If there is something instructive in Dostoevsky, which should be learned by every artist, it is the fact that the Christian Dostoevsky, when he puts words into the mouth of a nihilist, ceases to exist. This is art; this is a prerequisite for a work that is intended to be convincing. If we take Demons alone, for example, that magnificent work in which nihilism has perhaps never been expressed so eloquently and multifacetedly, the Christian Dostoevsky appears so shy, amid multiple and very strong voices, that he appears almost non-existent. This is why many have called Dostoevsky, the Christian, a nihilist. And that is why his work, susceptible to endless interpretations, is one of the most authentic treasures of universal literature.
The Lesson of Dostoevsky
