Who is Feodor Dostoevesky from Russian Thinkers and what is their importance?

Feodor Dostoevesky (1821 - 1881) is considered one of Russia's most important novelists. He was born to an alcoholic father and suffered periodic attacks of epilepsy from the time he was ten-years-old. He later graduated from officers' school. In the 1840's, Feodor became a member of the Petrashevsky Circle, a discussion group for discontented, young, educated Russians. After Europe's 1848 revolutions, several circle members were arrested and tried, including Dostoevsky. Feodor was sentenced to death for publicly reading the famous letter of Vissarion Belinsky that denounced Gogol. At the last moment, however, as he stood facing the firing squad, his sentence was commuted to eight years of exile in the Siberian city of Omsk.