Universal Dostoevsky | RT Documentary

Universal Dostoevsky by RT Documentary looks at views from across the world to see how the philosophy of Russia’s most recognised writer is still on point two centuries later.

Even today, Dostoevsky has become a global brand who people go to because he “makes you face your true self” and his books assure that “you can better yourself”. Moreover, Dostoevsky’s ability to change a reader, transforming them as they read, makes him truly universal, and no matter what language the reader speaks, they get the message.

Duke University in North Carolina has one of the strongest Russian language departments. Students are enthralled by the depths of Dostoevsky’s work and how this man, from a different time and country, could be in sync with the current problems they are facing.

Patrick Wise was a prizewinner at the annual Dostoevsky Games, a contest for students from the leading universities in North Carolina, which is among the main centres in the US for studying Dostoevsky. During the Games, Dostoevsky’s novels are given new, modern interpretations: rap, allusions and video. ‘Crime and Punishment’ might be his most famous, even ‘mainstream’ novel: murder, money lending, blood and redemption fit nicely into a modern music video.

In Europe, Asia, and America, artists inspired by Dostoevsky make his novels into plays, pieces of art and performances. Watch our documentary and learn about the creative ways the artistic community perceives Dostoevsky.