, on par with Ukrainian and Polish works of art?
Today, I will leave these questions unanswered, although reason dictates that I should not reject everything Russian.
Even if I know that Dostoevsky’s rhetoric fits in with what is happening in the relationship of Putin’s totalitarian state policy and its relationship with the Orthodox Church, Moscow. Knowing most of Dostoyevsky’s works, I know he would support Russian aggression toward its neighbor. Let’s state it clearly: Dostoevsky hated Polish people because we were (and still are!) predominantly a Catholic nation.
Moreover, we always pulled ourselves into the West, wanting to stay away from the Russians as far as possible. If you doubt, my Dear Friend, in my writings, better search in Google phrases “November Uprising” and “January Uprising.” History will expand this issue to you. I will finish writing about my problem with Dostoevsky.
