Fyodor Dostoyevsky survived a staged execution by firing squad
Before writing his greatest masterpieces, the Russian novelist was dressed in a white burial shroud and stood before a firing squad in a cruel psychological stunt.
In December 1849, the twenty-seven-year-old Fyodor Dostoyevsky was led into a public square in Saint Petersburg to face a death sentence. Arrested for his involvement in a literary circle that circulated forbidden books, he and several other prisoners were forced through a meticulous execution ritual. They were dressed in white shirts, given a cross to kiss, and watched as ritualistic sabers were broken over their heads to symbolize their legal death.
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