The problems of the chronological attribution of “the second” notebook of F. M. Dostoevsky

The article envisages the problems of the chronological attribution of F. M. Dostoevsky’s “second” notebook kept in the Manuscripts Department of the Russian State Library (Fund 93.I.2.7). All the dating information related both to the notebook in whole and to its particular records, is specified. Since the book was filled up in different directions, sometimes chaotically, it is difficult to establish the exact chronological order of records. The article makes a conclusion that the dating of “1861-1864” specified in some publications should be definitely revised. A possibility of keeping a notebook in the last months of 1862 is envisaged, however, the period of “1862-1864” proposed by G. M. Fridlender needs further justification. To understand the sequence of filling up the book, the article grouped and analyzed records relating to 1863 and 1864: it was at that time when Dostoevsky turned to the notebook the most frequently. A lot of questions touched upon in the article are of a polemical character and need further studying.