When was Dostoevsky’s Father Born? (Critical Analysis and Source Classification)

Abstract

The article presents a comprehensive review and critical analysis of all the documents identified to date that allow making assumptions about the year of birth of Mikhail Andreyevich Dostoevsky – the writer’s father. It identifies different methods for calculating the year of birth based on different types of documents. The systematization of the sources shows that one group of documents indicates as M.A. Dostoevsky’s year of birth 1788, while another 1787. The beginning of the two traditions can be traced to two contradictory documents, equally dating back to the records of the Podolsk Seminary in 1809. In conclusion, it is stated that the question that gives the title to the article remains open until the discovery of the metrical records about the birth and baptism of the writer's father.

Keywords

• m.a. dostoevsky
• official lists
• accounts of the church population
• certificate from podol’sky seminary
• student register of the podol’sko-shargorodsky seminar
• methods for calculating the year of birth