Anna Dostoyevskaya

Anna Grigoryevna Dostoyevskaya (Russian: Анна Григорьевна Достоевская; 12 September 1846, Saint Petersburg – 9 June 1918, Yalta) was a Russian memoirist, stenographer, assistant, and the second wife of Fyodor Dostoyevsky (since 1867). She was also one of the first female philatelists in Russia. She wrote two biographical books about Fyodor Dostoyevsky: Anna Dostoyevskaya's Diary in 1867, which was published in 1923 after her death, and Memoirs of Anna Dostoyevskaya (also known as Reminiscence of Anna Dostoyevskaya), published in 1925.

Early life

Anna Dostoyevskaya, (née Snitkina) was born to Maria Anna and Grigory Ivanovich Snitkin. Anna graduated academic high school summa cum laude and subsequently trained as a stenographer.

Marriage

On 4 October 1866, Anna Snitkina started working as a stenographer on Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel The Gambler. In November Dostoyevsky proposed to her.

As described in the Memoirs, Dostoyevsky shared with Anna the plot of an imaginary new novel, as if he needed her advice on female psychology. In his story an old painter made a proposal to young girl whose name was Anya. Dostoyevsky asked if it was possible for a girl so young and different in personality to fall in love with the painter. Anna answered that it was quite possible. Then he told Anna: "Put yourself in her place for a moment. Imagine I am the painter, I confessed to you and asked you to be my wife. What would you answer?" Anna said: "I would answer that I love you and I will love you forever".

On 15 February 1867, the couple were married. Two months later they went abroad, where Dostoyevsky and Anna remained for over four years (until July 1871). Shortly before their departure two of Dostoyevsky's creditors filed charges against him.

During a stop in Baden, Dostoyevsky lost all of his money playing roulette, as well as his wife's clothes and belongings. At that time Anna started writing the diary. For almost a year they lived in Geneva. Dostoyevsky worked very hard to regain his fortune. On 22 February 1868 their first daughter Sofia was born, but she died on 24 May at the age of three months. In 1869, in Dresden, their second daughter was born, named Lyubov Dostoyevskaya (died in 1926). Upon returning to St. Petersburg Anna gave birth to two sons Fyodor (16 July 1871 – 1922) and Alexey (10 August 1875 – 16 May 1878). Anna took over all finance issues, including publishing business matters and negotiations, and soon liberated her husband from debt. In 1871, Dostoyevsky gave up gambling.

Later life

In the year of Dostoyevsky's death (1881) Anna turned 35 years old. She never remarried. After the death of her husband she collected his manuscripts, letters, documents and photographs. In 1906 she created a room dedicated to Fyodor Dostoyevsky in the State Historical Museum.

Career

Anna Dostoyevskaya nee Snitkina trained to be a stenographer and planned to earn her own living when she was invited to work with Fyodor Dostoyevsky to help him complete his novel The Gambler Dostoyevsky had agreed to a contract with publisher F. T. Stellovsky which would have forfeited his copyright for this novel and future novels for nearly 10 years. Anna's family were great fans of Dostoyevsky her father had read all of his books and they did not have much time. Initially Dostoyevsky dictated too fast but once they established a pace they completed the project just in time. They also fell in love.

Anna did not have the career she planned but she was essential to Dostoyevsky's work, notably taking over sales of his novels particularly Demons (Dostoyevsky novel)'The Devils' from their apartment in St Petersburg and managing the business of his books.

Philately

Her stamp collection was established in 1867 in Dresden. It started, as explained in the Memoirs of Anna Dostoyevskaya, with a dispute between Anna and Fyodor Dostoyevsky, who made some critical comments about female inconstancy. Anna was annoyed that her husband did not consider women of her generation capable of persistence or devotion to anything. She told her husband that she would prove him wrong and show him that a woman may pursue one goal for years. She decided to collect stamps and filled up her collection throughout her life. According to the Memoirs, she didn't buy a single stamp. All of them were either her own discoveries or donations from friends. The fate of this collection is unknown.