The Problems of the Chronological Attribution of “the Third” Notebook of F. M. Dostoevsky

The article makes an attempt of the chronological attribution of F. M. Dostoevsky’s “third” notebook kept in the Manuscripts Department of the Russian State Library (Fund 93.I.2.8). The book, like the two previous ones, was filled in by the writer in different directions, sometimes chaotically: the dates referring to the years 1864 and 1865 appear both at the beginning and in the middle or at the end of the book. In one place there emerges the date “the second half of November 1863”. Often, only the date and the month are indicated that required additional clarification as to a year. The nature of the filling of the book, the dates found in it, as well as the content of the notes make it possible to assume that Dostoevsky begins keeping it simultaneously with his “second” notebook housed in the Manuscripts Department of the Russian State Library (Fund 93.I.2.7), in July 1864. Then, in August, he makes the last notes in the “second” notebook and focuses himself on the “third” one (which is most likely to have an auxiliary character), as well as (with regard to literary and journalistic work) on two workbooks referring to the years 1864–1865 (housed in The Russian State Archive of Literature and Arts. F. 212.1.3 and 212.1.4). Thus, we deduce that Dostoevsky was keeping his “third” notebook, from July 1864 up to and including May 1865. A lot of questions touched upon in the article are of a polemical character and need further studying.