Description of the Project

 

Dostoevsky's notebooks contain unique materials that cover almost every aspect of his work: drafts of his novels and tales, unfinished works, critical articles, journalism, as well as the diverse materials in Dostoevsky’s Diary of a Writer.  Included in these sources are accounts of Dostoevsky’s  life, drafts of his letters, notes and business calculations connected with Dostoevsky’s publishing activity, as well  as drawings, calligraphic writing,  and Dostoevsky’s  scribbles testing pen points.

Modern computer programming has provided the means for parallel representations of each page of the manuscript and of the deciphered text. This allows for the examination and study of the text as a dynamic form of transcription – a system of signs that disclose the character and consequences of the author's corrections in the manuscript. Original and modern versions of the text – the latter marked by modern orthography and punctuation—will be available for the reader on Internet sites devoted to Dostoevsky’s electronic archives.  Text, drawings, calligraphy are represented faithfully on each page of the notebooks. On opening any given page the reader will have the opportunity to compare the original handwritten text with the printed text.  Editorial comments will appear in footnotes. 

This website has been created as a part of the Russian Science Foundation project № 16-18-10034, IRLI RAN. The head of the project is:

Sergei A. Kibalnik, Ph.D., Chief-Research Officer, Institute of Russian Literature, Russian Academy of Science and Humanities (the text of the notebooks: RGALI. 212. 1. 3,  212. 1. 13).

The other researchers:

Liubov V. Alexeeva, Ph.D., Researcher, Web Laboratory, Institute of Philology, Petrozavodsk State University (the text of the notebooks: RGALI. 212. 1. 7,  212. 1. 17).

Natalya A. Tarasova, Ph.D., Chief-Research Officer, Institute of Russian Literature, Russian Academy of Science and Humanities (the text of the notebooks: RGALI. 212. 1. 4,  212. 1. 8, 212. 1. 9).

Boris N. Tikhomirov, Ph.D., Vice-Director, The Memorial Dostoevsky Museum in St. Petersburg (the text of the notebooks: RGALI. 212. 1. 5,  212. 1. 12, 212. 1. 15).

Vladimir N. Zakharov, Ph.D., Chairman, Department of Russian Literature and Journalism, Petrozavodsk State University (the text of the notebooks: RGALI. 212.1.6, 212. 1. 11, 212. 1. 16).

Web Designers:

Irina A. Mbogo, Senior researcher, Department of Information Systems in Arts and Humanities, St. Petersburg State University

Inna A. Sosunova, Engineer, Department of Net Technologies, St. Petersburg Research University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics

Valentina V. Zakharkina Ph. D., Assistant Professor, Department of Information Systems in Arts and Humanities, St. Petersburg State University