Dostoevski, seven years older than Tolstoi, and three years younger than Turgenev, was not so much a Realist as a Naturalist; his chief interest was in the psychological processes of the unclassed.
"Essays on Russian Novelists"
William Lyon Phelps
It is interesting to compare the world-wide appeal made by the novels of Turgenev, Dostoevski, and Tolstoi with that made by Thackeray and George Eliot, not to mention Mr. Hardy or the late Mr. Meredith.
"Essays on Russian Novelists"
William Lyon Phelps
The Russian capacity for suffering is the real text of the great works of Dostoevski, and the reason why his name is so beloved in Russia-he understood the hearts of his countrymen.
"Essays on Russian Novelists"
William Lyon Phelps