The Master of Petersburg
Encyclopedia
The Master of Petersburg is a 1994 novel by South African writer J. M. Coetzee. The novel is a work of fiction but features the Russia
n writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky as its protagonist. It is a deep, complex work that draws on the life of Dostoyevsky, the life of the author and the history of Russia to produce profoundly disturbing results. It won the 1995 Irish Times International Fiction Prize.
The content of the novel is strongly based on "At Tikhon's", a chapter written by Dostoyevsky for his 1872 novel Demons (often translated as The Devils) but suppressed by his editor M.N. Katkov. The chapter was never reinstated in the novel but is found as an appendix in many modern editions. In the chapter, the character Nikolai Stavrogin confesses to a sordid liaison with a 14 year old girl, Matryosha. Matryosha, and the setting of Stavrogin's tale, appear in The Master of Petersburg.
Hanging over the novel is a scene from Coetzee's own life: the death of his son at 23 in a mysterious falling accident. Dostoyevsky is found at the start of the novel trying to accept the death of his stepson Pavel, which occurs in a similar manner. Though Pavel is based on a real person, his death is fictional – the real Pavel outlived Dostoyevsky.
The antagonist in the book, who shares many conversations with Dostoyevsky, is Sergey Nechayev
, real-life leader of the Nechaevists, a clandestine group of Nihilist
terrorists. The murder which occurs in the novel is not fictional, and the cellar containing a printing press used by Nechaev, which features in the novel, was the scene of the actual murder.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky as its protagonist. It is a deep, complex work that draws on the life of Dostoyevsky, the life of the author and the history of Russia to produce profoundly disturbing results. It won the 1995 Irish Times International Fiction Prize.
The content of the novel is strongly based on "At Tikhon's", a chapter written by Dostoyevsky for his 1872 novel Demons (often translated as The Devils) but suppressed by his editor M.N. Katkov. The chapter was never reinstated in the novel but is found as an appendix in many modern editions. In the chapter, the character Nikolai Stavrogin confesses to a sordid liaison with a 14 year old girl, Matryosha. Matryosha, and the setting of Stavrogin's tale, appear in The Master of Petersburg.
Hanging over the novel is a scene from Coetzee's own life: the death of his son at 23 in a mysterious falling accident. Dostoyevsky is found at the start of the novel trying to accept the death of his stepson Pavel, which occurs in a similar manner. Though Pavel is based on a real person, his death is fictional – the real Pavel outlived Dostoyevsky.
The antagonist in the book, who shares many conversations with Dostoyevsky, is Sergey Nechayev
Sergey Nechayev
Sergey Gennadiyevich Nyechayev was a Russian revolutionary associated with the Nihilist movement and known for his single-minded pursuit of revolution by any means necessary, including political violence.-Early life in Russia:...
, real-life leader of the Nechaevists, a clandestine group of Nihilist
Nihilist movement
The Nihilist movement was a Russian movement in the 1860s which rejected all authorities. It is derived from the Latin word "nihil", which means "nothing"...
terrorists. The murder which occurs in the novel is not fictional, and the cellar containing a printing press used by Nechaev, which features in the novel, was the scene of the actual murder.