A majority of authors of the past would be surprised
at how successful their works have become long after they are gone. Some of
these authors never got the recognition or received any financial success with
their works. In fact, many were poor but continued writing holding on to the
hope that one day, their works will bring about the success they anticipated. However,
the success they wanted never seemed to come around. A good example is Herman
Melville. Melville is famous for writing a lot of books, but a majority of
these came to be critically acclaimed long after he had
died. For example, his masterpiece Moby-Dick
was not appreciated as it is today. However, he kept on writing. His story is
similar to that of Fyodor Dostoevsky who enriched the world of literature with
his writing as well. However, like Melville, Dostoevsky did not live to see how
his work is currently viewed. These two authors are indeed on a pedestal as far
as literature is concerned as their works have helped to pave the way for
today’s authors. This essay thus seeks to take a deeper look at their lives as
well as a comparison of some of two of their works that stand out till today.
Fyodor
Dostoevsky
Dostoevsky was born in 1821 as the second child to a
strict father and a kind father. Being born in such a family influenced him and
what he came to write later in his life. From an early age, Dostoevsky showed
the spirit of a rebel and school life for him was a boring adventure. Unlike
today, school life back then was ordinary, and students were expected to follow
similar routines throughout their lives. So, for Dostoevsky, he decided to bury
himself deep into literary works of the time. He read what was being published
at the time and unknowingly to him, his desire to write grew. His life,
however, took a turn for the worst when his father was murdered. After his
father’s death, Dostoevsky was preoccupied with death. It is said that some of
his works were influenced by the events that led to his father’s death. A theme
like crime was also quite evident in his works, for example, in Crime and Punishment, death and crime
take center stage.
Once he came of age, Dostoevsky joined the army,and
after two years in the army, he started writing. Poor Folk was his first,and this was quite successful. With his
first literary piece, Dostoevsky had already catapulted himself to the summit
of Russian literature. The groundwork had been laid, and it was only left for Dostoevsky
to continue with his ascend. However, immediately after Poor Folk, things changed in Russia, and a period of change was
initiated. Not to be left behind, Dostoevsky threw himself in the middle of it
all and through his pieces, he made sure that he was involved in the political
matters of the day. Knowing that it was illegal to publish certain material, Dostoevskycontinued
to publish and soon the government caught up with him and his friends.
He was arrested, sent to jail, and sentenced to
death. However, this was only a ploy to make sure he will be silenced. Once the
death sentence was rescinded, Dostoevsky was sent to Siberia where he was
imprisoned for four years. After prison, he regained his appetite for writing,
and this is where his genius was born. Notes
from Underground came in 1864 and in this particular piece, he provides
details of how mankind often craves freedom more than happiness. He shows that
individual freedom appears more important to many within the human race.
However, he does make it clear that this freedom has to be kept in check. Later
on, Dostoevsky delivered Crime and
Punishment, The Idiot, The Possessed, among others. All these were
masterpieces and continued to elevate him in the world of literature.
Herman
Melville
Herman was born two years before Dostoevsky was born
(1819). He was born to Allan Melvill and Maria Gansevoort. His father was a successful
businessman, and Melville’s family was thus rich at the time. However, things
changed as soon as their father died in 1832, and the family was left with huge
loans to pay. For their mother, feeding a family of eight children was indeed a
tall order,and soon everyone had to play a role in making sure the family had
something to eat and run their businesses.
As a young boy, Hermanwas struck by scarlet fever and
by the time he was age seven, he had already lost his left eyesight. This made
for a troubled childhood and coupled with the fact that the family was
struggling, Herman’s life was set for a troublesome ending. His education was
not as consistent as he would have liked,but Herman soldiered on. Like
Dostoevsky, his desire to write was slowly growing inside him.
At some point in his life, Melville started working
as a cabin boy and here is where his writing prowess started to show. In 1846, he
published his first piece called Typee,
which was inspired by what he had done and saw during his many sea travels.
This is quite similar to Dostoevsky whose work was also influenced by his life
and what he had gone through.The reaction from this piece encouraged him to do
more, and he continued to write. However, for Herman, the world was about to
showcase its cruel side as his later works did not garner any success. Moby Dick, for example, struggled and
critics at the time felt that he was losing touch with not only himself but
also his writing skills.
In spite of the challenges and the poor ratings, he
kept on writing and producing some of his best works. For example, The Pizza Tales which he published in
1856 showcased that Herman was indeed a brilliant writer. However, he was soon
discouraged by the reception, and it became increasingly difficult for him to
keep writing. But, he kept writing and later switched to writing poems where he
also thrived. Like Dostoevsky, his works are only getting the recognition they
deserve today. These writers were indeed geniuses and deserved more than their
timelines or eras offered.
