Fyodor Dostoevsky

About Fyodor Dostoevsky

Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821–1881) was a titan of world literature, renowned for his profound psychological and philosophical novels that explored the human condition, morality, and existential despair. His masterful works, including Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov, established him as a seminal figure whose influence spans literature, theology, and philosophy. MIT's Pantheon project recognizes this immense cultural weight, ranking him as the 39th most historically important figure globally.

Despite this high historical standing, Dostoevsky's modern internet attention in 2025 appears modest, garnering 1.9 million annualized Wikipedia views. This places him in a zone of overattention relative to other figures, showing a +2x gap where his online visibility exceeds his historical rank importance. For comparison, fellow writer William Shakespeare, ranked just slightly lower at #48, captured 4.3M views in the same period. Another striking contrast is with religious founder Gautama Buddha, ranked #2 in importance, who drew only 410K views in 2025, suggesting a significant divergence between enduring historical influence and current digital consumption patterns.

While still commanding substantial attention, Dostoevsky is experiencing a slight decline: his 2025 pageviews are down -8.1% year-over-year, and his Q1 vs. Q3 momentum shows a -10% drop, indicating that while he remains a central figure, current cultural interest is softening slightly.