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When did Fyodor Dostoyevsky begin having epileptic seizures?
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Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, shown in 1876, was introduced to a new generation of readers in 2024–25 when “White Nights” surged in popularity thanks to TikTok and Instagram users.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky first began experiencing epileptic seizures while he was imprisoned in a Siberian labor camp.1
These seizures, which he later depicted with profound psychological depth in his novel The Idiot, were a significant aspect of his life and work. While some historical interpretations, such as those by Sigmund Freud, attempted to categorize the condition as psychological in origin, modern research has shown these earlier analyses to be based on misinformation.1