Amidst the global backlash against Russian products and exports sparked by Russia's escalated invasion of Ukraine in 2022, there has been an increased questioning of the contributions of Russian authors to the nationalistic mindset underlying Russian aggression. Within this context, it is worthwhile to examine the thought of prominent twentieth-century Christians and to consider what attracted them to the writings of Fyodor Dostoevsky and many other Russian authors. Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker movement; her friend, Russian émigré, Helene Iswolsky; Jim Forest of the Fellowship of Reconciliation; and Christian existentialist philosopher Nicholas Berdyaev are a few notable names. Two Quakers of the twentieth century, Fritz Eichenberg and William Hubben also maintained a deep engagement with the writings of Dostoevsky. In this paper, I will elaborate on points of commonality between these two Quakers who were prominent readers and interpreters of Dostoevsky's work, particularly on his theme of suffering and resistance under an oppressive government.
Dostoevsky was highly influential on Eichenberg's work as a book illustrator. He provided illustrations for six major Dostoevsky novels over the course of his career. Such an undertaking of illustrating of Dostoevsky's novels places Eichenberg as a leading visual interpreter of Dostoevsky's work in graphic art. Crime and Punishment was one of the first novels that Eichenberg provided illustrations for during his time as a student at the Academy of Graphic Arts in Leipzig, Germany. About 15 years later, after Eichenberg and his family fled Germany under Hitler's rule in 1933, Eichenberg met book publisher, George Macy, in New York. By 1938, Macy's Heritage Press published an edition of Crime and Punishment with a newly-produced set of woodcut illustrations by Eichenberg. This commenced a long career of illustrating Dostoevsky novels including The Brothers Karamazov (1949), The Idiot (1956). The Possessed (1959), A Raw Youth (1974), and The House of the Dead (1982). The inclusion of The House of the Dead among the novels Eichenberg illustrated is notable as it is the work that Dostoevsky wrote based on his imprisonment in Siberia.
Eichenberg became Quaker in 1940 through his association with Jesse Holmes, Professor at Swarthmore College. Another significant connection for Eichenberg came with the suggestion from Gilbert Kilpack to attend a publishing conference at Pendle Hill conference center where he would meet Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker movement and avid Dostoevsky reader. This meeting began Eichenberg's lifelong friendship with Day and initiated his illustrations for the Catholic Worker.
William Hubben was also a German who fled with his family in the early years of Hitler's rule. Hubben edited Quaker periodicals both in Germany, Der Quaker, and in the US. Hubben wrote extensively about Dostoevsky including in his book, Four Prophets of Our Destiny, later published as Dostoevsky, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Kafka. Eichenberg and Hubben maintained correspondence in the 1950s and 1960s. The fruits of their engagements with Dostoevsky are complementary as Hubben articulates in writing perspectives on Dostoevsky while Eichenberg's illustrations provide a sustained graphic meditation.
Bibliography:
Eichenberg, Fritz and Robert Brown. Oral history interview with Fritz Eichenberg. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. May 14, 1979 and December 7, 1979. (http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews/oral-history-interview-fritz-eichenberg-12736, Retrieved: February 24, 2014).
Eichenberg, Fritz and Robert Ellsberg. “Revealing the Inner Light: An Interview with Fritz Eichenberg.” Summer 1981. In Fritz Eichenberg: Works of Mercy, edited by Robert Ellsberg, 53-65. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1992.
Eichenberg, Fritz and Harlan Philips. Oral history interview with Fritz Eichenberg. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Dec. 3, 1964. (http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews/oral-history-interview-fritz-eichenberg-12479, Retrieved: February 24, 2014).
Ellsberg, Robert, ed. Fritz Eichenberg: Works of Mercy. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1992.
Forest, Jim. “Fritz Eichenberg: Artist of the Peaceable Kingdom.” In Fritz Eichenberg: Works of Mercy, edited by Robert Ellsberg, 13-25. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1992.
Gilbo, Patrick. “A Quaker Portrait: Fritz Eichenberg.” Friends Journal (June 1, 1969): 329-330.
Harnden, Philip. “Fritz Eichenberg: Artist on the Witness Stand.” The Other Side (August/ September 1985): 53-56.
Hubben, William. Dostoevsky, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Kafka. New York: Macmillian Publishing Company, 1952.
Hubben, William. "Dostoevsky's Holy Russia." The Friends Quarterly (July 1952): 182-187.
Fritz Eichenberg (1901-1990) and William Hubben (1895-1974) were two Quakers who maintained a deep engagement with the writings of Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Dostoevsky was highly influential on Eichenberg's work as a book illustrator. He provided illustrations for six major Dostoevsky novels over the course of his career.
Hubben wrote extensively about Dostoevsky including in his book, Four Prophets of Our Destiny, later published as Dostoevsky, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Kafka.
Eichenberg and Hubben maintained correspondence in the 1950s and 1960s. The fruits of their engagements with Dostoevsky are complementary as Hubben articulates in writing perspectives on Dostoevsky while Eichenberg's illustrations provide a sustained graphic meditation.
In this paper, I will elaborate on points of commonality between these two Quakers who were prominent readers and interpreters of Dostoevsky's work, particularly on his theme of suffering and resistance under an oppressive government.