“Dostoevsky schools” in the Russian press

The article analyzes newspaper and magazine materials about schools named after F. M. Dostoevsky (1881-1917). Most of the publications concern the history of the parish school in Staraya Russa, but the authors found out that at the turn of the 20th century several more attempts were made to open an educational institution in memory of the writer, namely in Kiev and Kazan provinces. The article provides a brief overview of the history of other schools that ever bore the name of F. M. Dostoevsky (Shkid in Petrograd, a gymnasium in Harbin, a school in Dostoevo, school No. 2 in Staraya Russa, school No. 1148 in Moscow). During this period, the press began a broad discussion of the idea of perpetuating the writer’s memory by opening public schools named in his honor; thanks to the initiative of “Novoe Vremya” newspaper, a fundraising campaign was initiated to establish the first school in Staraya Russa. The accents and assessments of the Russian press are of particular value: they are an expression of both the public attitude towards F. M. Dostoevsky, and a means of preserving the nation's memory of him. The press materials allow to track the attitude of people to the heritage of F. M. Dostoevsky and to establish the motives that inspired representatives of various social strata to donate funds for the construction of schools in memory of the writer. The following sources are used as a foundation: chronicles, reports and other texts from the newspapers “Novoe Vremya,” “Moskovskie Vedomosti,” “Kazansky Telegraph,” “Nedelya,” “Volzhsky Vestnik,” “Starorusskaya Pravda,” “Volkhovsky Listok,” “Kazanskie Gubernskie Vedomosti”; articles from the magazines “Istorichesky Vestnik,” “Novgorodskiye eparhialnye Vedomosti,” and others.