Historical Society

Captain Salmon on Dostoevsky

To do justice to such a man as Dostoevsky in a talk of little more than an hour was an almost impossible task, yet Captain Salmon succeeded in giving his audience a very full picture of both the life and much of the thought of the great Russian novelist and thinker. The speaker first gave a brief outline of the main events in Russia and Europe during the time Dostoevsky was writing, "to place him in his own environment," then described how the writer was involved in the Petrachevsky affair and sent to Siberia. Other biographical details were mentioned as Captain Salmon spoke of Dostoevsky's main novels. He related The Gambler to the author's own mania for gambling, The House of the Dead to his experiences in Siberia and went on tell how novels like The Possessed, Crime and Punishment, The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov, had in some way a direct connection with the author's own experiences. Captain Salmon also pointed out how the war fervour in Russia from 1876-8 against Turkish suppression of Christians in the Balkans was important in the formation of Dostoevsky's messianic theory.

It is this theory which Captain Salmon has tried to elucidate in his thesis. Several problems confronted him which were crucial to his whole study. Firstly, the problem of determining Dostoevsky's attitude to history; secondly, the significance of the messianic theory; and thirdly Dostoevsky's religious fervour. These problems were treated separately by the speaker who showed remarkable insight into the deeper implications of Dostoevsky's writings. He expressed the opinion that perhaps Dostoevsky's greatest ability is in describing the movement of historical forces. Captain Salmon showed in his talk that he is in a position to speak with authority and such an opinion is surely worth the consideration of all students of literature and history.

N.M.