Dostoevsky's novels on the stage (experience of the 1st presentations)

The problem of origin and development of the so-called Dostoevsky theatre is the problem under consideration in this article. The study is based on a comprehensive research of the metropolitan and provincial periodicals about the staging of Dostoevsky's novels and their acceptance in 1880s-1890s. Many of the articles not studied by the researchers earlier are dedicated to the performability of the writer's novels. The review and analysis of these sources being introduced into scientific discourse for the first time make the originality of the work. Of particular interest are the materials from the archives of the State Central Theatre Museum named after A. A. Bakhrushin, a promptbook of the staged version of the novel “Crime and Punishment” by Delier and the play by Krylov and Sutugin based on the novel “The Idiot” for its staging in The Maly theatre in Moscow and Alexandrinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg.