![\"Sketch](\"https:\/\/dostoevsky-bts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/B_pokrovsky_kazn_1849.jpg\")
<\/a>Sketch of the Petrashevsky Socialist Circle mock execution (Dostoyevsky was a member of the Circle)<\/p><\/div><\/td>\n
![\"2014-12-15-DS-thumb-1\"](\"https:\/\/dostoevsky-bts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/2014-12-15-DS-thumb-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nTraditionally when I think of Dostoevsky I do not immediately think of Shakespeare. I imagine people don\u2019t tend to associate Russian classics with 16th<\/sup>\u00a0century British playwriting. That is unless they are perhaps doing a graduate degree focusing on Russian-British comparative literature (which would be pretty cool). Or maybe they are just interested. But as difficult as it is for me to admit, despite the legendary status of these two great writers, this is the first time I have thought of them in connection to each other.<\/p>\n The moment I began to consider a connection between the two was when I first saw this quote referring to Dostoevsky as “…the Shakespeare of the lunatic asylum<\/a>” –\u00a0Count Melchoir de Vogue (1848-1910). <\/em>I can\u2019t say I entirely agree with this statement as it seems a bit derisive. Still it does highlight Dostoevsky\u2019s connection to the famous play write.<\/p>\n I had been searching for information to write about Dostoevsky\u2019s influence on other great writers such as Virginia Woolf and E.M Forster, but suddenly became genuinely curious about who may have influenced Dostoevsky.<\/p>\n So equipped with nearly total ignorance of any substantial link between Shakespeare and Dostoevsky, I did a Google search expecting to find comparative literature between the two writers and did in fact find several articles comparing his works to Shakespeare\u2019s plays. I also noted that it has been suggested by some Russian critics that Shakespeare himself was one of his main inspirations. What? The incredible Dostoevsky being influenced by another writer? It seemed unreal.<\/p>\n Another thing I noted was that this sketch was really quite good!<\/p>\n I looked closer and studied it carefully.<\/p>\n The sketch suggests a fondness that Dostoevsky seemed to have for Shakespeare that I feel couldn\u2019t have been equally expressed in writing.<\/p>\n The paper, darkened by age is also marked with remnants of liquid from a tea cup placed upon the page. The desire to mentally transport myself to that moment, to imagine him in the process of writing was irresistible. As stated by Annie Martirosyan, \u201cThere seems to be no doubt that the drawing is indeed of Shakespeare –it depicts Shakespeare, credibly and most accurately\u2026 The Dostoevsky experts behind the discovery,\u00a0Tikhomirov<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Zakharov<\/a>, have now confirmed the authenticity of the image as Dostoevsky’s drawing of Shakespeare.\u201d<\/p>\n Personally I find that pretty exciting.<\/p>\n I decided then to look more closely into other kinds of drawings he did and compare them to this drawing of Shakespeare. According to the wonderfully written article\u00a0Dostoevsky: the drawing as writing<\/em><\/a>\u00a0by Konstantin Barsht\u00a0a researcher at the Russian Academy\u2019s Institute for Russian Literature (Pushkin House), a<\/em>mong the most common types of drawings he did are listed here:<\/p>\n 1. Portraits of men, women and children, 7%<\/p>\n 2. Architectural Sketches (especially arches and Gothic windows), 26%<\/p>\n 3. Calligraphic Notes, approximately 61%<\/p>\n<\/a>Fully prepared to write literary comparisons I was surprised at what I found next. The article written by Annie Martirosyan entitled \u201cDostoevsky Draws Shakespeare<\/a>\u201d from the Huffington Post was the one that interested me most. It showed a page from his manuscript\u00a0Demons<\/em>\u00a0upon which Dostoevsky had apparently done a sketch of Shakespeare. I did a major double take. Dostoevsky doodled and he doodled Shakespeare! As both a fine artist and literary enthusiast this personal discovery fascinated\u00a0me! Though I am aware that geniuses are often multi talented, I was still stoked.<\/p>\n<\/a>The drawing is a profile of Shakespeare looking slightly downward, wearing a modest smile upon his lips. The background in front of his face is darkened with a delicate, though definite crosshatch style, which more clearly defines his face, curly hair and beard. Surrounding this tiny sketch are notes and elegant typography markings.<\/p>\n