Dostoevsky and his characters in theatre chairs, at concerts and in amusement facilities, 1837-1849 (from the materials for the encyclopedic reference book “Petersburg of Dostoevsky”)

The basis of the publication is a thematic selection of the materials of the encyclopedic reference book “Dostoevsky Petersburg” being prepared for publishing. The purpose of the publication is to test the principles of the material presentation in the intended edition. All the places of the Northern capital, where Dostoevsky went to attend performances, concerts, or the amusement places, are described in a systematic manner. The published materials are chronologically limited by the first period of Dostoevsky's life in St. Petersburg: years 1837 to 1849, when the writer's attention to the theatrical and musical life of the capital was especially intense. All the information is provided by documentary, memoir, epistolary and other sources (including newspaper and magazine reviews). Each miniature article is devoted to a particular place of St. Petersburg and is accompanied by a set of the used sources. Being a thematic excerpt from the encyclopedic reference book, the publication materials are arranged in an alphabetic order. Along with the historical addresses presented in accordance with the documents of the 1840s, the current addresses of the given places are always provided. The publication of materials of the encyclopedic reference book is preceded by an introductory article confronting readers with the historical background of the problem.