Dostoevsky's Letter Just Before Execution

Fyodor Dostoevsky left a letter for his brothers on December 22, 1849, shortly after being sentenced to death and while on his way to his place of exile in Siberia. This letter is known to have been written immediately after he was miraculously pardoned just before his execution.

In the letter, he conveyed that he had received a harsh sentence of four years of forced labor and six years of military service in Siberia. He also expressed profound pain over being stripped of his civil rights, which prohibited him from engaging in literary activities.

He stood on the scaffold in three groups of six, recalling that he was the sixth person in the second group.

Just before death, he confessed that the love for his brothers was the sole essence of life. When the news of his pardon dramatically arrived, he experienced an intense feeling of returning from death and being reborn as a new person.

Dostoevsky's decision to choose an inner life over external circumstances became a source of new artistic creativity for him. He emphasized that true life means maintaining inner values, unyielding to external situations.

He vowed not to lose the feelings of heart and love, which are the source of artistic creativity, and sought to begin a new life by shedding past pain and hatred towards others. He showed a strong will to find the meaning of life within himself, not in external circumstances.

He said he would rather be imprisoned for 15 years if he could hold a pen.

He asked his brothers to send detailed family news in letters, emphasizing regret for wasted past time and a positive attitude toward the future. He also expressed hope and determination for the life he would restart in exile, vowing never to lose hope.