F. M. Dostoevsky in the Biased Opinions of the Feuilletonist and Critic V. P. Burenin

Abstract

The influence of the critic V. P. Burenin on the public life of the 1860s — 1880s is great: his popularity was comparable to that of V. G. Belinsky in the 1840s. According to B. B. Glinsky, everyone has secretly read Burenin's feuilletons, even those who despised the newspaper Novoe Vremya (New Time) and personally hated its critical columnist for the sharpness and rudeness of his polemical style. The article examines the evolution of the critic's views of F. M. Dostoevsky’s work and his role in Russian journalism and literature. In the initial period of his activity, V. P. Burenin tended to adhere to common moods and assessments, and scolded Dostoevsky. Gradually, he realized the scale of Dostoevsky's writing gift. Already a famous and influential author of the Novoe Vremya (New Time), V. P. Burenin became a great admirer, friend and defender of the writer. He was one of the few critics who appreciated the Writer's Diary. After Dostoevsky's death, Burenin maintained good communication with the writer's widow. Their correspondence makes it clear that A. G. Dostoevskaya considered Burenin her colleague in preserving the legacy of her late husband. The letters contain previously unknown information, namely, that the correspondence of the Novoe Vremya (New Time) about the fire in Staraya Russa were penned by A. G. Dostoevskaya herself, as well as some other information about Dostoevsky and the fate of his legacy.