Relatively recently, a monument to Dostoevsky was erected at the entrance to the Lenin library. This happened in 1997, during the celebration of the 850th anniversary of the founding of Moscow, and was not accompanied by particularly solemn events. At least, the president of Russia was not at the opening.
Writer F. M. Dostoevsky
The name of this writer, without exaggeration, is world famous. His works “The Brothers Karamazov”, “Idiot”, “Crime and Punishment”, “Demons” and many others are translated into many languages and are published to this day. The writer was born in Moscow, on Novaya Bozhedomka Street, now bearing his name. By the way, there is another monument, but much more modest than the monument to Dostoevsky at the Lenin library. It cannot be said that the writer was surrounded by fame and veneration of others during his lifetime. Quite the contrary, he survived both hard labor and soldiers, suffered from epileptic seizures and was obsessed with gambling. Curious and metamorphoses of his beliefs. Having started his career at a young age as a staunch fighter against tsarism, for which he was initially sentenced to execution, subsequently replaced by hard labor, in the middle and especially at the end of his life, the writer became a fan of autocracy and a Russian nationalist, anti-Semite and chauvinist. In the Soviet Union, although the writer was included in the school curriculum, some of his works remained under a kind of unwritten ban. In particular, the novel "Demons". Despite all this, his writing talent is certainly undeniable. And it was the recognition of this talent that determined the decision to erect a monument to Dostoevsky at the Lenin library.
The first monument to the writer in Moscow
As already mentioned, the monument to Dostoevsky at the Lenin Library is not the only one in Moscow. The first was discovered back in 1918 in accordance with a special decree of the Bolsheviks on monumental propaganda. The flagrant discrepancy between the writer's beliefs and Bolshevism is reflected in the history with the name of this first monument. As an extremely risky joke, A. V. Lunacharsky, the curator of the program, was offered a variant of the name: "Dostoevsky from grateful demons." There is another story related to the writer’s son, Fedor, whom the local Cheka was going to shoot in Simferopol during the installation of the monument to his father in Moscow, but the very fact of kinship and the appearance of the monument played a decisive role in his salvation. It is good that among the zealous semi-literate security officers there were people who knew this writer.
Description of the monument
The monument to Dostoevsky at the Lenin Library was created by sculptor A. I. Rukavishnikov and architects M. M. Posokhin and A. G. Kochetkovsky. The writer is depicted sitting on the edge of a chair, in a very uncomfortable position, with a gloomy, pensive face, hands limply lowered, one hand lying on his knees, the figure itself is stooped. Obviously, as conceived by the author, the pose was supposed to reflect the writer's painful meditation on the fates of the world and humanity. The Lenin library cannot be called optimistic to name the monument to Dostoyevsky, but he nevertheless makes an impression. Albeit somewhat gloomy. Not all urban sites are required to glow with unbridled optimism. To some extent, the monument reflects the difficult life of this man, who, despite the disgrace that existed both during life and even after death, at least in our country, was recognized by mankind as the greatest writer of the 19th century.
It must be said that the author A. I. Rukavishnikov created several monuments to this writer. Among them, a very similar monument, installed in Dresden, the opening of which was attended by the leaders of Russia and Germany, as well as several statues in various cities of Russia.
Offensive nicknames
With the advent of any monument, folk witters are almost immediately found, coming up with all sorts of funny names, regardless of personality, as well as an army of eternally displeased critics who are diligently seeking to find fault with. The monument to Dostoevsky by the Lenin library was no exception. The most harmless name: "Monument to ankylosing spondylitis." Other, less decent nicknames: "Monument to Russian hemorrhoids", "At a reception by a proctologist." All this is inspired by the uncomfortable position of the writer, giving rise to such associations. Critics, in addition to all the same posture of the writer, noted the unsuccessful, in their opinion, place for its installation. But if you wish, you can "get to the bottom" of any city object. In this case, it was a clear contradiction between the name of Lenin, in whose honor the library was named, and the name of Dostoevsky, whose monument was erected opposite the entrance to this library.
Monument Life
The site near the monument to Dostoyevsky at the Lenin Library is a fairly popular meeting place for young people. Various flash mobs, hugging ’type campaigns are held here periodically, in 2017 the monument became one of the venue of the Flower jam’ campaign, turning into an element of garden decor for a short time, in 2013, during the reconstruction of the library entrance, its pedestal was updated. In 2011-2012. the venue next to the monument became an arena for street press conferences for both supporters and opponents of Bolotnaya Square. In general, the monument "fit" into the urban environment and has become one of the attractions of the capital.
Location
The formal address of the monument to Dostoevsky at the Lenin Library: ul. Vozdvizhenka, house 3/5, building 1. This address matches the address of the library itself. You can find out how to get to the Lenin Library and the Dostoevsky Monument from the information boards located in the center of Moscow, at almost every public transport stop. The nearest metro stations are Arbatskaya and the Lenin Library.
How to get to the monument to Dostoevsky at the Lenin library from the city center? You just need to focus on pointers. The monument is located at the intersection of the old Moscow streets Mokhovaya and Vozdvizhenka, it is simply impossible not to notice it.