Polina Suslova
Encyclopedia
Apollinaria Prokofyevna Suslova , commonly known as Polina Suslova, was a Russian short story writer, who is perhaps best known as a mistress
of writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky, wife of Vasily Rozanov
and a sister of Russia's first female physician Nadezhda Suslova
. She is considered to be the prototype of several female characters in Dostoyevsky's novels, such as Polina in The Gambler
, Nastasya Filipovna
in The Idiot
, Katerina Ivanovna Marmeladova in Crime and Punishment
, Lizaveta Nikolaevna in The Possessed, and both Katerina and Grushenka in The Brothers Karamazov
. Suslova has often been portrayed as a femme fatale
. Fyodor Dostoyevsky called Suslova one of the most remarkable women of his time.
Her own works include a short story Pokuda, published in Mikhail Dostoyevsky
's Vremya
magazine in 1861, Do svadby (1863), and the autobiographical Chuzhaya i svoy, published in 1928.
guberniya
. Polina's father, Prokofiy Suslov, was a serf of the Sheremetevs
, but was able to succeed as a merchant
and manufacturer. He decided to give a proper education to his daughters, Polina (a diminutive form of the given name
Apollinaria) and Nadezhda
. They had a governess
, and a dancing teacher.
Polina attended a finishing school
, and when the Suslov family moved to Saint Petersburg
, Polina entered the Saint Petersburg State University
. She enjoyed the political struggle, demonstrations, and student meetings. She was sympathetic to the radical views of the day, especially regarding women
.
Lyubov Dostoyevskaya
in Dostoyevsky as Portrayed by His Daughter described her as a young provincial woman, whose "rich relatives were able to sent her enough money to live comfortably in Saint Petersburg. Every autumn she entered the University as a student, but never actually studied or pass any exams. However, she attended lectures, flirted with the students, … forced them to sign petitions, participated in all political demonstrations, … sang La Marseillaise
, scolded the Cossacks and behaved provocatively."
In 1861, Suslova attended classes taught by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, already a renowned writer, whose lectures were very popular among young people. At that time, Dostoyevsky was 40, and she was 21. Lyubov Dostoyevskaya recalled that Suslova "spun around Dostoevsky and tried in every way to please him. Dostoevsky did not notice her. Then she wrote him a love letter". Another version is that Suslova brought her writing to Dostoyevsky and asked for advice. Her story was bad so Dostoyevsky, attracted to a beautiful young girl, had promised to teach her writing. Yet another explanation is that Dostoyevsky had read Suslova's story, liked it and wanted to meet the author.
The relationships were difficult and painful for both sides but mostly for Dostoyevsky. He was exhausted by work, poor health, and financial distress. Furthermore, Suslova was imperious, manipulative, jealous, and constantly demanded that he divorce his "consumptive wife" Maria Isayeva. Dostoyevsky later noted that she was "a sick selfish woman", whose "selfishness and self-esteem were colossal" and who did not tolerate any imperfection in other people. After Maria's death in 1865, he proposed to Suslova, but she declined.
Unlike Dostoyevsky's second wife Anna Snitkina
, Polina Suslova rarely read his books, did not respect his work, and regarded him as a simple admirer. Dostoyevsky wrote her once: "My dear, I am not inviting you to a cheap essential happiness." After their breakup, she burned compromising papers, including their letters. In 1867, Fyodor Dostoyevsky married Anna Snitkina.
met Suslova when he was a schoolboy, and she was already over thirty years old. He fell in love at first sight. Rozanov knew her as a former mistress of Fyodor Dostoyevsky, which was enough to spark his interest in her, because Dostoyevsky was the writer whom Rozanov admired most. Rozanov made only a short entry in his diary: "Meeting Apollinaria Prokofyevna Suslova. My love for her. Suslova loves me, and I love her very much. She is the most wonderful woman I've ever met." They had an affair for three years, married on November 1880. She was 40 at that time, and he was 24.
They departed in 1886. Their life together was a torture for Rozanov, according to his personal correspondence. Suslova made public scenes of jealousy and flirted with his friends at the same time. Rozanov's daughter, Tatyana, stated in her memoirs: "Suslova mocked him, saying that what he was writing were just some stupid books, insulted him, and finally dumped him". Suslova broke up with Rozanov twice, but he always forgave her and begged to return home.
After they parted, Rozanov admitted: "There was something brilliant (in her temperament) that made me, despite all suffering, love her blindly and timidly."
After Rozanov met his future wife, Varvara, Polina refused to divorce him for 20 years.
Since the early 1900s Polina Suslova lived alone in Sevastopol
. She died in 1918 at the age of 78.
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
of writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky, wife of Vasily Rozanov
Vasily Rozanov
Vasily Vasilievich Rozanov was one of the most controversial Russian writers and philosophers of the pre-revolutionary epoch. His views have been termed the "religion of procreation", as he tried to reconcile Christian teachings with ideas of healthy sex and family life and not, as his adversary...
and a sister of Russia's first female physician Nadezhda Suslova
Nadezhda Suslova
Nadezhda Prokofyevna Suslova was Russia's first female physician and a sister of Polina Suslova. She worked as a gynecologist in Nizhny Novgorod, was involved in many charity efforts.- Early life :...
. She is considered to be the prototype of several female characters in Dostoyevsky's novels, such as Polina in The Gambler
The Gambler (novel)
The Gambler is a short novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky about a young tutor in the employment of a formerly wealthy Russian general. The novella reflects Dostoyevsky's own addiction to roulette, which was in more ways than one the inspiration for the book: Dostoyevsky completed the novella under a...
, Nastasya Filipovna
Nastasya Filipovna
Nastasya Filipovna Barashkova is the principal heroine in Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel The Idiot, based on Polina Suslova. She is the daughter of an aristocrat with no money and, when still a young child, falls under the "protection" of a rich rogue named Totski...
in The Idiot
The Idiot (novel)
The Idiot is a novel written by 19th century Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It was first published serially in The Russian Messenger between 1868 and 1869. The Idiot is ranked beside some of Dostoyevsky's other works as one of the most brilliant literary achievements of the "Golden Age" of...
, Katerina Ivanovna Marmeladova in Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It was first published in the literary journal The Russian Messenger in twelve monthly installments during 1866. It was later published in a single volume. This is the second of Dostoyevsky's full-length novels following his...
, Lizaveta Nikolaevna in The Possessed, and both Katerina and Grushenka in The Brothers Karamazov
The Brothers Karamazov
The Brothers Karamazov is the final novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Dostoyevsky spent nearly two years writing The Brothers Karamazov, which was published as a serial in The Russian Messenger and completed in November 1880...
. Suslova has often been portrayed as a femme fatale
Femme fatale
A femme fatale is a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. She is an archetype of literature and art...
. Fyodor Dostoyevsky called Suslova one of the most remarkable women of his time.
Her own works include a short story Pokuda, published in Mikhail Dostoyevsky
Mikhail Dostoyevsky
Mikhail Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky , , was a Russian short story writer, publisher, literary critic and an elder brother of Fyodor Dostoyevsky. The two of them were only a year apart in age and spent childhood and youth together...
's Vremya
Vremya (magazine)
Vremya was a monthly magazine published by Fyodor Dostoyevsky under the editorship of his brother Mikhail Dostoyevsky, as Fyodor himself, due to his status as a former convict, was unable to be the official editor.-Publication history:...
magazine in 1861, Do svadby (1863), and the autobiographical Chuzhaya i svoy, published in 1928.
Early life
Polina Suslova was born in Panino, Nizhny NovgorodNizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...
guberniya
Guberniya
A guberniya was a major administrative subdivision of the Russian Empire usually translated as government, governorate, or province. Such administrative division was preserved for sometime upon the collapse of the empire in 1917. A guberniya was ruled by a governor , a word borrowed from Latin ,...
. Polina's father, Prokofiy Suslov, was a serf of the Sheremetevs
Sheremetev
The Sheremetev family was one of the wealthiest and most influential noble families of Russia.The family held many high commanding ranks in the Russian military, governorships and eventually the rank of Count of the Russian Empire...
, but was able to succeed as a merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
and manufacturer. He decided to give a proper education to his daughters, Polina (a diminutive form of the given name
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
Apollinaria) and Nadezhda
Nadezhda Suslova
Nadezhda Prokofyevna Suslova was Russia's first female physician and a sister of Polina Suslova. She worked as a gynecologist in Nizhny Novgorod, was involved in many charity efforts.- Early life :...
. They had a governess
Governess
A governess is a girl or woman employed to teach and train children in a private household. In contrast to a nanny or a babysitter, she concentrates on teaching children, not on meeting their physical needs...
, and a dancing teacher.
Polina attended a finishing school
Finishing school
A finishing school is "a private school for girls that emphasises training in cultural and social activities." The name reflects that it follows on from ordinary school and is intended to complete the educational experience, with classes primarily on etiquette...
, and when the Suslov family moved to Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Polina entered the Saint Petersburg State University
Saint Petersburg State University
Saint Petersburg State University is a Russian federal state-owned higher education institution based in Saint Petersburg and one of the oldest and largest universities in Russia....
. She enjoyed the political struggle, demonstrations, and student meetings. She was sympathetic to the radical views of the day, especially regarding women
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
.
Lyubov Dostoyevskaya
Lyubov Dostoyevskaya
Lyubov Fyodorovna Dostoyevskaya was a Russian writer, memoirist and a second daughter of famous writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky and his wife Anna. Their first, Sofiya, was born in 1868 and died the same year.Dostoyevskaya was a nervous child and cried a lot...
in Dostoyevsky as Portrayed by His Daughter described her as a young provincial woman, whose "rich relatives were able to sent her enough money to live comfortably in Saint Petersburg. Every autumn she entered the University as a student, but never actually studied or pass any exams. However, she attended lectures, flirted with the students, … forced them to sign petitions, participated in all political demonstrations, … sang La Marseillaise
La Marseillaise
"La Marseillaise" is the national anthem of France. The song, originally titled "Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin" was written and composed by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in 1792. The French National Convention adopted it as the Republic's anthem in 1795...
, scolded the Cossacks and behaved provocatively."
Relationship with Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The relationships were difficult and painful for both sides but mostly for Dostoyevsky. He was exhausted by work, poor health, and financial distress. Furthermore, Suslova was imperious, manipulative, jealous, and constantly demanded that he divorce his "consumptive wife" Maria Isayeva. Dostoyevsky later noted that she was "a sick selfish woman", whose "selfishness and self-esteem were colossal" and who did not tolerate any imperfection in other people. After Maria's death in 1865, he proposed to Suslova, but she declined.
Unlike Dostoyevsky's second wife Anna Snitkina
Anna Dostoyevskaya
Anna Grigoryevna Dostoyevskaya was a Russian memoirist, stenographer, assistant, and the second wife of Fyodor Dostoyevsky . She was also one of the first female philatelists in Russia...
, Polina Suslova rarely read his books, did not respect his work, and regarded him as a simple admirer. Dostoyevsky wrote her once: "My dear, I am not inviting you to a cheap essential happiness." After their breakup, she burned compromising papers, including their letters. In 1867, Fyodor Dostoyevsky married Anna Snitkina.
Later life
Vasily RozanovVasily Rozanov
Vasily Vasilievich Rozanov was one of the most controversial Russian writers and philosophers of the pre-revolutionary epoch. His views have been termed the "religion of procreation", as he tried to reconcile Christian teachings with ideas of healthy sex and family life and not, as his adversary...
met Suslova when he was a schoolboy, and she was already over thirty years old. He fell in love at first sight. Rozanov knew her as a former mistress of Fyodor Dostoyevsky, which was enough to spark his interest in her, because Dostoyevsky was the writer whom Rozanov admired most. Rozanov made only a short entry in his diary: "Meeting Apollinaria Prokofyevna Suslova. My love for her. Suslova loves me, and I love her very much. She is the most wonderful woman I've ever met." They had an affair for three years, married on November 1880. She was 40 at that time, and he was 24.
They departed in 1886. Their life together was a torture for Rozanov, according to his personal correspondence. Suslova made public scenes of jealousy and flirted with his friends at the same time. Rozanov's daughter, Tatyana, stated in her memoirs: "Suslova mocked him, saying that what he was writing were just some stupid books, insulted him, and finally dumped him". Suslova broke up with Rozanov twice, but he always forgave her and begged to return home.
After they parted, Rozanov admitted: "There was something brilliant (in her temperament) that made me, despite all suffering, love her blindly and timidly."
After Rozanov met his future wife, Varvara, Polina refused to divorce him for 20 years.
Since the early 1900s Polina Suslova lived alone in Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
. She died in 1918 at the age of 78.