Dostoevsky’s Russians

JANE SHUTTLEWORTH vividly remembers when she was first introduced to the work of Fyodor Dostoevsky at the age of 17.

She says: “I was flirting with the idea of applying for Russian at university when my mother suggested I try reading his novel Crime and Punishment. From the moment I opened the first pages I was transfixed and several hours later was still utterly absorbed.”

The meeting ignited a passion that has lasted to this day and culminated in Jane writing her debut book. Ms Shuttleworth spoke of her love affair with the author’s works, as she prepared to launch Dostoevsky’s Russians through Amazon on her 40th birthday yesterday – a birthday she happens to share with Dostoevsky himself.

Ms Shuttleworth studied Russian language at Durham University, before going on to live in Moscow for several years during the tumultuous 1990s. Her project followed an off-the-cuff remark while discussing a recent book about Dostoevsky, which was really technical.

“I remarked, ‘It’s a pity that all books on Dostoevsky are so dense and difficult there is nothing really straightforward and accessible that I have ever come across’. My friend said why don’t I write this book and I replied why not.”

Dostoevsky’s Russians is a response to the questions his novels present. The book examines his greatest characters, including Raskolnikov, Nastasya Filippovna and the Karamazov brothers, while taking the reader through the cultural, historical and biographical context of his work.

Writing the book became a personal journey for Jane, too.

“Dostoevsky is talked of as being a very Christian writer. But while revisiting his works I realised I didn’t believe in God anymore, which sounds slightly contrary.

“The other thing that really came out rereading him was his message about human freedom. He knew something about the importance of freedom, having spent in four Siberian prison camp.”

Ms Shuttleworth lives with her husband and seven-year-old son near Durham City.