Apollinaria Prokofyevna Suslova

Commonly referred to as Polina Suslova, Apollinaria Prokofyevna Suslova was one of Dostoevsky’s mistresses in the 1860s. Born in 1839 in Panino, Nizhny Novgorod Governorate, she was a radical and an aspiring writer. Her sister, Nadezhda Suslova, was Russia's first female doctor. She had a short, tumultuous marriage to another writer named Vasily Rozanov, who was almost 2 decades her junior. In 1918, she died at the age of 78.

Apollinaria Suslova (1839-1917/18)

Life with Dostoevsky

Polina Suslova was 20 years younger than Dostoevsky when they became romantically involved. She was initially attracted to Dostoevsky due his political martyr aspects. They are believed to have met after Dostoevsky published one of her short stories in ‘Time’, shortly after his own imprisonment and exile, and before he split from his first wife, Marya.

There was speculation raised that both Suslova and Dostoevsky used one another for literature gain – with Dostoevsky completing ‘The Gambler’ during their affair and Suslova keeping a diary of their relationship which she later turned into a short story.

Dostoevsky was also rumored to be involved with Polina’s sister Nadezhda Suslova.

The Influence of Suslova and Dostoevsky

'The Gambler, with Polina Suslova’s Diary' was published in 1972 by Victor Terras. It included a translation of 'The Gambler', a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky, as well Polina Suslova’s story 'The Stranger and Her Lover' and some letters that were exchanged between Dostoevsky and Suslova during their affair. The novel explores the love life of a young man with a gambling problem, and the woman he loves, Polina. Both Suslova and Dostoevsky are credited as authors. This version became highly reviewed and contested by the literary world, as they attempted to discern Suslova’s influence on Dostoevsky's gambling issues, and his literary and literal approach towards love.

Other works have been created about Suslova and Dostoevsky’s relationship. Texts from the parody genre, like Lara Vapnyar’s ‘Memoirs of a Muse’, were inspired by, and utilized some of Polina Suslova’s diary entries. Vapnyar's story, which parodied the affair between Suslova and Dostoevsky, became a prominent, Russian-American piece on feminism and cultural identity. Vapnyar chose to write a fictional piece that focused extensively on Suslova, and not her explicitly more famous, male counterpart.

Martin Scorsese's 'Life Lessons' segment from the 1989 film 'New York Stories', is based on 'The Gambler', with Rosanna Arquette portraying the character thought to be based on Suslova, and Nick Nolte as the male lead.

Suslova is also credited with being the inspiration behind some of Dostoevsky’s later female characters like Nastasya Filippovna from ‘The Idiot’, and Grushenka from ‘The Brothers Karamazov’. Her immaturity throughout their relationship and the games she played on Dostoevsky, are credited for creating a few of the most historically renowned literary characters.

After Dostoevsky

Polina Susolva later married the young man, Vasily Rozanov, yet she remained on friendly terms with Dostoevsky. Their affair ended some years after it began, due to Dostoevsky’s unwillingness to break up with his wife, Marya. Their affair became exhausting and borderline abusive in the end. Unable to break up at first, they travelled around Europe together, until Polina went to France and Dostoevsky lost his money gambling. Polina pawned her jewelry to send funds to Dostoevsky, and they remained in contact exchanging letters for a few years. Communication finally ceased when Dostoevsky turned his attention back towards Nadezhda, Polina’s sister, and pledged his brotherly love to her.

In Her Own Right

Polina Suslova left an impact on the Russian and global literature world that extended beyond her extramarital affair with Dostoevsky. Her novel 'The Stranger and Her Lover', which was believed to be an autobiographical rendition of said affair, gained its own attention from critics and scholars, who had much to say about the way she portrayed her own character. Pieces of her diary, 'My Years With Dostoevsky', are still read and studied today. The villain to one of literature's most renowned protagonists, Polina Suslova became a key figure in Russian literature herself.