3. Dostoyevsky
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky was a Russian writer who released 11 novels, 3 novellas, 17 short novels and 3 essays; but better known for The Brother Karamazov, The Idiot and Crime and Punishment. In 1846, he joined the Petrashevsky Circle, an intellectual, social-Christian group. The central figure of the circle, Mikail Petrashevsky discussed possibilities of Russian social reforms in a harmless manner. They gathered in Dostoyevsky’s library every weekend to discuss various social themes, including abolition of serfdom and freedom from censorship.
On 1849, members of Petrashevsky Circle was arrested by Tsar’s troops and put into a mock execution, which was followed by four years of hard labor in Siberia. Dostoyevsky’s writings and ideas became important inspirations during the rise of communism in Russia.